MEXICO ANALOG FILM PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT (MAFPP)

Mission Statement: Expanding Analog Film Photography in Mexico

My objective is to make analog film photography products accessible and affordable across all of Mexico, extending beyond the major cities. While there is a commercial benefit to this endeavor, the ultimate goal is to ignite excitement within the analog film photography community and foster new connections among its members.

As an individual with roots in India and a substantial portion of my adult life spent in the USA, I now reside in McAllen, Texas, and am a permanent resident of Mexico. I aim to become a Mexican citizen by 2029. I am registered with an RFC for conducting business in Mexico, including eCommerce, and hold an import/export permit as per the requirements of the SAT. I comply with monthly tax filings as mandated by Mexican authorities.

Two years ago, I sought to expand my analog film photography business, which I established in October before the COVID-19 pandemic. Given McAllen’s proximity to Mexico, I explored this market and quickly identified that film prices were exorbitant and variety was limited outside of Monterrey (MTY) and Mexico City (CDMX). Inspired by the immense creative talent of the Mexican youth, I set out to make analog film products available nationwide at reasonable prices. I also aimed to introduce new products in Mexico simultaneously with their U.S. release, ensuring Mexico was not treated as an afterthought.

I am proud to have achieved these objectives. Today, I offer over 70 film varieties and supply films and chemistry across Mexico. By collaborating with local shops and sellers who agree to smaller profit margins on staple products, I can provide these essential items at affordable prices while both they and I maintain regular profits on premium products. This ensures that anyone interested in starting with analog film photography does not face a price barrier. I extend special thanks to FOMAPAN and Rollei for offering products priced in alignment with the Mexican economy.

The places shown in teal (70% of analog film community by my estimate) are places I have visited and have buyers in. The places in purple are places where I have made some contact and will follow up by visiting them by the end of 2025. Mexico has 32 states and my goal is to visit every single one of them by the end of 2025.

Biggest Challenge: Addressing Pricing Disparities in the Analog Film Industry

A significant challenge in the analog film industry is that most companies set their prices based on the USA and European markets, expecting the rest of the world to follow suit. I am privileged to collaborate with manufacturers and suppliers globally, and I make it a point to highlight the economic realities of Mexico, where the exchange rate is approximately 1 USD = M$ 19-20. It is essential for them to consider this when pricing their products.

While I hold high regard for the quality of Kodak and Ilford black and white films, I am deeply disappointed by their apparent indifference to the Mexican market and their reluctance to offer competitive pricing. My numerous attempts to engage directly with their representatives have gone unanswered, and many industry peers share my frustration with these companies' perceived arrogance and lack of Customer focus.

As a small business owner operating from a limited space, I feel fortunate to candidly share my perspective on these practices. On a positive note, I have successfully persuaded AGO/Vintage Visual (Estonia), Bergger (France), CineStill (USA), FOMA (Czech Republic), and Rollei (Germany) to pay special attention to the Mexican market, ensuring more reasonable and considerate pricing.

Engaging the Community

With a foundational presence in Mexico, the time has come to shift gears and embrace an iterative process. Social media provides the advantage of instantaneous feedback, and I find criticism particularly helpful as it can sometimes lead to valuable improvements. Below, I outline how I am engaging the community.

Testers Project

This initiative was launched in the first week of November 2024 and is designed for mutual benefit. Photographers across Mexico have the opportunity to use a variety of films, chemistry, and other analog photography products at no cost, with these products delivered directly to their doorsteps. Participants gain global exposure, product manufacturers increase their exposure throughout Mexico, and ArtByPino grows its reach within the country.

Using social media, including self-funded paid ads, I invite analog film photographers from across Mexico to test various films and products. The project is entirely self-funded, with no manufacturer contributions. Within minutes of the first post going live at the end of October, there was a flurry of reactions—likes, shares, comments, and direct messages. Over the next 24 hours, more than 100 photographers submitted their profiles for consideration. These profiles underwent a three-round qualification process, and 12 photographers from across Mexico were selected to test the first film, the ADOX CHS 100 II in 35mm and 120.

The photographers are evaluated on their adherence to the instructions and deliverables of the images and either, invited to the next film testing or replaced with other aspiring testers. A second post was made on Instagram on Sunday, November 17, 2024, inviting more photographers to participate. Once again, a great number has express interest and submitted their profile links for consideration.

Special Note to Photographers

• Please respond only if your Instagram profile has a minimum of 1,000 followers and,
• comprises at least 75% analog film photographs, with each post tagged with the hashtag of the film, camera and developer used. This demonstrates your commitment to analog film photography and is a key factor in the qualification process.
• If you didn't develop your film images posted, you are not a good fit for this project. Analog film photographers who develop BW and C41 films are needed.

Approach/Methodology

link to instructions to photographers

1. Photographers are selected from different parts of Mexico and are of varying skill levels. Photographers must have either 35mm and/or 120 film cameras.
2. The films to be tested will primarily include non-Kodak and non-Ilford black and white films, as well as some cine films such as Vision 3 by Kodak, and new color and black and white films as they are released.
   Films will be shipped to them with specific instructions on the type and subject of images to capture, based on the unique characteristics of the films as described by the manufacturers. Photographers are required to shoot a specified number of frames, with about 25% left to their creative discretion. They will be responsible for developing and scanning the films.
3. Photographers will contribute their creative talent, time, effort, and, where necessary, chemistry and computing resources. They will retain copyright and authorship of their images but grant ArtByPino a non-exclusive, perpetual right to use the images for promoting products globally, in exchange for receiving free films and products during the testing period. Some products may be loaned, with photographers responsible for returning them in the condition they were received.
4. Photographers will be provided a Google Drive link where they will upload their unedited images. The best images will be selected and the photographer will be asked to edit/clean-up the images and use a template provided to post online.
5. A special graphic format or a template for posting the images online will be provided, which must be used when submitting the finalized images. ArtByPino will post the finalized images online and tag the respective photographers as the authors/owners of the images, the manufacturer tagged and each post will use specific hashtags, such as #filmname, #developer, #subject, #mafpp, and #manufacturer. Locations as appropriate will be included. After the images for the project are posted, the photographers may post their remaining images using a different template/format than the project template. They may repost their finalized images in the project template, create variations of any of their images to promote their work - for example, reels, story formats, etc.

To follow the project, stay connected to @artbypino and follow the hashtag #mafpp.

ver 2.0 - November 18, 2024, Monday