I’ve seen Shaun Nelson posting his Komo Foto Mono pics on Instagram, especially the ones from a shoot with an old steam engine.
Shaun is based in Utah, in the former Wild West of the US. It’s a place of big skies and dramatic landscapes, so I’m glad to see a little bit of it captured on Kosmo Foto Mono.
Where are you from?
South Ogden, Utah, USA. I’m a lifetime resident of the state known for “The Greatest Snow on Earth,” and I’ve never been skiing. I live in beautiful northern Utah, where I can travel four hours south to Zion’s National Park, or four hours north to Yellowstone National Park.
How long have you been shooting film?
I picked up photography in 2000 when my oldest son was born. I went directly to digital because it fed my inner geek. In 2013 I was shown a Polaroid Land Camera 250 and Fuji peel-apart film. I purchased a 250 and some film that week. Two months later, my wife gave me a Canon A-1 and my obsession snowballed from there.
What cameras do you shoot on?
I own 75+ cameras, only two or three are what I would consider non-working shelf pieces. I shoot a bit of everything, and I write about my experience on my website. Some of my favorite cameras are: Olympus OM-1, Nikomat FTn, Miranda G, Minolta SRT-202, Graflex Crown Graphic Pacemaker, Yashica Mat-124G, and Polaroid Big Swinger Model 3000.
What other films do you like using?
Kodak Tri-X, Kodak T-Max 100, Ilford HP5 Plus 400, and Ilford Delta 100. I have a small fridge full of various film types and speeds. I really enjoy trying new film and sharing my results.
What are your thoughts about Kosmo Foto Mono?
I shot my first roll of Kosmo Foto Mono in a Yashica Electro 35GS at box speed. I couldn’t find the development times for Kodak D-76, so I reached out to another Kosmonaut, Alex Luyckx. I used the following process: Kodak D-76 (1+1) for 9:00 @ 20° C, Kodak Indicator Stop Bath for 1:00, Kodak Fixer for 5:00 and Kodak Photo-Flo for 2:00, completed with a 10:00 final rinse. The film package indicates that it’s a 36-exposure roll, but I found that I shot 39 frames, no complaints about extra film. The film has the perfect amount of contrast. It has an awesome balance of grain and contrast that’s impressive. The film also lays perfectly flat, making it easy to scan. I’m looking forward to shooting more of this film!
What films would you like to see on the market?
After shooting an expired roll of Kodak Ektachrome last year, I’m really looking forward to the re-release. I would love to see Fujifilm FP-3000b peel apart film back on store shelves (who wouldn’t). And I would like to see Kosmo Foto Mono in 120. I think it would be an excellent medium format film.
Web: https://utahfilmphotography.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/utahfilmphotography
Instagram: @shaunnelson
Twitter: @utahfilmphoto
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I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
