Photo Gallery: Lomochrome Purple (NEW FORMULA!)

Several years ago, I shot a roll of Lomochrome Purple 35mm film.

This week I stumbled across another roll of this rare film. To my surprise, it was a roll of the brand-new 2019 formula, which guarantees a slightly different and more accurate result from the film. I have been very excited to try it out since I purchased it from my local photo shop.

Pros: The effect from Lomochrome Purple is unlike anything you can get from a digital camera or phone.

Cons: It is relatively expensive for a 35mm film, and also quite unpredictable.

That's where the fun comes in! This is such a strange film that it's an absolute blast to shoot! You have no clue how it's going to turn out!

Back in 2016, I only had my cheap plastic Diana Mini camera to shoot the Lomochrome Purple 1.0 with. At the time, I wished I had a better camera to use. Now, it's time to dust off my fantastic 1970 Fujica Compact to test out a roll of this Lomochrome Purple II!

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This is such a tricky film to use. These photos are less noticeably purple than the first roll I shot. I'm not sure if it's because I was mostly shooting city scenes rather than nature, or if it's something technical, or if it's because of how the roll of film was left in my camera for nearly a year as I got locked down at home and didn't get out for any photo walks for months.

I'm pretty happy with how the photos turned out, but I'd like to try again. The unpredictability of the results are part of the fun. 

An old public pay phone sits along the side of the soi. I's not sure it's connected anymore.

It was early morning on Lat Prao soi 1. Soi 1 is a bustling alleyway full of shops, restaurant stalls, and low-rise apartment buildings. A Buddhist monk made his way down the alleyway on his morning alms round, collecting donations of food for the day.

Buddhist monks must eat only what is given to them. They collect alms in their "beggar's bowl", one of the two possessions (along with their iconic saffron robes), which they are allowed to have.

One of the twin high-rise luxury condos (Magnolias Waterfront and Mandarin Oriental Residences) along the riverfront is now technically the tallest building in Bangkok. I say technically because, while the Mahanakhon Building has more floors and more usable height, the Magnolias building has a decorative spire at the top which barely puts it in first place. The debate of which building is actually taller is quite controversial in Bangkok. This modern fountain sits outside of the towers and next to IconSiam shopping mall.

A (blurred) statue of Ganesha at a new condominium's spirit house. Shrines to Brahma are common, but I don't often see private buildings with Ganesha shrines. In Thailand, Ganesha is the god of art and learning, and the remover of obstacles. Generally, you'll find a Ganesha shrine at a university or museum rather than at a residential building.

This is a sort of spirit house graveyard down a soi on Lat Prao Road. I'm not sure how exactly it came about, but it seems to be the place for local people to deposit and dispose of old Chinese-style house shrines. I am not sure where the Thai-style spirit houses are taken.

Tudigong, the god of the soil and the ground, is a minor Chinese folk deity - generally the protector of a village or local community. Here, a statue to Tudigong is enshrined within a retired Chinese house shrine.

Shophouses across the street - a common sight in Bangkok's old neighborhoods. The family businesses or restaurant will be located on the ground floor, while the upper floors will be the family's personal residence.

Looking down the Skytrain line towards the famous Elephant Building in Chatuchak District.

This fairy tale castle was once part of an old amusement park. Today, it sits abandoned, and is one of my favorite things to photograph.

There just aren't many castles like this in Bangkok! I've always been intrigued by what it was doing in the middle of the city next to a TESCO.

Brahma looks out from his spirit house.

Wires like this line electricity and telephone poles across the city.

Every small alleyway in Bangkok is different. Maybe I need to make a post where I just photograph alleyways. I suspect it would be more interesting than it sounds!

This shop sells metal roofing and awnings. There are plenty of little highly-specialized shops like this all throughout the city. You can always find exactly and specifically what you need, so long as you know where to look.

An old building in Banglamphu, near the Grand Palace. It was a quiet morning, and without tourists, the area was relaxed and peaceful. I know that the Thai economy depends on tourism and the successful reopening of the country, but as an expat, I've got to say that it's been nice not having any tourists for the past two years.

The gates of Wat Pho - I might have gotten on the wrong ISO setting on my camera, as these photos turned out quite grainy. But somehow, I don't really mind. Film grain doesn't bother me nearly as much as digital noise, and somehow contributes to the timeless attributes of film photography.

A typical street scene in the city's charming Old Town area.

A tuk-tuk sits on the side of the road, waiting to carry passengers to their destinations.

A quiet street. It was early, and some of the shops and restaurants had not opened yet.

A public city bus runs past the white walls of the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok's Old Town area.

The waters of the Chaophraya River are quite high this year. The Royal Navy has placed sandbags along the banks of the river in certain high-risk areas to try to prevent the river from overflowing its banks as the annual monsoon rains continue to fall.