5 Frames… With Rollei CR200 (EI 200 / 35mm format / Minolta X-700)

I had wanted to collaborate with a friend of mine, a very talented performance artist working under the name Roxxie Botoxxie. I approached him to see if he would be interested and was very pleased to find that he was. I knew I wanted to feature him and his talents in a way that have not yet been explored by others, as many have very well photographed him already in a variety of settings and contexts.

My goal was to create images with a vintage feel. I wanted them to feel intimate and private; also special, like something one would take down off a shelf or remove from a secret panel in a bedside table. I wanted them to be void of shame, also imbued with protection and care.

Inspired by the work of Nan Goldin, Guy Bourdain, and Miraslov Tichy, I chose Rollei CR200 color reversal, which I used in my Minolta X-700 with a 50mm f/1.2 lens. I chose this lens because I wanted a visual that would be most like the human eye – my attempt at communicating an intimate human exchange. We used small desktop consumer-grade spotlights (I believe they were from Ikea) with standard 60-watt bulbs that intensified the already warm and golden tones inherent in the Rollei CR200.

I was more than pleased with the results, though the presentation of the final images is yet to be determined. I see them with folds and creases and weathered edges. I want them to stay small, wallet-sized, or perhaps pressed between the pages of a book and placed on a high shelf to be brought out and savored at special moments for a curated selection of eyes. I toyed with the idea of containing them in a box or behind a small door with a peephole or viewed through a kaleidoscope.

Sadly, Rollei has discontinued this film stock in 35mm format, which makes these images, the experience creating them, and the film stock itself all the more precious.

~ Alan