LomoGuru of the Week: Masha_njam

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Just another year and she’s going to start celebrating a decade of analogue loving. She has traveled far and wide and with these adventures, Lomography and the Community definitely played a huge part!

From Russia, to Germany, and to other parts of the world, Maria submerged herself in various Lomographic stories; to meeting people, shooting tons of sights, and losing and finding love through her way. Sure is a story to tell, right? Also with these, she has practiced and (almost!) perfected the craft of Lomography — living the rules and loving the Lomographs! With that, here is this week’s LomoGuru, masha_njam!

Credits: masha_njam

Name: Maria Lobanova
Lomography Username: masha_njam
Location: Nürnberg (Germany) / Saint-Petersburg ( Russia)
Number of years as a Lomographer: 9
Number of years in the Community: 6

Please tell us something about your LomoHome’s name.

When I was choosing my log-in for Lomography, I wasn’t thinking a lot. Masha is my name (the short one in Russian) and njam is also analogue for English yummy. I was thinking that I like to cook and eat so much and in my log-in you can read this!

Share to us your most memorable experience in the Lomographic Community.

It is hard to say because there were a lot of interesting events, parties, and exhibitions that I took part in. But I think the most memorable event that I am proud of was our exhibition in the Hermitage State Museum. Of course not in the main building where all the masterpieces are stored but still! It was a very interesting project for the Saint-Petersburg Museum Night in 2010 – “Hermitage Meets Lomography" — 20 Lomographers and a big LomoWall which were exhibited in the storage building of Hermitage. I remember during shooting photos [for the exhibit] I spent three whole days in the museum. It was hard but very exciting! And also funny that from a lot of people there were very similar photos. Most of us chose the same root in the museum.

Credits: masha_njam

Have you actually met people in the Community that you now consider as close friends? If yes, name at least one of them.

Yes, it is the biggest advantage of being a Lomographer, that you are a part of a great artistic Community and it is very easy to meet people that are on same wave as you. Plus you can be sure that it would be a lot of things to talk about even if you meet for the first time.

We have a very warm Community in St.Pete – grad, gleby, plyshbel, katya-leontyeva, plavaliznaem, nikitapest, neja – these people I’ve known for years and we are friends in real life.

From the Russian Community I can also mention life-on-mars and japsix. I like their works so much – we’ve also known each other for a long time but have never met in real life. That is a pity for me and I hope we will meet soon, lomovan! Nice Lomographer from Crimeria that I visited during my work time in Ukraine, Tanja Konbiw and her brother Aton, maximum_b from Moscow are also my friends and I would be happy to meet them again.

Credits: masha_njam

Now I am living in Germany and here I can say that the Community is very warm and interesting! We are good friends with wil6ka who helped me with a lot of contacts with the right people during my hard traveling life (I was working as a delivery engineer and most of the time was on road.) I was in Hamburg spending several days in his flat while Willie was travelling in Russia, also in St. Petersburg. Here in Nurnberg, a visit from satomi. From the Berlin Community – Christian ck-berlin is also a great Lomographer who really crashed with photography. He has a small photo studio at home and develops all his films by his own. I am in love with sushi_9009 (thank you Lomography for give me the chance to meet him!) I also met bloomchen and fruchtzweg_hh in Berlin for some summer LomoWalks and hopefully we will have more this summer.

And here in Nurnberg we are good friends with lomodirk who I am very thankful to him. He helped me a lot with my integration to the new city (I moved one year ago) and he is always ready for LomoWalks with best frankonian beer and talks. Several weeks ago we had a nice LomoWalk and a night shooting session with Diego (disdis.)

Awesome doubles!

Do you think you’ll still be taking Lomographs in the next 5 years? Why?

I can say that Lomography is a big part of my life. I have started in 2004 – my ex-boyfriend was working in the Lomography Embassy and that’s how I knew about Lomography. That time Lomography was more of an underground thing but it was a really great time with all these parties in strange places and LomoWalls that were made on the knees whole night long (but with wine and talks!) I never thought that I can do something creative and start with photography just for fun, shooting friends and parties. And now I understand that thanks to Lomography. Photography is really very important in my life and it is a pleasure when sometimes my pictures come out good. I also have a lot of real friends who are somehow related to the Community and yes I think I will still be in this Lomo mood five years later.

What is your favorite Lomo camera and why? Do you have any memorable experiences while using this camera?

I am a mobile network engineer and my work gives me a good opportunity to travel a lot. I had a project in Uzbekistan and asked Lomography Embassy if I could borrow a Horizon. I wanted to have a panoramic camera during my several months in Asia and I’ve totally fallen in love with it ! Now I am normally thinking with wide panoramic pictures and don’t need to use a light meter since all is coming from my head.

Credits: masha_njam

This particular camera has an interesting story – after returning it back to the Embassy, somehow it came to Willie (he was travelling in Russia and broke his Horizon and as he was doing a project for Lomography, he just changed his broken camera to this Horizon so now he has a print of my nose at his camera!)

Please share your most favourite Lomographic photo that you took and explain why.

This photo is one of my favourites. I tool it several years ago in Saint-Petersburg.

Credits: masha_njam

I remember this day very clear – it was extremely cold (-20 or something like that) – but still we decided to walk with my friend. It was hard to shoot with the LC-A because our fingers were completely frozen and eyes were full of tears every time I wanted to look into the viewfinder. But almost all photos from the roll came out so good for me – so I was completely satisfied with the results.

Please share a Lomograph you wish you took and explain why.

Lomographs from sushi_9009 who has absolute Berliner LomoHome. He likes his city and I love him.

Credits: sushi_9009

What’s the best Lomographic or photography advice you think you have given?

As I am not a professional photographer and Lomography is only my hobby, I think I am not experienced enough to give any advises regarding photography. The only thing i am sure in is that you should shoot a lot. The more you shoot, the better results you can achieve.

Also I think it is very important to keep your eyes wide open and try to notice everything around you. Third one is to develop your own taste for photography – exhibitions, museums, galleries, Kino, music – to use every possibility to see something new that can become an inspiration for your work.

If there’s one song or movie that best describes your Lomo life, what is that and why?

Hard to say… Maybe for movies it could be Science of Sleep – one of my favourite ones.

✘ Youtube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GUCrM5i_W3c

For me Lomography is full of fantasy so you can take any picture from your head and try to make it true. About music – I am really into funky music and I think this happy music creates a very good mood for making pictures. For example Nicole Willis And The Soul Investigators from one of the warmest northern cities – Helsinki.

My everyday music is normally coming from Radio Nula – funk radio from Ljubljana.

Is there any advice you can give to new analogue shooters?

Haha! With Lomography everything is simple – don’t think just shoot. Even when something is coming awful for the first time, I don’t give up. It would be much better after you shoot your roll number 100. Break the rules!

Credits: masha_njam

Do you think you’re qualified as a LomoGuru? Got something to share in our Community? Then drop me a line at mayee.gonzales@lomography.com and you might become the next LomoGuru!

geschrieben von mayeemayee am 2013-03-24 in #Videos #lifestyle #community #masha_njam #lomoguru

21 Kommentare

  1. sushi_9009
    sushi_9009 ·

    my great LomoGuru ♥

  2. marta1901
    marta1901 ·

    I love the Science of Sleep :) <3 Michel Gondry! @masha_njam :)

  3. bloomchen
    bloomchen ·

    yeah! maria is guru now! congrats @masha_njam.

  4. plyshbel
    plyshbel ·

    Great LomoGuru, good ole friend and remarkable human being!
    Be happy and Lomon, dear Masha!

  5. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    great lomo guru @masha_njam!! :))

  6. masha_njam
    masha_njam ·

    Thank you!

  7. adi_totp
    adi_totp ·

    yes great lomoguru! :D

  8. adi_totp
    adi_totp ·

    and great interview!! :D

  9. gepo1303
    gepo1303 ·

    Congratulations Maria, welcome to the Guru-Club!

  10. wil6ka
    wil6ka ·

  11. mayeemayee
    mayeemayee ·

    Hi @masha_njam! Thanks for this interview! Pleasure working on it :)

  12. ck_berlin
    ck_berlin ·

    Willkommen im Club und Danke für die Erwähnung. Bis demnächst.

  13. mafiosa
    mafiosa ·

    Great interview. It's a pleasure to meet you Maria. Your photos are amazing. Keep shooting <3

  14. life_on_mars
    life_on_mars ·

    молодец!!! никого не забыла))) поздравляю!!! привет из Краснодара

  15. jeabzz
    jeabzz ·

    great interview!

  16. sobetion
    sobetion ·

    Wowwww!! nice interview :D

  17. fruchtzwerg_hh
    fruchtzwerg_hh ·

    Wow LomoGuru, congratulations!

  18. moodification
    moodification ·

    @masha_njam: Congrats on the LomoGuru title! Very interesting interview, great gallery and excellent choice of of music! Lomo on!

  19. mapix
    mapix ·

    Glückwunsch! und schöne Ostern :)

  20. disdis
    disdis ·

    welcome to the club Maria! I thought you were already in!

  21. japsix
    japsix ·

    @masha_njam Машунечка!!!! <3 <3

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