Spektrem Effects
Aguilar
Brandon
THE
INTERVIEW
INNOVATOR
Who is Brandon?
I’m a photographer from McHenry, Illinois - currently residing in Chicago. I’m passionate about the analogue process of film photography as well as the creative approach of in-camera effects.
When did you become interested in photography?
My interest in photography began over 10 years ago. In truth, my friends turned me onto it. As social media was really starting to rise in popularity, photography skills seemed to be one of the easiest ways to make yourself stand out. At that time, if you had a professional looking profile picture, you were instantly interesting. My friends who practiced photography were very much into surrealism and applying creative effects through digital manipulation. Due to my competitive nature, I wanted to see if I could take cooler and more appealing photos than them which is what truly spurred my interest. I invested in my first DSLR just weeks later.
Can you remember the first filter you used?
I can! My journey with photography started with digital cameras, but soon after I discovered the pleasures of shooting with film. I was always, and I mean ALWAYS on the hunt for film cameras and lenses at my local thrift/antique stores. One morning I hit the jackpot. Inside of the glass cabinet at Goodwill was a beautiful lot of vintage lenses and a near mint Canon A1. I knew I had to have it so I asked the counter clerk to open up the display case for me so I could take a peek. Behind the camera bag in which these items were sitting in was a very small, black leather pouch with a tiny zipper. The word “Hoya” branded right across the front. I hadn’t seen something like it before and asked the Goodwill employee if I could examine it too. At first glance I thought it may have been an extension tube or perhaps a tele-converter. Upon opening it up, I noticed that it was neither but a shimmery chunk of prismatic glass. This was the first creative effect filter I had ever encountered – A Hoya Multi-Vision. This one in particular was the 5-point hexagonal design. Basically, it made 5 copies of whatever subject you were shooting. At that time, I had enough photographic knowledge that it was a lens filter of some kind, but little did I know that it was about to open up a world of obsession.
What sparked your interest in filters and creating your own?
In retrospect, finding that Hoya Multi-vision sparked my interest in filters and accessories for creative effects. Shortly after that tremendous find, I researched that Hoya had more filters in their lineup. All of them producing something different where you just had to have it and try it for yourself. Sadly, I discovered that many of these products were discontinued. Hoya, Cokin, Tiffen – big names in the filter industry had slowly moved away from their special-effect product line as the digital revolution began to take over. I could only find and purchase so many of these in the secondary market. I thought about how awesome it would be for this type of accessory to make a comeback with fresh new effects that weren’t made before.
When did Spektrem Effects come to life?
By somewhat of an accident, I made my firsthand constructed filter back in 2018. My sister would hang these suncatchers in her window. They were basically cut-out circles of this diffraction material that would produce rainbows on the wall whenever light would shine through them. They always interested me because they had such wild patterns etched into them which would diffract the light in different ways. I remember viewing one up close and was surprised at how transparent the material actually was. I figured that if my eyes could see through it then I bet my camera lens could too. I purchased a sun-catcher of my own and cut into like paper. I held the material in front of my lens and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Intense rainbows everywhere! The action of having to hold the material with my opposite shooting hand was a tad cumbersome, so I cut out the material to shape a perfect circle, stuck in between 2 UV filters so it would stay in place – the very first effect filter from Spektrem Effects was born. I later called this our Prizum filter. It had gone through several iterations but it was the first product to launch on the Etsy store I created that same year. The prototype concept was shared by an Instagram page with a rather large following. Many photographers reached out asking if they could purchase one. I felt obligated to sell them but when I look back, I’m glad that decision was made. It was one of the greatest feelings to have orders right out the gate.
Can you tell us what that road has been like? The successes? The failures?
It’s almost hard to believe that it has already been 3 years since we launched our official website. I never would have guessed that the shop would have as many items as it does today. To me, each product is a success in its own. At the same time, designing products can be the hardest part of the journey especially when the concept fails. The process can get expensive but you have to take some risks in order to figure out what works for the business and what your customers ultimately enjoy. If I could go back and correct anything, I would seek less manufacturing help from outside sources as your designs run the risk of getting stolen. Today, our main-line products are all hand-constructed which is something I am very proud of. Along with that, I’ve met some incredible people along the way who are now becoming my closest, and sincerest friends.
Do you have a favorite filter from Spektrem Effects?
I do! I don’t think I’m alone in this either. Our Motion filter is by far my favorite filter due to its versatility. I’ll always have one in my camera bag in case the situation arises where I want the photo to have that extra flare. Motion will stretch out bright light sources and add a motion-like blur to half of the frame. This filter truly is our best seller – it comes in every size ranging from 49mm all the way to 82 so it fits almost any lens out there. I’ve even started making it to fit TLR film cameras too!
Where do you see Spektrem Effects going in the next year?
I’ve always wanted SFX to be a brand that raises awareness about in-camera effects. – to teach photographers to have fun and try new things to spark their creativity. If you take a look at our social media pages like TikTok or Instagram, we spend a lot of our time promoting other products that have a similar mission as ours. It’s not about selling our products and making money. To me, it is much more enjoyable to teach someone a new technique that they can pass along to others. We just posted a video on an experiment with film. I pre-exposed a sheet of 4x5 film glow in the dark sand and the results were pretty crazy. In the next year, I’d like to focus more on that. I want Spektrem Effects to be a hub for people to learn how to produce effects of all kinds and within many mediums.
Next 5 years?
Ha! I’m not one to look that far in the future. All I can say is that in the next 5 years I hope to bring back some products that got squashed due to shortages caused by the pandemic. We had some insanely cool filters come to life pre-pandemic and it has been a struggle to get the resources to make them again. Things are looking up though and customers can expect the return of a lot of our discontinued products in 2023.
Are you currently working on anything we should look out for?
We’re going to be running pre-orders for all of our new products. It’s common for us to run out of stock quickly. This way, we can make sure everyone who is interested in our items can get one and have it delivered in a timely manner. The pre-sales are working a lot better for us. Last year, a lot of our effect filters were on rotation. We wouldn’t introduce a new filter design until we completely sold out of the last release. This way we can keep a lot of our filters in stock and know exactly how much we need to produce.
Where can we purchase Spektrem Effects products?
You can find everything at www.Spektremeffects.com. For residents in the United Kingdom, I encourage you to purchase from Rigu.co.uk to save on shipping and customs fees! They are a camera accessory warehouse and have many amazing products including our filters! We also have an agency in Hong Kong – visit @thatshopfromhk on Instagram to place an order.
Anything else to add?
I just want to take a moment and thank you Austin for the continued support in not only my creative endeavors but also maintaining a level of positivity that is so rare these days. Taking photos here at the Flamingo with you is now a core memory - I’ll never look at this area again without thinking of it. Thank you again for everything that you do.
