Meet Lisette Carlos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisette Carlos.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in Southern California. When I was seven years old, I moved with my family to Phoenix, Arizona. Since I can remember I’ve been interested in film photography. My father had an old 35mm Pentax K1000 film camera, he used quite often when I was growing up. My father would bring it along when we would travel or just simply for making memories. I loved looking through old photos growing up and was completely mesmerized by how cameras could capture anything you pointed the lens too. I went to Peoria High School and decided to take photography class my Sophomore, Junior and Senior years. I recovered my father’s old Pentax film camera and used it during my years in photography class. I loved being in the darkroom and developing my own work.

Being able to be myself and being able to use what creativity I had hidden in me is what I enjoyed most about photography. During those years in photography class, I received photographer of the year two years in a row and various other awards. After high school, the photography interest in me quickly lost its spark. I went to school for medical assisting and started working for a dermatology clinic for the next ten years. Then one day, going through social media I came across a woman who lived in Japan and was using a point and shoot camera to capture her everyday life on film. I was completely inspired and decided to pick up my father’s old Pentax film camera and starting shooting again. I took it everywhere with me.

I started collecting film cameras and purchasing various types of film such as color, black and white, and other varying film types. Everywhere I traveled a film camera was with me capturing every moment that I felt should be a lasting memory. I made a film account on Instagram and started posting my photography work on there. Some of my film photos had been featured a few times on a few film accounts. Soon I had a friend reach out to me to help her with a portrait painting series. I assisted in taking photos of her first model, and she later used the photos as her painting reference. I took advantage of that time to capture some photos of the model with my film camera. I am grateful for such a great experience because it taught me to be more confident with giving the model direction in posing.

The experience gave me a push to continue to work towards making my own projects and overall just improving on technique. Being a part of the film community has taught me many things. It has made me a lot more confident with the film camera. It has made me really open up to new concepts. Film has been making a comeback. Film gives that raw finish. What you see is what you get. No edits, no filters. I love film because you capture what makes you feel something and it shines through on film. You have to work a little harder to grasp that final image on film, but it is completely worth it in the end. I hope in the future I can have my own darkroom so I can develop and process my own film. I also hope to use my film photography for weddings and continue to help anyone with future projects.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My biggest challenge with film photography is the final outcome. Film cameras have light meters built in them which helps the photographer make an accurate decision on the right exposure for your film image. At times with film photography, a great photo outcome is not always the case. Unlike digital photography, there is no option to delete an image on film just because you weren’t satisfied with it. You are stuck with that image on your film roll. The beauty of the film is that even sometimes a blurry, overexposed or underexposed image can be the most beautiful.

It’s all on how you take in the image and how you feel about it in the end. I’ve learned to accept the images for what they are and not be disappointed in them. From those experiences, you can experiment and figure out what went wrong and improved on your next roll of film. Another big challenge I faced was not being confident with a film camera in my hands. I was not taking my chances on capturing a certain image because of where I might have been, location or crowd wise. If there was an individual that caught my eye and I wanted to capture their image I was not confident in asking them if I could. I just didn’t do it at all.

So, I lost my chance and would regret it later. I had a couple of opportunities to try my skills at wedding photography but turned down the offers because I wasn’t confident enough in my photography skills and didn’t want to waste their time. Now, with support from fellow film photographers through the film community, friends and family I’ve started to gain more confidence to try and surpass those struggles that I would let get in the way of a great opportunity to expand my skills.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
My film photography is not specific to any subject. My film photography ranges from my experiences on my world travels to being around friends, family. My favorite subject to capture on film is candid shots of people. Most everyone that knows me already knows not to look at me when I pull my camera out. Just act natural and be in the moment.

I enjoy capturing those moments of people laughing, or enjoying what is going on in the current time. I also love abstract photography. Most of my subjects are never right in the center. I’ve got a quirky sense of capturing my images. You will always find me in an odd position trying to capture a certain image a certain way. Most of my work is displayed on my film account on Instagram: ohsnap_film.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The qualities that I think are most important to me for success in film photography is being open and compassionate with your work and who you come across with it. I feel like you have a greater chance of coming across more opportunity with that type of mindset.

Contact Info:

• Email: lisicarlo24@gmail.com
• Instagram: ohsnap_film

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