Taiwanese Drag Culture Shot With Lomography Cameras and Film by @Feifain

Racers, start your engines as we venture into Taiwan's colorful, dazzling, empowering drag scene! Just like the flamboyant costumes, the lively performances, and the non-stop energy, Drag Queen @Feifain encapsulates all of this with their style of “messy wonderland” photos. @Feifain achieves this by mixing and matching techniques like multiple exposure and bulb mode with psychedelic films like LomoChrome Turquoise and Purple. In this interview @Feifain tells us how they started their photography and drag journey, what it's like to shoot film in queer spaces, and how the drag scene is thriving in Taiwan.

Greetings! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how you started your analogue journey?

Hi, my name is Fei. I work as a drag queen in Taipei. I usually bring my camera to the club or gay bars that I work in, and parties as well, where I shoot my friends which is why you mostly see drag queen shows and the like. I think I started shooting film around 2020 when COVID hit so that was a strange time. In my first year, I shot around 100 rolls of film to practice and I was mostly using Lomography cameras because they are known for their bulb mode and multiple exposure which I liked to play around with. Since I found film expensive I would take multiple exposures because I would try to capture different things I want and put it in one exposure to save money.

How did you discover Lomography?

I just googled it and when I saw the cameras I thought they were the prettiest thing. It’s not as expensive as other brands and I think it was a good place to start as a beginner. It did not look intimidating and it looked so colorful and fun. It turns out these seemingly uncanny cameras give such great results and it gives me so much joy which is why I fell in love with Lomography. I also love the LomoChrome Turquoise and LomoChrome Purple. I love experimental.

What kind of gear do you usually use when you shoot?

I have been using Lomography Diana Mini and La Sardina for two years but now I also have a Nikon FM2! I also have a Lomo’Instant Automat. I enjoy seeing the results right away.

What's your favorite Lomography camera and film stock?

Probably my first camera, which is the La Sardina because it was really light and the flash is really good. In the gay bar, it is so crowded so the La Sardina wide lens is actually perfect. I can capture everything and get clear and sharp selfies even with the erratic low light conditions. Also, it’s very cute. I love cute cameras.

Besides LomoChrome films I really love XR Redscale. I enjoy warmer colors when shooting which is why I love the effect that the Redscale has on the pictures. It makes Taiwan less depressing because we have a lot of clouds and rainy days and the Redscale film counters it and makes Taipei so pretty.

How would you describe your style of photography?

Messy wonderland. A lot of photography has been so minimalist in recent years and I just hate it because it feels so empty. That's why with my photography I decided to try and put everything in one exposure. Using techniques like double exposure or using the MX button found on Lomography cameras I like playing with lights, faces, and whatever element or subjects I can use. Sometimes I also use bulb mode and just go wild and see how everything comes together. That's how I like my photos to be; people, faces, lights and just trying to put everything in an exposure. Maximalist!

Most of your photos revolve around the drag community, nightclubs, and nightlife. Can you tell us more about Taiwanese queer nightlife?

I don't know about other bars but Lockerroom has its own community with the performers and audience. When I'm not performing I usually shoot on film and as I have kept on shooting over the years more audience members started to bring their film cameras as well so now it feels like a cute film club at the club. We like seeing each other's results to see our different perspectives and we even do film swaps from time to time. Another Lomographer @bellechennn is a regular guest and we go together sometimes! Her pictures are so different from mine. It always makes me gasp in awe.

For you what makes Taiwan nightlife special?

I think this is kind of weird but safety! I've never been shouted at or harassed in Taipei. I feel so safe compared to other places like the US or Europe. I dress up colorful, not straight-looking and flamboyant so when I go out I have no problem in Taiwan! That is something we are proud of. We have a safe zone for the LGBTQIA+.

What made you decide to use film rather than digital photography?

At one point people were saying that film is obsolete but I like how slow, uncomfortable, and difficult film photography can be at times. It’s historical and humane and you feel part of the process when shooting film. The way it is so slow and you can’t 100% know what you’re gonna get, that’s why I really like shooting film. Focusing on the process rather than the result.

When you are shooting at night, especially in the club, the energy in these places can get chaotic. How are you able to get your shots?

Using my body I know my angles with how high I should raise my hand or how steady I have to be. I also measured my hand so I know how to get the sharpest image depending on the camera especially if it uses zone focusing. A lot of failure has happened for sure. I got a lot of blank rolls and I get frustrated, but that’s part of the experience and fun you can't have when you use digital. Besides this, I also like doing double exposures of shooting flowers then giving it to friends and seeing their results! I’ll send these rolls to friends and see what happens.

Has film photography made an impact on your drag community?

Well, there aren’t many drag queens shooting film in Taiwan, it could be just me. But I think sharing these photos online, especially through the Lomography website has shown my world to a bigger audience. In Taiwan, we are all mostly freelancers. We don't have a manager or company, etc. supporting us so we work independently and try to get our names out there so we can get booked. We have around 60-70 drag queens in Taiwan but everyone has different pay and amount of work. Some people do it once a year, or once a month, or 3-4 times a month. I usually perform once a week.

The community got much bigger around 2016 or 2017 when we were doing viewings of Ru Paul's Drag Race through a party called Workparty. A lot of younger Taiwanese kids got more exposed to the culture and the interest has been fast rising in the past years. At that time I made my debut and started to do podcasts and Youtube, and nowadays all these younger queers tell me they've been listening to me or watching me since they were in high school or college. It's sweet but I don't want to feel my age!

Besides that we have this hair stylist and wig maker @linc.hair who has been one of the pillars of the community and has become famous in the past years, as well as Nympha Wind, who is Taiwanese, the first East Asian winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race.

How would you describe yourself as a drag queen?

I’d say I am a comic like Bianca Del Rio. I’m not the best dancer and I sing like shit but I can talk nonstop! I think speech is my talent because, at a young age, my mom forced me to do so many different competitions. Besides this, I take time to be more active in my community like Drag Queen Story Time for Kids, gender equality education, and host pride!

What’s it like being a film photographer in Taiwan?

I’m not a photographer, I’m an amateur! I think it is quite easy because we are close to Japan and China so ordering film, cameras, and other equipment is easy. There are not many film shops in Taipei which is quite frustrating and I think we only have two labs that are near me. Other than that you have to go a bit farther. I always have to go to the main areas to develop my film.

Can you describe for us how Pride Month is celebrated In Taiwan?

Our pride month is actually in October not in June but we usually do more LGBT activations in June as well catered to the international crowd. We also want to separate from the Western system and host our own. I know pride is getting bigger and bigger and hopefully our government can show more support as it varies from year to year. Pride month in Taiwan is more chill compared to the west. The nudity is much less and a lot of families come together to support the community. A lot of straight families started to come and support which was a nice feeling.

Any words of advice you want to share with the rest of the Lomography community?

Shoot more film!

We thank @Feifain for the wonderful photos be sure to follow his LomoHome and Instagram. What does Pride Month mean to you? Comment down below!

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2024-06-24 #gear #culture #people #places #street #taiwan #gay #pride #celebration #drag #diana-mini #drag-queens #la-sardina #xr-redscale #lomochrome-purple #lomochrome-turquoise #pride-month #lgbtqia #apac