Lomographers Throughout the Years: Stouf

To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are honoring 25 of the most iconic Lomographers in the community. Now, let's hear it from Stouf!

Name: Not to be shared
Username: stouf
Year when you joined Lomography: 2005
What keeps you busy now: My job as a marine scientist and my 2-year old son.

Let's do a backtrack: How did you discover Lomography?

As a kid, I wanted to be an underwater photographer, and in this field, David Doubilet is my idol. So I bought a Nikonos V, and then discovered the Fuji Velvia 50 and film scanners. I was around 16. Then, during a Christmas trip to New-York with my brother (who taught me the basics of photography) I stumbled upon a Holga at the shop of a photography museum. I just thought: with bigger film I could make nicer shots, and this plastic thing is so cheap that I could put it underwater without fear! Back at our hotel, I opened the Holga box and discovered the lomographic community in the book ‘HOLGA – The world through a plastic lens’… And it was a shock. Especially the 70mm shots from Adam Scott. I just thought: “I wanna be part of this, these people seem to like badly exposed, blurry shots full of lens flares and vignette, as much as I like them!”. And that’s how it started…

What was your first Lomography camera?

Holga 120 CFN, if we exclude my Nikonos V.

What's your fondest Lomography moment?

Without any hesitation, my first homemade film processing, using a Jobo ATL 3.

Could you share some of your earliest Lomography shots?

From left to right:

- Underwater Holga shot, with Fisheye lens. My friend Emilio the merman.
- Underwater Nikonos V shot, with wide-angle lens. Enjoying the clear waters of Alonissos.
- Holga, multiple exposure (Left: underwater in Alonissos, center: Athen’s Acropolis, right: Paris’ quais de Seine).

Who were your Lomography friends back then?

They would be too many to mention all of them, but those coming to my mind are @rater, @vicuna and @wil6ka.

What advice would you give new Lomographers?

Don’t listen to any advice.
Damn that’s an advice.

What does Lomography mean to you?

It used to be my analogue safe haven. A bit less nowadays, although I understand you guys need to sell your lenses.

Some of our favorite photos by stouf

Visit his LomoHome to see more.

Have you submitted your shots yet? Help us create a global photography exhibition by sending us your top shots of your favorite places and signing up to construct your very own LomoWall. Keep an eye on the official 25 Years of Lomography site and make sure you’re following us on social media, too. From parties to exhibitions to giveaways and more, there are tons of festivities still to come!

2017-07-29 #Menschen #25thanniversary #25yearsoflomography #lomographersthroughouttheyears