White wooden houses and fishing boats along a harbour in Norway

Margarette Contreras

Inhabits, Norway Scroll Nikon FM2, 35mm

Statement

I photograph nature in all its contrasts and imperfections. On film, for the grain and the way it holds light.

I. Light, Inhabits, Water

Norway

Norway, raw and unpolished: steep mountains, wooden harbours and the sea. Film keeps the rich textures and colours, and the grain and small imperfections give each frame its own character.

Red cabins on the shore beneath a sunlit, jagged peak — N° 11WaterNorway

A woman by the window of a ferry, sea and mountains beyond — N° 08Inhabits

Rays of light falling into a steep green fjord — N° 03LightNorway

Red fishermen’s cabins on rocks below towering mountains — N° 06Inhabits

Snow-capped mountains above a winding coastal road — N° 14WaterNorway

Sun setting over the water, swimmers in the glittering light

II. Takipsilim, Amos, Buhay Isla

The Last Frontier

Palawan is where I grew up. It’s often called the last ecological frontier of the Philippines, and this recent series shows why: islands scattered across clear water, and the soft colours at the end of the day.

Palm trees against a bright sky — N° 23Amos

Fishermen and a child sorting the catch on the beach — N° 30Buhay IslaPalawan

Pink and orange clouds over a dark sea at sunset — N° 18TakipsilimPalawan

Outrigger boat resting in shallow water at low tide — N° 27Buhay Isla

Small green island beyond a breaking wave — N° 22AmosPalawan

Mist rolling over a coastal road and dark water

(On film)

Nikon FM2

Kodak Ektar100
Kodak Gold200
Kodak Portra400
Kodak Portra800

Every series here was shot on my Nikon FM2, a fully manual 35mm camera. No autofocus, no screen, and no way to see a frame until the roll is developed. A few frames on this page are gently animated from the original scans.

Contents

Index

6 stories
31 frames

(About)

Margarette Contreras holding a camera in the mountains — Margarette ContrerasPortrait

I was born and raised on Palawan, in the Philippines, surrounded by forest, white beaches and clear water. That’s where I learned to see the world with curiosity.

I started taking pictures as a kid with a simple point-and-shoot, mostly of my hometown and its surroundings. As I got older I started experimenting with film, and it stuck.

Since then I’ve taken my camera on the road, from the rolling hills of Tuscany to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and the coast of Norway. I love film for its light, its contrast and its imperfections, and for how one photo can take you straight back to a place.

From: Palawan, Philippines
Camera: Nikon FM2, 35mm
Film: Kodak Ektar 100, Gold 200, Portra 400 & 800
Series: Norway, The Last Frontier
Instagram: @margxcontreras ↗

(Publications & exhibitions)

Published

01
Cosmos Coffee

Book

Photographs illustrating essays in the book, including “American Dream: how one woman changed the coffee industry” by Peter Giuliano of the Specialty Coffee Association. Published worldwide in print and digital. Available on Amazon ↗
02
Deutsches Museum, Munich

Exhibition

Pictorial design for the touring exhibition “Cosmos Coffee” at the Deutsches Museum, the world’s largest museum of science and technology.
03
Reserve Roastery, Milan

Photographs

A roaster at work and drip brewing at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan. Both photographs were shown in the “Cosmos Coffee” exhibition.

Contact

Want to work together, or just talk about film? Write me.

margarettecontreras@outlook.com

Email ↗ Instagram ↗