Film Soup

This week Lomography published an article about me on their online magazine and it discusses my uses of “film soups”. This is a technique I really enjoy and have been experimenting with for about 7 years.

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/341116-juliana-gagne

During that time I wasted a lot of film and learned a lot about the limits you can put on 35mm film! Shooting analogue is always a science experience and usually requires a touch of luck. There are a lot of different ways to use this technique, and I think my version is probably the laziest I’ve heard to date.

Since I primarily work with disposable cameras and I don’t remove the film from them (too afraid of the voltage, does anyone have any tips to try it safely?) I just soak the whole camera in the soup. Typically I hear about photographers soaking their film before shooting and I do that occasionally, but typically I do most of the souping once the roll has been shot. I also experiment with light soaking in the beginning and middle of the roll and a heavier soak once the exposures have all been taken.

I use a variety of liquids, spices and chemicals to soak my film in and sometimes I just go for a swim with it and call it a day. I love the effect of salt water from swimming in the ocean with my camera (do it too much and you tend to get lots of black dots and orbs) and of swimming in a chlorine pool (but be careful with this technique, the chlorine will destroy or wash away your emulsion more quickly than the ocean).

These are some liquids/chemicals/detergents/spices I work with a lot and I typically will combine a few different ones for my soups

  • coffee

  • red wine, rosé gin, whiskey, sangria

  • vinegars (red wine vinegar is a favorite)

  • soap, detergent; either “wash” the camera or pour it on the camera before putting it in the soup

  • cleaning sprays, bleach (be very cautious with using these chemicals)

  • juices

  • salt, paprika, cayenne, turmeric

After soaking (usually 7-16 minutes depending on the combination of liquids and the amount of liquid) I wash the camera in cold water and put it in the drying rack for about a day. Then I usually put my cameras in a freezer overnight before thawing a final time!