Community Spotlight: @marmotine and @cecileandrew

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Being one of the largest analogue photography communities, we are proud of the creativity and diversity of our members. For this month's Community Spotlight, we are pleased to introduce to you Lomographers @marmotine and @cecileandrew and their unique way of seeing the world. Female power in the house!

Credits: marmotine & cecileandrew

Name: Nolwenn
Location: Paris, France
LomoHome: @marmotine

Hi, Nolwenn! Welcome to our Community Spotlight column. What do you do and what got you started with photography?

Hi, thank you for this opportunity! I'm very glad to be here. In my other life, I work in a children's book shop. I started photography a long time ago, when I was teenager. My high-school was giving art class and I discovered this media. It was the beginning of a very complicated love story haha.

I wasn't a hard worker for 10 years but I practiced from time to time with some friends…I stopped for almost 5 years... Right after the first lockdown, I bought 2 cameras, a digital one (Canon EOS M50) and an analogue one (Minolta x700) and my love has kept growing ever since that day!

How did you discover Lomography and what made you join our analogue Community? Who are your favorite photographers here?

I discovered Lomography when I bought my first film in Nation Photo in Paris. I think I bought the first film I saw. I didn't know anything about analogue at this time. My first Lomography film was a Lomo negative color 800 that I shot in Montparnasse cemetery. I really love the result. I think it's one of my favorite films.

Then, a few weeks ago, @petite_guenon told me about your Community and encouraged me to sign in. So a huge thanks to her! I really like her work by the way. I haven’t been here for long but I’ve already found some work I’m a big fan of: @estellemithra, @velourscotelette, @lafilledeer or @dorinedamofli

Credits: marmotine

I found your female portraits quite powerful and it seems you approach your subjects with a thoughtful touch. What do you usually look for in a scene before you hit the shutter?

I think I have a very instinctive way of taking portraits. I turn around my model, search the light and their look, not for the best image but for the best woman. It's very important for me that my model is confident with me (especially because I'm not and I don't want them to be like me...) I often tell bad jokes to help them relax and compliment them a lot.

I talk a lot too, about what I want, what I'm going to do, if I can touch them when I need a particular pose, I also ask them what they expect... I want them to feel powerful. Not necessarily pretty. And I think very strongly that emotion makes you powerful. So that is the most important thing I'm looking for with people I work with. { dark voice } I want to see their soouuuuul.

You have very intimate images in your work, how do you deal with a delicate situation and which approach do you have when working around ill people?

My mum, dad and step mother are nurses and I grew up in this universe full of hospitals, gowns, this particular smell of medical institutions too. Illness doesn't frighten me, on the
contrary, it’s become quite natural by now. But a year ago, my best friend called me on my birthday to tell me that she had just been hospitalized. When I went to see her, I stayed all day and asked if I could take some pictures. With hindsight, I can say that was a way to keep a distance with what had happened to her.

That's why this particular series of shots is very important to me. I had to think : how do I show her extreme fragility without ever pitying her. I could do that because the two of us have a very big trust in each other, but still, it wasn't easy. After that, I couldn’t help but to go back to that topic. I built the project with my mum and went along with her on one of her workdays. The most important thing I keep in mind is to never forget that I'm taking photos of people, not objects. Consent is essential. Respect and trust are the keys of intimate photography.

Credits: marmotine

What inspires in analogue photography? Why shoot with film?

I love the unique aesthetic that film can give to a photo. I shoot in digital too but with film, I feel a certain nostalgia, softness, that doesn't exist in digital without editing. Each film gives you a singular experience and that's why we choose one over the other.

I also really like the experimentation side. Film soup, double exposure, film swap… It's a very fun way to explore art.

What's coming up for you in the future?

In the future, I want to improve my technique and keep working on sensitive projects: the link between caregivers and patients, my relationship with my body, with my grandmother… I have a lot of ideas for 2022, and yet so little time to do it… Thanks!

Credits: marmotine

Name: Cécile
Location: Nantes
LomoHome: @cecileandrew

Hi, Cecile! Welcome to our Community Spotlight column. What do you do and what got you started with photography?

Hi Elisa. Trained as a graphic designer, I gradually turned to photography as a way of expression in order to give free rein to my creativity and my imagination. Even if photography has always been part of my life, it's been 5 years since it became a daily practice.

Credits: cecileandrew

How did you discover Lomography and what made you join our analogue Community?

I know Lomography because I bought myself a Diana camera several years ago, and more recently I visited the site because I am interested in the films you offer. I discovered that I could upload my images and share them with the community!

I found your portraits of women quite powerful and it seems you approach your subjects with a thoughtful touch. What do you usually look for in a scene before you hit the shutter?

At first, I photographed my friends so I focused on choosing people who inspired me. The idea has always been to invite them in my photography studio because I'm not comfortable with the idea of photographing them in their daily lives. Now, I work more and more in teams with professionals, so It takes so many factors to come together for me to trigger my shooter. First of all, I chose the model based on what it exudes. I look for strengths of character, particularities, a singular beauty. Then, on the set, I pay attention to the light, the styling, the makeup.

I share the setup with professionals who work with me and who each have the attention to detail in their respective fields. It is a dance between several people, you have to find synchronicity. Especially in analogue. Because I have no "image feedback" so everyone has to trust each other and the cohesion is very intense. I think that's why it shows in the final image.

Credits: cecileandrew

Your work is delicate and feels light, and elegant. You have a very intimate way of shooting in your work, How do you approach and work with your subjects?

Despite the fact that I am surrounded by a team, I try to keep a strong connection to my subject, not to be distracted by the search for perfection. The main thing for me is the moment: "this look", "this pose", this moment between two changes of pose or set up where the model becomes themself again and where I can grasp their personality. Also, I only have fixed focal lengths, so I get a lot closer to the subject and I think I get a bit into their intimacy.

What inspires you to shoot analogue photography?

Film photography inspires me because I like the grain, I like the strength of the film. I like the fact of detaching myself from digital, from the computer screen to return to the present moment. I develop my color and BW films at home so it gives me great autonomy and I like the idea of tackling photography in a tangible way.

The idea of having very few shots on my film (I mainly work in medium format) also appeals to me a lot because I need to go to the essentials. If it does't work, I say "ok let's change and move on." Also, many photographers I love are working with analogue ( Sarah Moon, Helmut Newton, Avedon, Diane Arbus, Craig Mc Dean and more recently Lou Escobar)

Credits: cecileandrew

What's coming up for you in the future?

For the moment, I have two collective exhibitions planned, one in Lisbon in Portugal with the collective "curated by girl" and another in Paris. And in parallel, I continue my personal production, in an eternal quest to build my identity.


Stay tuned for our monthly Community Spotlight to discover the work of some of the most talented Lomographers!

written by eparrino on 2022-03-08 #culture #people #community-members #lomowomen #community-spotlight

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