Randomness attracts me the most

Bart Mulder, from the Netherlands, kindly agreed to be interviewed and tell us a little about his story, what sparked his passion for photography and why he prefers to use compact cameras, whether digital or analogue. From Kodak Portra 400 to Gold 200 and Ultramax 400, his film choices vary, but as for the camera, he picks the much sought after Yashica T5.

We would like to start by thanking you for your availability! Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Bart Mulder, born in Heemskerk and now living in Haarlem, a city close to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I am 30 years old, working as an IT specialist and during my free time I love to go out and take pictures.

What do you like to do in your free time? Do you have any other creative activity besides photography?
I love to be outside and surround myself with nature. I have a really close group of friends and a great relationship with my girlfriend. I want to make as many amazing memories with them as possible and never miss out on anything. I love to explore and discover new places. This always excites me. Nice food makes me happy, I like to be in the kitchen and prepare a good dish with my girlfriend or friends. From time to time I grab my laptop and make electronic music. I really like this creative process, it allows me to go into my own bubble. While I mentioned that spending time with my loved ones is important to me, I really enjoy being completely alone every now and then, just wandering around. In my own bubble, I can get into full relax mode.

Can you identify the beginning of your interest in photography, how it all started?
My grandpa and my father have always been engaged in photography, and I witnessed this from early on. However, I turned my own interest in photography into real action when I was 27 years old. This was when I bought my first analog camera, a ‘Nikon F80’, on eBay. Without any experience or knowledge, I started playing around and took it with me on trips or holidays. Very quickly, I discovered that photography was turning into a great personal passion. Shortly afterwards, my camera collection was expanded with a ‘Fujifilm X-E3’ and a 28mm lens. With a lot of help from YouTube and Google, I personalized the settings and learned how to use it properly. In the following years, I shot lots of images and noticed that I was getting the hang of it more and more. It was time for a new addition: the ‘Fujifilm X100V’.

It’s curious that you mention the X100V because, throughout your portfolio, we’ve noticed that you’ve always nurtured a special interest in compact cameras, such as the Fuji DL-270 or the extraordinary Yashica T5. Could you tell us about it?
The main reason that I use compact cameras is because, obviously, they are easily portable, light and handy. Nowadays the quality is nearly the same as the bigger DSLR cameras. They also have my preference because I like the classic look of it.

Something that we could not fail to notice in your work is its strong consistency. When you go out to shoot, is there something you particularly look for, be it the type of subjects, the colours or a certain kind of light?
I never specifically look for objects or scenes to shoot. I like the spontaneity of just wandering around with my camera and get surprised by a certain building or object, like classic cars or extraordinary architecture. Randomness is what usually attracts me the most. Different colors next to each other also grab my attention, and I like to shoot them in the perfect composition. I prefer symmetrical, stylized images.

For me, bright and sunny days are the best days to go out. When it’s cloudy or grey, it’s simply not the right vibe for me. I prefer to go out and shoot during sunrise or right before sunset. These moments create beautiful color tones and amazing shadows. I haven’t been going out to shoot at night, but this is something I really want to explore and discover, it would be a whole new territory.

When shooting with your Fuji X100V, do you prefer to take advantage of its film simulations and shoot in Jpeg mode, or the versatility offered by the Raw files in post-processing?
At the very beginning, I always shot photos in JPEG, mostly with a film simulation recipe. I would often take a look at FujiXWeekly, a website created by Ritchie Roesch, which is loaded with designed recipes. I picked the one I thought was really pretty and went out shooting.

Nowadays, I’m also shooting in RAW. Primarily because this way, I’m more in control of the end result.

When shooting Jpeg, what are your usual camera settings, and which recipes do you use in your X100V to achieve this film look?
I do not have a standard-setting, this depends on different factors, such as light or the weather conditions that day. However, I often intentionally shoot overexposed because this creates a certain vibe. As for recipes, I mainly use the Kodak Portra (160 or 400), Classic Neg and Kodachrome 64. I love the colors of those recipes, they add an old school/vintage ambience.

To conclude, it would be impossible not to ask what you think about the Yashica T5 and what film stocks do you use most often. And, in your opinion, why did it become such a cult camera?
I was tipped off by Oscar Aukes, my good friend and DoP for Dutch commercials. After seeing the first photos, I was instantly hooked! The 35mm lens is super sharp. It has a very accurate AF system, unlike some other point and shoot cameras. Because of its limited settings, it’s easily manageable.

The film stocks I use are Kodak Portra 400, Gold 200 and Ultramax 400.

All of the above is, in my opinion, most likely the reason why it became so popular and turned into a hype.