35mm Compact Photographer #9 – Alex Redman – He walks, he rolls, he shoots

First, a bit of background? As much or as little as you are comfortable sharing… Name, Where you are from, what you do, What else in life do you enjoy? that sort of thing?

Alex Redman, I’m from Upton upon Severn in Worcestershire, 20 years of age and work with Hamish at F8, thats really how I got into film photography (as you will find out in the next question). I have very few “hobbies” photography being my main one, but I enjoy skateboarding, tinkering with my car and walking.

How long have you been taking photos?

I’ve been taking photos for about 6 months, it’s not a lot of time but since Hamish got me into film photography I’ve not been anywhere without a camera. I just wish this was something I discovered a few years ago.

What sort of photography do you enjoy or partake in the most (street, landscape, etc)

I really enjoy street photography and really want to do more of it, but of recent (while we’ve been blessed with the floods) most of my stuff has been landscapes. I also like taking portraits of the people I spend my time with.

How big a part of your photography life are 35mm compact cameras?

35mm compacts are all of my personal photography life, I sometimes use the D800 at work for product photography and the D700 when I’m taking photos with Hamish for work. It would be great to find a client that would like us to do their photography in film, but not everyone sees the appeal.

What about the experience of shooting with them appeals to you?

The end result, I love how a good 80% of my photos look straight from the developer and I don’t have to add an “effect” or a “filter” to make it look arty and appealing. The main appeal is the thought that goes into it, the different processes that people go through to get what they want from their photo and for me its about finding a composition and making it look as good to everyone else as it did to me.

Which is/are your favourite cameras? the one/s that go with you the most?

The camera that stays on my person at all times is the Olympus mju 2, it’s small, it’s easy to use and you get some great results too. I bought an Olympus 35rc after Hamish suggesting that I try a rangefinder and this too has been a camera that I am taking a lot of places at the moment. Hamish has also just lent me his Ricoh GR1s which I can’t wait to use.

What films do you shoot with and why?

I use Ilford XP2 400, Kodak colorplus 200 and Vista 200. All of them are c41 process so easy to get developed and Vista 200 because its cheap and gives lovely colour in low light.

What was the path to this shooting habit? How did you discover it appealed to you?

Well he’s been mentioned in nearly all the questions I’ve answered, Hamish was really the one to point me in the direction of 35mm compacts and film and when I discovered that I could compose something that I liked it just kind of stuck I suppose. I like the idea of shooting film because other than Hamish I don’t personally know anyone else who does, it just makes it something special I guess.

Show us your favourite/best images taken with a compact camera?

Olympus 35 RC – Vista 200

Olympus mju 2 – XP2

Olympus 35 RC – Vista 200

Olympus mju 2 – Vista 200

Olympus mju 2 – Kodak colour plus 200

Olympus mju 2 – XP2

Olympus mju 2 – XP2

You can find more of my photos on flickr
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