Lina Bessanova
Lina is a convinced film photographer, film laboratory owner, author and runs a popular YouTube channel. We talked about the technicalities of analog photography and why she is so fascinated by it.
Thomas Berlin: Lina, you are a film photographer and you run a photo lab in Florence. And you are a prominent representative of analog photography through your YouTube channel. How did you get into analog photography and why do you do it for a living?
Lina Bessanova: I got into analog photography by pure accident exactly 10 years ago. A decade after I processed my first film, I’m happy to state that my love for analog only became stronger. However much I learn, however many technical aspects I get to consciously control, the process still remains magic. The complexity is enormous, but the emotional rewards are incredible too. I do the educational videos, workshops and classes for one reason only: I know I am very good at explaining complicated things in simple ways, and I have to use this capability of mine for the growth of the medium I love so much. It’s no fun doing something alone, and it surely is not fun being the smartest by keeping secrets or overcomplicating information. If you can do something good for others, it’s your obligation to do it. So in a way I had no choice but to go the way I went.
Thomas Berlin: But isn't analog photography an anachronism these days?
Lina Bessanova: Painting never died, even though, after photography was invented, everyone was expecting human-drawn imagery to become obsolete. On the contrary, painting took a turn to what photography could not do: pure abstraction. But still to this day, realistic paintings hold great value, even though a camera can produce even more realistic pictures. Same with digital vs. analog - there is no opposition. At this point, those are two completely separate, equally contemporary and valid means of artistic self-expression.
Thomas Berlin: What role does the haptic aspect play for you, being able to take the picture in your hand and not just seeing it on the computer screen?
Lina Bessanova: That’s THE aspect that was the dealbreaker! I was doing digital photography for years before discovering analog, and I stopped because I got deadly bored. Digital was exceptionally unchallenging and predictable. Of course, there are artists creating fantastic complex imagery with the digital means - but I am not one of them. I like simple things and compositions. Also, I hated sitting in front of the screen and retouching. Removing the digital aspect felt very liberating, and I could photograph happily again.
The “holding a picture in your hands” is one reason I recently got hooked on b&w slide photography. Those tiny positives are like little sparkling jewels. It’s so different from the “negatives”experience.
Thomas Berlin: Why are so many young people currently on the analog wave?
Lina Bessanova: It might seem weird that young people pick an “old”medium, but I don’t believe they think much of the vintage aspect. To them, it’s a new world, a tool to create a certain image “look”. For some people analog is an antidote to the super-fast lives we live now. But I am not sure this is the driving force for the majority, especially among the youngest crowd. They were born in this rapidly changing interconnected information-saturated world, and I don’t think it stresses them so much that they are looking for a “slow-down”. We have to wait about five more years, see how many of those people remain in the market and then survey them.
Thomas Berlin: Lina, I know that Ansel Adams is one of your photographic role models. What makes Ansel Adams or his work so attractive? And which contemporary photographers do you find outstanding?
Lina Bessanova: When you read his books, it becomes clear that he wholeheartedly loved every aspect of photography: cameras, negatives, chemistry, papers, darkroom accessories. He wrote from his heart, not from a desire to impress or be famous or whatever else. He was never running after sensational topics in his work. He was extremely focused on doing what is best for the analog world. This is something that inspires me incredibly.
I know a lot of fantastic photographers, but they are not that famous. Mainly because I don’t think they fully developed their own language yet, they are just too young. But I am sure they will do something great in the future. Among the older crowd, I have the chance to knowing Cesare di Liborio - a true darkroom master with a heart of gold. He is humble, extraordinarily knowledgeable and what he creates is pure wow. He is still very artistically active and is exploring a lot of fascinating techniques - but his “regular" darkroom prints are also out of this world.
From those very famous, I love William Klein. I always liked his aesthetics, but researching his biography made me aware of what a great person he is. Personality matters to me equally as much as the work.
Thomas Berlin: Because you are an expert, let us discuss a very practical technical example: How can I produce famous analogue fine art prints in black and white, e.g. with the longest edge 60cm? Asking that I mean the combination of film format, filmtype and developer.
Lina Bessanova: I can say, just shoot 8x10, develop in whichever popular developer - and 50x60cm will have high sharpness with no grain.
Thomas Berlin: What would I have to do with this example to influence the grain in both ways?
Lina Bessanova: Take Adox CMS 20II, process it in Adotech IV developer - and voilà! Highest resolution, no grain, super sharp. But if I really seriously start talking about grain types, developer types, how those developers work on the silver halides, what is the concept of “sharpness"- it will be more of a book chapter than an interview.
Going to an online forum and asking your specific question is the best. If you list your outcome parameters and equipment (for example, you have Delta 100 in 120 format, and you want the smoothest grain possible), you will surely find someone who had an identical situation and solved it. And even then, do a test roll. Your agitation, room temperature, local water, possible inconsistencies in chemistry measuring - it all will affect the result. On top of that, you might think you want smooth grain, but in reality slightly coarser grain but higher sharpness would look better to you. And vice versa, you can go all in for acutance and sharpness, but realize the grain looks disturbing and want it to be less apparent.
Also, if you are given an advice (Say, Ilford Delta 100 in DD-X) - Google sample images and other people’s opinions. Always cross-check and never trust one source, not even me - as I said, your own unique setup and taste matter much more than any theory.
Thomas Berlin: And what can we do to control the contrasts if the contrast range of the film is insufficient?
Lina Bessanova: We have to clarify the question :) Do you have an unshot film of which you know it has a contrast you don’t like, or have you already shot the film and the contrast seems too high or too low?
If the film’s inherent contrast with normal development is too high (dead shadows and blown highlights) - overexpose half a stop and underdevelop about 20-30%, or you can try something like Adox Silvermax developer - i’ve seen it work wonders even on technical films.
If the existing negative contrast is way too high: pre-flash the print. If it is super low: print with the highest filter in a slightly more concentrated warmer developer, and then bleach the highlights if necessary. But again, do_not_fully_trust this. Always Google for more info and test on your own.
Thomas Berlin: Having heard that, I suspect that you prefer photo paper to inkjet prints. But let's talk about it briefly anyway.
Lina Bessanova: I would always prefer a good print of a good image. It can even be liquid emulsion on a brick, as long as the medium makes sense to the artist. If I have a good digital image, I am not going to print a negative and drag it to the darkroom just in order to have it on silver gelatine paper, I am not going to look for darkroom paper laser printing - I will pick what is reasonable and works, which would likely be inkjet. I just don’t have any digital images worthy of printing - but that is surely not the inkjet paper’s fault :)
Thomas Berlin: Some photographers have a hybrid workflow, they take analog photos and scan the negatives. The scanned image is then either digitally processed further or directly printed. Where can the image be optimized most effectively in terms of tonal values and details: during a good scanning procedure or afterwards in electronic image processing?
Lina Bessanova: The negative is best optimised during exposure and processing. Everything else is trying to pull out values from what you already made. But I cannot say how and when it is best to be done. I have other people scan for me, when it is necessary. I know nothing about scanners or software.
Thomas Berlin: What advice can you give to experienced digital photographers who are considering also taking analogue photos?
Lina Bessanova: First question, I would ask why do they want to go into analog? Is it because film is becoming more popular and clients want it for their weddings and fashion shoots? Then they should find a good course about working with color film, and another - about scanning.
Do those photographers want to set up a lab? Then they should go and work in one part-time.If it is an artistic exploration, is the end goal creating interesting effects and incorporating them into existing art, or producing high-quality traditional-looking prints? You can just buy a starter kit, shoot film like you shoot digital in manual mode, dump it into the tank and evaluate how much the process and results inspire you. With a more serious approach, you can start by watching videos on youtube, reading Ansel Adams, taking workshops - but I would start with the “dump in the tank and see what happens” anyway.
Thomas Berlin: Let’s get to your camera equipment: Which cameras and formats do you mainly work with as a photographer?
Lina Bessanova: I am calmest and happiest with my 6x6 Yashica D. Large format is even more meditative. And my Mamiya 7 is a workhorse. But I pick a camera based on the end result I want to see. Some subjects just don’t work in square, as much as I love it.
Thomas Berlin: With which combination of a camera and a lens could you largely get by if you had to?
Lina Bessanova: My Yashica-D of course. It’s with me for 10 years now, and if it dies it is going to be a total tragedy. But see, this is not a practical choice. Much more practical is a Mamiya 7II+a 65mm lens. That one covers almost every requirement in quality (medium format), ratio (not too "unusual" like 5x7", or panoramic, or square), camera reliability, lens quality, ease to operate and optimum weight/size.
Thomas Berlin: I am not self-developing my films, how can I recognize from the negatives and scans whether the laboratory has worked correctly?
Lina Bessanova: There is a long list of ways in which a lab can mess up your films without you even noticing. But in reality, if you cannot process films yourself, your choices are limited to, in the best case, four labs. So it does not matter how a perfect imaginary lab would do it.
The most optimum solution is to shoot four films of an identical subject under identical light, and send those rolls to different labs. Then you can easily compare how it worked out. Whichever is more pleasant to you is the right one - because, after all, you are the author. It is a bit of an investment that could pay off a lot in terms of your own confidence in the lab choice.
Thomas Berlin: After so much analog technology insights, we come to photography itself: I've seen still life and cityscape images from you. Is that your focus? What is important to you?
Lina Bessanova: I like non-staged images with no people, as they usually take all the attention, even if it’s a blurry shape in the corner. We are wired to recognise other humans before anything else, so because of this brain “overreaction" a human figure will always “weight" more than any other object. For me, people should either be a central subject, fit extremely well into the composition, or just not be there at all. My mom makes fun of me, saying that my photographs look like “after a nuclear war”. But I actually have no problem walking straight up to a stranger, photographing them while keeping a total pokerface and walking away. I have quite a few portraits in my archives, but they never fit together in a series, this is why no one has ever seen them. They are simply never printed. Still life/cityscapes are easier to puzzle together, so they make it to the public.
Thomas Berlin: Let’s get to large format photography, which you also do. Which subjects do you prefer to photograph with it (and not with 120 or 135 film)? And what is the general fascination of large format photography, which might be very complex?
Lina Bessanova: Large format is actually not that much more complex. In many ways, it is easier. The exposure and processing control over each individual frame is a big deal that is missing in roll film. It might be harder to fumble with all the accessories, but surely you get a better negative to print or scan! And also, you don’t necessarily need a fully equipped darkroom. You can make contact prints with a light bulb, and they will look rich, sharp, detailed and all-over gorgeous. Interestingly, still life does not work for me in large format at all. I prefer it mostly for portraits - because people open up differently in front of such a camera.
Thomas Berlin: How do you market your own photographs?
Lina Bessanova: I studied marketing and I know how to present stuff and what to say to create a certain vibe, desire, hype - but I very consciously do not do it when it comes to my own work. I want people to see what they truly see, and if it is nothing - it is okay too.
Marketing is great for non-emotional things like products with objectively good qualities.Then all you do is inform people in an engaging way about something that will make their lives better. I do not believe my prints fall into this “objective life improvement” category.
It still surprises me when people like my photography. On the surface, it is quite simple, almost boring. The meaning is always behind. I am a lot into Jungian psychology, symbols, unconscious, archetypes, interpretations - all that. As well as into abstract art, which is kind of the same thing, but in painting. I guess the collective unconscious is a real deal, because, by some magic, people see behind the surface and often describe what I meant extremely accurately. And then it resonates with them, and they want to have one of the prints on their wall.
Thomas Berlin: Is there a magazine, website, or book that analog photographers should definitely know?
Lina Bessanova: A super good book, which is not for total beginners, though - „Way Beyond Monochrome“. It is so excellent I have four copies: at my mom’s, my dad’s, mine and my husband’s places. It is technical, precise, and I have not yet found any mistakes (unlike in, unfortunately, many, many other books). It is a great technical reference for almost any situations.
And, of course, I have to mention „SilverGrain Classics“ - a 100% analog photography print magazine. The team behind is passionate and extremely professional, and they always find new inspiring topics to explore. I’ve been writing for them since the beginning.
Thomas Berlin: What do you like to do besides photography?
Lina Bessanova: Outside of the darkroom, I am the most stereotypical female you can imagine. My biggest obsession is make-up. I am drowning in palettes, brushes, lip glosses and I watch make-up videos daily! I follow all the fashion magazines too. I love handbag design, and I do not exclude taking a course in that once CORVID is over. On the more intellectual side, I love reading books - my current hot theme is popular neuroscience. And pre-pandemic I was constantly going to museums (classical and up to 1930s art), opera and rock concerts, of course!
Thomas Berlin: Wow, that's what I call a broad range of interests. Lina, do you want to say something else?
Lina Bessanova: Thank you Thomas for your interesting questions and for having me here!