Introducing Community LomoAmigo, deepfried_goodness!

Keith, a.k.a. deepfried_goodness, is a regular at our Lomography Gallery Store Toronto and also a treasured member of our online Lomography community. Having participated in our Toronto LomoMatrix and always continuing to build his analogue collection, we invited Keith to be our community LomoAmigo! Read on to get to know him a little better!

Name: Keith
LomoHome: deepfried_goodness
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I’m older than I look. I’ve been a professional graphic designer since before some of the younger Lomographers on here were even born.

When did you first get into Lomography and film photography?

I started film photography way back in highschool. I was the head photographer for my highschool yearbook for two years. I also got to do photography as part of my art class and a communications/design class. I used to spend hours on end in our school darkroom. I continued learning about photography while in college as I was studying to become a graphic designer.

But then, after college, I stopped taking pictures other than when I was on vacation. It would be almost 13 years later that found out about Flickr. A friend was posting some of his shots there. At the time, I only had a 6.3 megapixel point and shoot, but it was enough to start a spark. I would go out on my lunch break and just shoot stuff for fun, never really checking the LCD screen while out, only viewing them back at home/work where I’d manipulate them in Photoshop at times, then post them on Flickr.

It was on Flickr that I first came across some early LOMO groups. I really liked the look of many of the shots in there, especially the cross-procesed ones. I wanted to create shots like them, with real film and not just reproduce the various “LOMO looks” in Photoshop. The problem was, I had no idea where to get cameras like the ones I saw here in Toronto, and getting them shipped here seemed way too pricey.

Then about 3 years ago, I saw a Holga 135 at a store on Queen Street. It’s no-frills simple mechanics appealed to me, and it was so very different than the DSLR I was using for work. While I was disappointed with my first roll I put through it, I gave it another try. That roll was better. And then I got hooked.

How many Lomography cameras do you own?

I have 8 Lomography cameras. My first one was actually the clear plastic Actionsampler. I got it as a thank you bonus gift for ordering a lot of stock photography through work. After that was the Holga 135, White Fisheye One, Diana Mini, LOMO LCA (which I eventually sold), Diana F+, Spinner 360˚, Lomo LC-A+ and Fisheye 2. I also have a Yashica Lynx IC 14e Rangefinder, a Zenit 11, a Yashica-A TLR and a Minolta Autocord TLR. Eventually, I want to get a Horizon Perfekt. I have a couple of digital ones too.

Which one is your favourite and why?

I can’t say I have a favourite all the time. It depends on my mood. This summer it was the Lomo LC-A+. In the spring it was the Minolta. Most recently, I’ve had the Diana F+ in my bag the most.

Can you describe for us your absolute favourite analogue photograph that you have taken – camera, film, where, when, why, how, etc?

Seriously? I have to choose just one? I think I’m going to go with this one. I shot it in June 2010 somewhere over the North Atlantic while flying to England with my Fisheye One. I’m not 100% sure of the film, but at the time I was shooting with Shoppers Drugmart Easypix ISO 200 a lot. It’s one of the many reasons why I always try and have a window seat.

What advice do you have for anyone who is thinking of picking up a Lomography camera for the first time?

Don’t give up. Since most people are used to everything being instant with iPhones and point and shoots, going the patient, low-fi route can often be discouraging at first. Practice. Experiment. Have fun.

And finally, any exciting things upcoming that you plan on shooting with film?

I’ve been ridiculously busy at work for the past few of months, so have not really done much shooting. But now that it’s autumn, I’m hoping to get on some forest trails and do some hiking while the leaves are turning colours.

I was in England, Malta and Italy this past summer, so no more vacations in the immediate future, but next summer I’ll be heading out to the west coast for a few weeks. The details have not been worked out yet but there will be a road trip between Vancouver and Los Angeles with stops in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. I’m, already excited about it.

geschrieben von ashleyaang am 2012-11-02 in #Menschen #analogue-photography #community #keith #lomoamigo #deep-fried-goodness #graphic-designer