Petzval LomoAmigo: Lomokev

By now most of you would have heard of Lomokev, one of the UK’s most prolific film photographers. Based in Brighton, Lomokev loves to shoot with the trusty LC-A and his work has been featured in numerous publications and projects. Here’s an exclusive interview, along with a several fantastic shots by the talented UK-based photographer.

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you get into photography?

I got my first camera in 1996 when I started an art course at my local college. I really enjoyed photography, I did not study it at university but I kept it as something personal to me so it never became a chore. My photography really changed in 1998 when I got a Lomo LC-A, back then Lomography only sold the LC-A and the original action sampler but the main attraction was always the LC-A. It changed the way I thought about photography, mainly to not take it too seriously. It gave me a lot of creative freedom, I could and did take it everywhere, the ability to use it in low light made it a game changer at the time. It seems funny now but when I got my LC-A in 1998 there was not much to choose from if you wanted a half decent camera that could fit in your jeans pocket, especially if you were on a budget. When you think about the proliferation of camera phones now, it seems quite bizarre that compact digital cameras did not exist then and did not become affordable until 2003.

How was it shooting with the New Petzval lens?

Fun and tricky, modern digital cameras are unfortunately not set up very well for manual focusing. That said you can treat it as a feature as it forces you to slow down when working and engage more with your subject opposed to taking a quick snap shot. What I a love about it is people are really curious about the lens when you approach them. Some of my work involves approaching people on the street and taking their portrait, approaching someone with a 5D and Canon L lens is standard if you’re young and hip in London it is going to happen all the time. But if you approach someone with a golden lens they will be curious about what you are doing which in turn means they are more likely to want you to take their portrait.

What do you love about film photography?

Film like using a Petzval forces you to consider your photography more and slow down. Digital is so fast and throw away, I love taking photos and showing them but it’s the bit in the middle: the processing and editing that bores me. The problem with digital is when you are in the moment taking photos you can look at what you are shooting on a tiny screen and what you see on the screen will never seem as exciting as the reality in front of you. An image on a three inch screen can’t be as exciting as real life. With film photography you have to wait to see your images, when you finally see them they will trigger a nostalgic response that will bring up memories of an event which is a far more pleasing experience.

With a digital image you have decide how you’re going to process the images, digital raw files are starting point. With digital I shoot lots and while I’m shooting I get a nagging thought in my head that every photo I take means more time spent sat in front of a computer which is a chore. With film it’s not like that, I pick a film depending how I want the final images to look and then shoot. As long as the lab you use knows how to scan film properly your images should look great, all I do when I get my film scans back from the lab is remove dust and they are ready to go.

Photos:LomoKev

In your opinion, what makes the perfect portrait?

That’s a really tricky question! I love all different types of portrait weather they are set up studio portraits, candid street shots or environmental portraits of folks in their natural habitat. I like portraits that pull you in and trigger a sense of curiosity about the subject. Saying that I don’t like unanswered questions so it’s always good to have a little text with a portrait to explain how, when why and who. Love a bit of context.

Have you had any difficult or challenging situations throughout your photography career?

Making money can be a challenge as a photographer in this day and age. In the last 10 years I’ve really seen a drop in the price what photographers get for the use of preexisting images. Unfortunately photography is not all taking pictures; you have to have a business head to. Also once in 1997 someone threatened to throw me off Hastings pier for taking their photo at a jungle rave.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to become a professional photographer?

Shoot personal projects, it’s the most important thing you can do as a photographer. Most of the work that shows off my skills on my website is personal work. Personal projects are going to be the thing you are most passionate about and hopefully they will lead to work that is similar to what you are interested in.

Color images were shot on a Canon 5D Mark 3.
Black and White images shot on an Canon EOS 1 film body using Ilford Delta 3200 film (rated at 1600ASA)

written by hannah_brown on 2014-11-06 #people #analogue-photography #camera-reviews #uk #lomography-gallery-store #analogue-cameras #lomokev #lomoamigo #eastlondon #35mm-films #120-films #londonsoho #soholondon #petzval