'Real Photographers Shoot Film': Chance Encounter Leads to Unlikely Friendship

Two photographers who met by chance under trying circumstances on the streets of New York City put their initial pugnacious attitude toward each other aside to become firm friends.

Ayrton Kaleo happened upon Bernie, better-known as OG, on Sixth Avenue, who condescendingly told Kaleo that “real photographers use film.”

The pair’s first interaction was decidedly spiky: OG not only rounded on the young photographer for his format choice, but Kaleo also antagonistically took photos of OG without his permission.

“That guy was basically saying that shooting digital make you not a real photographer, which is nonsense,” Kaleo said immediately after his first meeting with OG. “It’s the photographer that makes the images, not the camera.”

But the next day, Kaleo came back, seeking out OG for further clarification.

“No disrespect, brother. Take it from me… use a bigger view, use film,” OG told Kaleo. “I got no hate for you bro, you doing digital, I got no hate for you… All I’m saying is, stick with film.”

Kaleo, clearly taken with the mysterious OG, began researching him and found that he not only talks the talk — but walks the walk. Kaleo discovered that OG has been pounding the city streets with a film camera for a long time and unearthed footage from the 1990s of a young OG with a nose ring doing street photography.

As the pair’s friendship blossomed, OG took Kaleo to a B&H store and bought him a film camera. “Other people helped me out,” OG tells Kaleo. “I had a lot of people help me out. They gave me gear, they gave me tips. A lot of photographers, they helped me, so I’m helping you.”

Kaleo, who has clearly never shot a roll of film before in his life, suddenly found himself on an analog training course with OG, who taught his new student how to operate a light meter and how to interact with subjects.

As the pair go about Manhattan, other film shooters spot them and join the merry gang as they go on a photo walk around the East Village.

Speaking to ABC News, Kaleo says he’s never come across anyone like OG.

“That [first] interaction, I think we both left it feeling not very happy with each other,” says Kaleo. “But I just felt like there was a story unfinished, words unspoken.”

Kaelo says he was “shocked” when OG bought him a camera and took him under his wing. The pair are now friends and swap voicenotes every day.