Robert Burton's energizing images in Asia

"I picked up a K1000 a year ago and dove voraciously into film as an art medium. I only use rummage sale/thrift store gear but I've been quite lucky in my hunts. I left the American continent for the first time in April and here's a sample of some double exposures from my week in Hong Kong and Tokyo."

You can see more of Robert's work on instagram at @elgatomagnifico

ALTER/ANALOG: What got you interested in film?

RB: Almost three years ago someone I cared about passed away too soon and I decided that I would be pursuing art to create meaning in my life. I found that what interests me most is changing light and angles and how it reminds me that each moment is unique and we're a little different in each one as it slips away. 

ALTER/ANALOG:  What do you shoot with?

RB: I found a K1000 at a church rummage sale not long after and remembered that the last time I was in a darkroom. It was high school and I was hiding on my hands and knees like the kitchen scene from Jurassic park because I wasn't actually enrolled in the class. I just loved it. My recent decision to paint with light seemed obvious: Humboldt is filled with cheap antiques, beautiful scenes, and a darkroom for rent. 

The K1000 somehow lost its shutter button in Hong Kong but I replaced it with a chopstick after a camera store owner in Kowloon almost screamed at me that they don't sell parts. It's still my favorite but no matter, I have a wealth of working thrift store cameras at the moment, including some ancient box cameras and my backups: AE-1, X700, and the FG.

ALTER/ANALOG: Do you plan your double exposures in advance?

RB: Analog itself is now an alternative process but I'm always looking for ways to shape my own style and trying to do things a little differently still. I prefer to do multiple exposures with the camera as opposed to reloading so that there's a little more preparation but still a large opening for chance. Double exposures are an organic art and it wouldn't be quite the same with total control, I want to see in a new way. I think perfection is unplanned, or in other words: to embrace chaos is to never be disappointed.