Film Photographer Spotlight: Brandon M. Cabral

One photographer, three cameras.

Brandon Cabral is a film photographer based in Massachusetts. He says he has dabbled in a bunch of different mediums of art but photography is what has captured his heart. He's enjoyed taking pictures as long as he can remember, back when his only camera was his cell phone. But, three years ago is when he bought his first film camera, a Canon AE-1. He found it at a flea market while shopping with his girlfriend for five bucks, bought a pack of Fuji Superia 400 and shot everything he saw. He says the first time he got his developed film back and saw the negatives he felt so good. "It just felt good they were just so tangible compared to pictures you take with your phone or digital camera. Some of them were terrible and some were decent, but I was amazed either way. I looked at as a an opportunity to dive into something and learn, experience and create more. I've been addicted ever since." 

Now he owns 25 film cameras and just released a book featuring his photography with his play writing friend, Nick Leblanc. His advice to other photographers: "Go slow...make sure you know what you're capturing and how you want to capture it." 

What is your biggest achievement?

I think my biggest achievement is when I was asked to have my work presented as part of an art collective with artist of all different mediums. There were illustrators, painters, designers there and I was the only photographer. it was amazing to me that the curator thought my work was good enough to stand up with all of these art school kid's work. An old man came up to me after we had hung everything on the walls, but weren't open yet  and asked who took the pictures and when I told him I did he smiled and told me he loved them. That was an achievement for me, to take something that I enjoyed as a hobby as an expression of me and share that with people and have them like it was amazing. 

How did you become successful/how do you define success?

I'm successful because I'm alive and still able to take pictures. I'm not in it for the money. It's awesome when I sell a print or my photos are featured somewhere, or I'm asked to shoot an event because I can put that money into buying more film, buying  a new camera I've always wanted to try or just being able to take my family somewhere new so they can have fun (and I can take pictures). It's a great feeling being recognized for your art and the work you put into it, I guess that's a success for me. 

Brandon says he develops all his film at K Ellis Photocenter, which is only ten minutes from his house. 

Canon AE-1 Program

by Brandon Cabral

This photo, taken with in June with his Canon AE-1 and Fuji Superia 400, is  from inside "The Breakers" mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. This particular picture was chosen by Brandon because it shows the mastery of identifying how to photograph indoors under low light. "I love how flowers look on film, the marble and gold, and the reflection of the chandelier all in the bokeh."

 Yashika D

by Brandon Cabral

This photo, taken with his Yashika D with Fuji 400H reverted to B&W. This is his third medium format camera and has slowly become one of his favorites. He chooses to make his 400H finalized in B&W because he's not a fan of the softer colors. "This is a portrait of a skateboarder at a local skatepark in my hometown of New Bedford, M.A. It's a diy skatepark that some local skaters built years ago under a highway overpass. I like the young energetic energy there, it's a rugged rough dark place that they've made their own and it's a place I shoot at often. "

Endeavor (APS) 

by Brandon Cabral

This photo, taken with his Fuji Endeavor with expired Fuji 200 film. "Last Christmas my girlfriends sister bought me about 10 rolls of aps film thinking it was 35mm I couldn't use at the time because I didn't own an APS camera. About a month ago I was at the flea market scouring for old cameras and expired film and came across the Fuji endeavor. It was two bucks so I bought some batteries and started shooting the APS film that I had been sitting on for a couple months. Aps cameras have a few settings/modes on them so you can shoot different formats and one of them is panoramic. I actually only shoot with this camera in panoramic mode. I love having a new style to shoot with at this point it's the camera I have the most fun with. They don't make APS film anymore so any you find is going to be expired and with expired film you never know what you're going to get. Some people think I'm crazy for shooting with it, but that's what I love about it. You never know what's going to happen."

You can find more of Brandon's work at:

Instagram: cabralism

Tumblr: idealisticanarchy

Any questions, inquiries, or if you're in the south east Massachusetts or Rhode Island areas and want to shoot, explore, or model email Brandon at: bcabral21@icloud.com

You can find more about his book at domesticatedprimate.com