*Hongen Nar in Graduate Darkroom at Ryerson School of Image Arts - Kodak Tri-X 400*

The Darkroom - With Hongen Nar

Zeik Inocencio April 5, 2019

Back in January I had the privilege of meeting up with long-time film photographer and friend Hongen. A few years back I had ditched my first DSLR in favour of a smaller Fuji X-E1 which was a mirrorless camera and a Nikon FG which is an old manual film camera that I found at an antique shop. I was becoming accustomed to cameras that allowed me to be discrete as I was shooting more and more street work. At the time, I had also reached out to my friend Hongen about film. Hongen is a friend who I went to high school with and reconnected years later when I was getting more serious about photography. I asked him all kinds of stuff: What was Ilford HP5? How do you properly shoot film? How were these developed?

*Disposable camera and 3 rolls of Kodak Tri-X ~ iPhone*

Despite all of my questions, he was patient with me and guided me through. I went over to visit him in the summer of 2015. He had offered to show me how to develop a roll of HP5 I had shot in his darkroom which was a laundry room he had converted at his place. He had chemicals organized on a shelf and an enlarger on a counter. I remember fumbling through the dark bag trying to get the film on the reel to the point where Hongen had to step in and load the reel himself. After rinsing out the developed film we hung them to dry and waited while looking through his collection of limited edition books and a project he had recently printed himself.

I fell in love with the process of shooting, developing and seeing the prints. There was just so much care put into the work. I remember seeing the dried negatives and beaming with pride holding something I had worked on from start to finish.

That summer I shot more film. By the end of August I had picked up and repaired several polaroid cameras, a few Nikons and even a Mamiya 645 film camera. I loved it, but my time shooting film was short lived for two reasons: firstly, I didn’t have convenient access to a proper lab. The closest place to me was Walmart for developing colour film and I didn’t quite trust them (eventually they got rid of their equipment and shipped their film out for development). Secondly, film was expensive. As a university student I didn’t have much money to buy rolls of film let alone develop them. Polaroid film was even more expensive at $4 a shot. I stopped bringing my film cameras with me and became solely reliant on my mirrorless camera.

*Cutting off excess tab from film for easy loading.*

Fast forward to four years later. I’ve moved to Toronto, film is back in my workflow, I’m making weekly visits to a lab which is really accessible to me and does good work, and I’ve just started shooting rolls of Kodak Tri-X on a reloaded disposable. I had still kept in touch with Hongen who now has graduated from Ryerson School of Image Arts and is now a program coordinator and I remembered the time he showed me how to develop a roll of HP5. I messaged him about developing and what was needed in terms of chemicals and equipment. He kindly offered to show me how to develop Tri-X only this time in the graduate lab at Ryerson.

*Ryerson School of Image Arts Front Desk - Kodak Tri-X 400*

I was thrilled! I brought two rolls of film previously shot on my disposable as well as a fresh roll to shoot while he took me on a tour of the darkrooms and the Image Arts building. It was amazing to see spaces where analog work was still being practiced daily. Hongen showed me around the building including places where 16mm film was being developed and spliced for video. There was even a theatre room with a film projector for viewing film footage. Despite all the advances in technology, it seems like the fundamental basics of film are still alive and thriving in this space.

Hongen was kind enough to show me how to develop film similar to before but in much greater detail. He told me his experiences with certain chemicals, different film stock and what happens when negatives aren’t rinsed thoroughly after applying the fixing solution to the film. He had been developing his own film for years now and had gained a wealth of knowledge through experimentation and working with the medium. Thankfully, he was patient enough to guide me through his process.

*Me captured by Hongen - Kodak Tri-X 400*

There was something about the darkroom that intrigued me. My favourite thing about it is how it was a space where you got hands on with your work. It was all about precise measurements, dilutions, timing…a whole process through which you got your negative images in the end. This isn’t to put down digital workflows. I know I’ve had some shoots where I was thankful I got shots on digital. But being able to work with something tangible and just added an extra aspect of involvement in the creation of your work. There was more work and care involved developing your own film, but the results are very rewarding.

*Hongen doing a final rinse. No fixer left behind.*

After developing and rigorous rinsing with water, the film is left to dry. During that time, Hongen and I grabbed a bowl of ramen and talked about everything from high school to upcoming projects.

*Ramen is the perfect thing to grab while waiting*

I’m hoping to start developing more of my own black and white film (currently in the market for some darkroom supplies). Of course currently, most of my work is developed and scanned at Downtown Camera. But being in the darkroom and developing my own rolls was a treat. There’s nothing quite like seeing an image you’ve created from start to finish after hours of work. Of course, there’s the whole process of scanning or even printing images using an enlarger. But even just seeing the images for the first time on a light pad just overcomes me with joy. I hope to get a kit soon and start developing more rolls of film at home.

I’m curious, do you develop your own film? Or maybe you send it off to a lab. What’s your favourite part of the development process? What has made you gravitate towards film? Leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you as well.

Thanks for checking out this post!
Much Love,
-zeik

Disposables: Roll No. 001

Zeik Inocencio March 1, 2019

January 2019 flew by fast. I decided to take things easy and explore a little bit. You might’ve seen on either my Instagram or my previous posts that I’ve been shooting with a disposable reloaded with film. I fell in love with this for two reasons: 1) it strips me of any control except for how the shot is perceived and 2) it was incredibly cheap (actually Downtown Camera hooked me up with a free camera from Lomography) and small that I can toss it in my jacket pocket and without any fuss. My current camera for editorial or client work is a mirrorless Sony a7ii. In comparison to that, this disposable is very much like a flip phone to a smartphone. With no manual controls or screen, the disposable forces you focus solely on composing and capturing.

January was quite eventful. Due to the cold, I decided to take a break from creative shoots, editorials and client work to spend time for myself and to meet friends I hadn’t seen in a while. And each time I’d take my disposable with me and capture candids and scenery. I’ve finally received the majority of my scans back and I’m now getting around to sharing some of my favourite shots from January. I’ve decided to do a blog post for each roll. Here’s some favs from Roll 001.

All photos were shot using a Lomography Simple Use Camera using Kodak Tri-X 400 Black & White Film.

Keira.

Last summer I had the opportunity to be one of 5 photographers in the 2nd Mint Room challenge. Simply put, this was an event where 5 photographers worked with 1 model in various challenges. It was interesting in that you got to see how other photographers worked and thought differently about a particular shot, even though we were all working with the same model in the same space with the same constraints. One of the challenges was that we were only were able to take 5 photographs. No redos. Once a photograph was taken, it was treated like it was on film. This forced us to think carefully about each shot and how we composed the scene and lit our model. It was here that I met Keira, a talented model who is fond of donuts and has a knack for car karaoke and scalloped shorts. She had a magnetic personality and we quickly became good friends. This January she came to visit so I could fix her cracked phone. We were waiting on a part to arrive from Amazon Prime and I had the idea of cooking up something to eat in the meantime.

I wanted to cook up something quick and had one of my favourite dishes in mind: Pasta Aglio e Olio. This dish is greater than the sum of it’s parts and only requires 6 ingredients (most of which can already be found in a kitchen).

Aglio e Olio

Olive Oil
Garlic
Red Chilli Flakes
Lemon
Parsley
Pasta

We had everything except for two ingredients so we ventured to a nearby No Frills. There we got parsley and found lemon on sale for 5 cents off among other things.

After making our way back to my apartment, I fired up the stove and cooked this dish. I’m often asked what my favourite thing to cook is and I’ll usually respond with this pasta. Sure there are many other fantastic dishes but what I love most about this dish is how something unbelievably and absolutely delectable can come from something so simple (more on this in the next section). The key is to balance the flavours out allowing each thing to not be overpowered by the other but to compliment each other. If you’re looking for something quick, make this dish instead of reaching for Mr. Noodles (save the instant ramen for when a zombie apocalypse hits).

Keira and I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out while waiting for the damn phone screen to arrive. Unsurprisingly, the phone screen arrived minutes after Keira had left. But I was glad we got to keep each other company for a little while.

Twayne.

I never thought I’d ever be at a country music festival. But last summer I was hired to be on the media coverage team for Boots and Hearts. That’s where I met Twayne, an avid street photographer and talented videographer. Early January, Twayne had asked me if I would be interested in being a part of a new project he was working on. He was looking to explore the photojournalistic side of things and wanted to create a series of interviews with Toronto based creatives. I was down! He came over the day after Keira had visited me and we decided to start with a solid breakfast and then we sat down and he interviewed me for his project.

Twayne asked me some pretty interesting questions like who I was, how I got started and what I thought my signature look was with my work. I won’t spoil anything here. Check out his video to find out what my responses were and stay tuned to his instagram @twayner_ for more from his series (Twayne, if you’re reading this, I’m dying to find out who you interviewed next!). After that we decided to head downtown and take photos. I still had plenty of shots left on my camera and I wanted to get some street shots in.

The disposable was a joy to use in the city. This camera is so simple that it didn’t feel like I had one there. It was a tool that pretty much slipped back, got out of the way and allowed me to really be immersed in the scene that I was in. I knew what limitations I had to work with (aperture around f8, shutter at 1/125th a second, film iso at 400), but I didn’t have to fuss around with exposure or focus. My only concern was framing the shot and whether to use flash or not. It got me thinking about simplicity.

The day before, I managed to create a dish from very simple ingredients. It wasn’t about each individual component, but more so how they came together and each flavour helped build something that was greater than the sum of its parts. I suddenly realized why I loved using this camera so much. Alone, the pre-determined settings on the somewhat toy-ish camera and the urban scenery weren’t terribly spectacular. There are better cameras and better areas in the city to shoot than King Street West. But it wasn’t about what lens you were using or finding the most beautiful place in the city. It was about my vision and how I captured that particular scene. This was something I knew previously but it was refreshing to go back to the basics and really understand what that meant.

Twayne and I continued to venture around downtown. We got talking about ideas and possible projects in mind. We both we interested in doing something along the lines of videography and creating a short story, but that will have to be for another time. Looking back at these shots, I’m astounded to see what happens when I let go of control and bring it down to the basics of photography. After all, photography is about what you saw and what you felt.

That’s the end of my favourite shots from Roll 001. I’m a little behind on these blog posts as I’m experimenting with the layout and how these images are presented to tell a story. But I’m hoping it won’t be another month until I do the next post (I’ve already collected quite a few rolls… yikes). Thanks for reading and I hope you love the images as much as I do!

Much love,
-zeik

À La Prochaine, Montréal.

Zeik Inocencio January 29, 2019

Montréal has always had a special place in my heart. The first time I went to visit was in 2013 with a bunch of friends from highschool. I had saved up money to go to Osheaga. I was still in university for electrical engineering at the time while working two part time jobs: one at an engineering firm and the other as a technology sales associate at Staples. I was putting myself through school and working hard. I had previously heard about Osheaga and decided to go on vacation.

I instantly fell in love with the city of Montréal. Prior to this I hadn’t really had the chance to leave my hometown. The city felt cozy. Everything from the markets and neighbourhood bbq’s on cobblestone streets to the well designed subway stations and diverse architecture. I always found the place inspiring and I made a promise to myself that I’d return to recharge and get inspired again the following years.

*Lineup outside of Schwarte’s - Ilford XP2*

I did my best to keep that promise. I ended up returning for two more consecutive years after that. Each time with more memories than the last. Then one year I stopped. Something had changed. In 2016 I graduated and moved to Toronto and started working as an engineer in training. I also began to take my photography more seriously and started doing back to back shoots after work and on the weekends. It was a grind. I had put aside personal time in pursuit of making a mark. And for the time being it worked.

By mid-late 2017 I was setting up shoots with models from Toronto agencies. Earlier that year I had met a solid group of friends in the city and had gained a second wind in my sails. I pushed myself and my photography, all while still maintaining my job as an engineer. That fall I went to New York for the first time and although it was meant to be a vacation, I ended up setting up 16 shoots in one weekend.

A month later I decided to return to Montréal with my friends with the intention of working with the agencies there. I was thrilled to be back and this time to be shooting in a place that inspired me. That weekend was packed, and I was happy to have worked with some amazing and talented people. But, something was starting to not feel right. Something was off but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. And so I had brushed it off and pushed onward.

Burnout is something that creeps up on you. Everyone warns you that you’ll burn yourself out. But often your own momentum and sheer arrogance blinds you to the fact that you are already burned out. The months that followed involved all-nighters and numerous edit sessions. I was backlogged beyond belief. I began to take on client work which involved graphic design (and video) on top of photography. What I didn’t want to admit to myself was that I was tired.

By fall 2018, I was frustrated. Overloaded with work and more work, I was barely setting up shoots. The thing that I loved to do the most was now out of sight and I was constantly fighting with myself, trying to inch forward. Fortunately I was still able to work with some very talented people. But if I’m being honest, I wasn’t 100%. I loved the shots I was taking (see my 2018 Wrap Up Reel for some of my fav moments). I’ve worked with some amazing clients and creative teams and reached heights I’d never imagined possible. But just like my my trip in 2017, something was missing. And I couldn’t shrug it off this time. I was stuck in a creative rut and my actions were driven by need and validation rather than genuine inspiration. I felt stagnant. I was constantly pitting myself against other creatives, living vicariously through what they were creating while I got lost in my own work. It became a vicious cycle of feeling depressed about my lack of time and ability to set up shoots and feeling irrelevant.

It got to a point where I had a long chat with my friend Daniel walking from one end of the city to the other. He pointed out that I was doing way too much and trying to do everything all at once. I needed to focus, and not be discouraged because I was not able to work creatively. I realized I needed to work at my own pace and slow down, take things one at a time. Another friend of mine, Drew, had told me to face my creative rut by starting to create and capture things as I went. Just casual everyday stuff.

With the year’s end approaching I decided to do one last shoot and then shift my focus to something new that I was toying with. After taking an Ilford disposable to a work Christmas party, I decided to start reloading disposables with new film and shooting more stuff on the go. Nothing fancy, no staggering specs or expensive lenses. Just disposables and my own creativity. After testing a roll to make sure it still worked, I decided to take 2 disposables on an impromptu trip to Montréal with my friends Drew and Andrew (respectively below), this time completely prohibiting booking models for creative shoots and taking the time to breathe, rest and explore.

Using disposables allowed me to focus more on what was there than trying to capture it perfectly. It also took away my ability to see my shots immediately and made me develop a connection to the shots I created after patiently waiting for them to develop. Upon visiting Montréal (for the second time in 2018, the first being to actually take a vacation and go to Osheaga again) I was able to recharge, draw new inspiration and see things in a new light. It’s amazing what can happen when you take a bit of time for yourself to breathe, hang out with close friends and try to center your gravity again. It was the perfect end to a roller coaster of a year.

*WAV CAV - Airbnb from Fall 2017 - Ilford XP2*

*Andrew at Mount Royal Cross - Kodak Funsaver*

Going into 2019, I decided to continue using disposables, taking photos while hanging out with friends or walking around and capturing moments that invoke an emotional response rather than a photo for the sake of a photo and I’m hoping to bring this mindset into my creative work. Needless to say I’m excited for this new part of my growth as a photographer. Hopefully I’ll be back to visit and do what I love.

À la prochaine Montréal!

much love
-zeik

Bird feed and thunder.

Zeik Inocencio January 18, 2019

First off, thank you for checking out this blog post. It’s a little random but I figured I’d document and capture some stuff that happens during the day, between work and more work. I’ve been toting around a disposable camera reloaded with film (typically Kodak Tri-X 400) and taking shots on trips or hanging out with friends or just walking about. I’ve also started using my iPhone a bit more to shoot for moments when I don’t have my disposable on me or if I’m out of film. This set was shot on my phone since I had just used up the last of my film while hanging out with a friend earlier that day. Hope you enjoy the photos and the little anecdote.

Pigeons are fearless in Toronto. They do as they please, fluttering about and perching on just about any edge. My neighbourhood house hundreds of them on the building rooftops. They’re often seen flying in flocks throughout the summer.

It was a cold afternoon. I had just hung out with a friend for the day and we had gone for a quick little hike in Halton Hills but returned home due to the frigid weather. As I got out of my friend’s car and wished her a safe drive home, I noticed a huge flock of pigeons flying overhead. They swept the sky, dozens if not over a hundred pigeons.

I was quite surprised to see so many in flight, given that there were weather warnings of the extreme cold that weekend. Most of the time they stay in their nests huddled together to stay warm. I looked around and followed their flight paths. They kept swooping down further up the street, so I decided to follow them and see what the commotion was about.

I got to the school where they were landing. I wasn’t quite sure why they were drawn to this area so I inched towards them. Believe me when I say this: there was more fear within me at such close proximity than in the birds. These pigeons were unfazed by their visitor.

After getting in close enough that they were walking around my feet, I saw they were feeding on huge amounts of seeds left on the ground. Could barely make out the patches of seed left behind because they were covered with all these hungry birds. I looked around and found an old lady holding a pouch of feed. Typically pigeons were considered pests and feeding them were discouraged. But this lady took it upon herself to feed these birds that were trapped here in the cold. She glanced over and gave me a smile. I couldn’t help but smile in return. I took her photograph from where I was standing and turned around to continue taking photos of the birds, some feeding, others hovering about waiting for their turn. At this point I was deep in pigeon territory when something took me by surprise.

I had gotten too comfortable with these birds. I was standing with them taking photos when all of a sudden they all took flight at once. I took a shot just as dozens of pigeons flew past me. So close the collective sound of their wings resounded like thunder.

I thought I was going to get hit by a stray bird. But I was stuck in fright vs flight. My feet felt as if they were set in the cement sidewalk. My heart beat so fast blood pounded through my veins like a freight train through a tunnel. I checked myself, surprised I was left untouched considering just how close I was. I looked over and the old lady just kept tossing feed onto the ground. I checked my phone and saw the image to the left, glad I was able to capture the flurry of birds whizzing past me. I scrolled through and was glad I decided to venture off instead of going straight home and crashing on my bed. But that was enough fright for an afternoon so I decided to call it a day.

It’s funny what you see or experience when you venture off a little. Irresponsible? Maybe. Stupid? Absolutely. But after looking at some of these images I can say it was absolutely worth the close encounter. This year I hope to capture a bit more of what I see and find beauty in the things or places that I come across.

On that note, I’ve started shooting a bit more with my phone and with my reloaded disposable. I do like the simplicity of having your camera set and just pointing and shooting what I see. I hope to post more stuff like this (albeit a bit random) but I’m excited to see what adventures I go on this year, big or small.

Much love,
zeik.

Happy New Year!

Zeik Inocencio January 1, 2019

2018 has flown by! It feels like yesterday I was uploading the last year end video to my insta, dreaming of what 2018 could hold in store. The last 12 months have meant growth and development as a photographer and designer. I’m glad to have had an amazing group of friends, family, and people who have supported me and creatives without whom my work would be nowhere as polished as it is now.

This year I’ve expanded to video work and shot footage for a music festival, worked more on graphic design and branding, and worked with amazing studios, clients I could only dream of, musicians, and connected with passionate and talented creators. It’s been both rewarding and a struggle to continue pursuing my vision and creative direction. That being said, It’s been a hell of a year and 2018 has been a mix of emotions, of success and failures, bliss and crippling depression, togetherness and being alone. It’s been a year of finding balance and trying to keep my gravity centered. But I’ve learned what it means to move forward. To fight for what you’re passionate about. To find focus in rather unsteady circumstances.

So to everyone who was in for the ride 2018, I want to say a big thank you for making it phenomenal. I can’t wait to see what we create in 2019!

Check out the reel below to see some of my favourite moments from 2018.

Twenty Seventeen Recap!

Zeik Inocencio January 1, 2018

2017 was a huge year! The last little while, I've been sorting through tons of footage that I've shot during my shoots including behind the scenes for Instagram and Snapchat to find my favourite moments for my year end reel. There were so many shoots and I've worked some of the most talented and the most stunning people in my life. I've also decided to take a huge step and connected and worked with some amazing modelling agencies in Toronto, New York and Montreal and I'm very excited to keep improving and pushing my limits.

I'm so glad to have connected and worked with so many of you. I've grown so much as a photographer and it's all thanks to every one of you who has worked with me, been patient (yes maybe even for months at a time), and for being very supportive of my work.

I cannot wait to keep creating in 2018 and I'm excited to see what heights we reach in this new year. Stay tuned...

Much Love -zeik

Music: "Feel it Still" by Portugal the Man

Shiann Collins

Zeik Inocencio November 3, 2017

Model: Shiann Collins - Instagram
Location: Toronto, Canada

Tristan - Peggi Lepage

Zeik Inocencio November 3, 2017

Model: Tristan - Peggi Lepage Models
Make up/ Hair: Jocelyn Santos - Instagram
Styling/Wardrobe: Yasmim Fereirra - Instagram
Location: Toronto, Canada

Erika Grönstrand - Dulcedo Management

Zeik Inocencio November 3, 2017

Model: Erika Grönstrand (Dulcedo Management) - Instagram
Makeup/ Hair: Ashley Vieira - Instagram
Location: Toronto, Canada

Mila Laschuk - B&M Models

Zeik Inocencio November 3, 2017

Model: Mila Laschuk (B&M Models) - Instagram
Makeup/ Hair: Ashley Vieira - Instagram
Styling/Wardrobe: Anam Hussain - Instagram
Location: Toronto, Canada