LomoGuru of the Week: Gauthiermonde

A few weeks ago, he was our LomoKino LomoAmigo, and now that the new year has struck, it’s time to know more about this week’s LomoGuru!

He is no stranger to us especially with the huge number of Community friends he has! He might be a bit new to our Community but he is definitely not obscure to analogue photography. Here is this week’s LomoGuru, gauthierdumonde!

Name: Wouter Van den Berge
Lomography Username: gauthierdumonde
Location: Ghent, Belgium
Number of years as a Lomographer: 7 years
Number of years in the Community: 2 years

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

I got in the Community through the Online Shop. I was so pleased by the service that I joined the Community and it felt like coming home. I was shooting with a Holga for some years without knowing there were so many others out there. I got to know lots of like-minded people and also different-minded people who you don’t have to share the same opinions to get along. Everybody loves Lomography and that’s the most important. There is a real positive vibe in the Community and that’s what I like; the open minds of my fellow Lomographers.

I do a bit of blogging, mostly on cameras, and the funny thing is that people are sending me private messages with questions on cameras and stuff. I really like that and I always answer. People don’t have to know anything about photography to take great pictures. But sometimes when they are having trouble with some technical issues, I am always glad to help them.

I really love making masks to put into a Diana and currently one of my masks is traveling the world. I posted a blog about it and the mask started its journey to England and next it is going to Germany. I want people all over the world to shoot with the mask I made. Another memorable experience was when I included a camera in a film swap. I had an extra Agfa Clack and I decided to give it away to the first Lomographer who reacted on my request to swap films. So I swapped films with asharnanae and included an Afga Clack. The most important thing for me in the Community are the people and how they show me their world.

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

None yet. But I have really great friends, with some of them I like to discuss Lomography or do crazy projects. It was buckshot who inspired me to make masks. Adash, bkspicture and clickiemcpete are inspiring black and white shooters.

Adash is always in for some experiments, bkspicture builds his own lenses, and clickiemcpete is a superb Lomographer. I also like the work of emkei, grazie, atria007 and many others. I am always honored when they visit my LomoHome plus their pictures are really inspiring. There are many others I like, like tsingtao and oneira1927 who both have a very distinct style. If any Lomographer visits Ghent, I will show them our city with pleasure.

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

Yes, I will. I slowly got into Lomography, using a Holga some seven or eight years ago because I saw the wonderful pictures it took. A few years later I added a Horizon Kompakt to my collection when actually I only shot five rolls a year. I mainly used professional cameras back then.

Some two years ago I became a real Lomography addict. I have already explored and learnt a lot but there is so much still to discover. Lomography just became a part of life. I have been shooting for a long time and I never left home without a camera. But it wasn’t the same, the camera always was an extension of me, Lomography became a part of me. It feels different, better.

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

My Holga because it is my first. Actually, I don’t use it that much but I like it a lot. I took it on my honeymoon to Paris and that was certainly fun. The Sprocket Rocket is one of favorites, everybody should have one. Another one I really like is the La Sardina with Fritz da Blitz. It’s a wonderful versatile machine you have to discover. The more I use it, the more I like it. I am also really looking forward to the Belair X 6-12 which I pre-ordered and can’t wait until it arrives. The 6×12 format combined with an 58mm lens will be astonishing.

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

Shoot a lot and shoot even more if you can and analyse your pictures afterwards. You really need to learn to see the world through a plastic lens and the only way is shooting. Shots you expected to be great can be dull and shots you thought were going to be boring can turn out quite interesting. After a while you will know what will work, what film you need to load for a certain mood, etc. You can’t learn that without shooting.

A friend of mine bought a Diana F+ and after a few weeks I called her to ask how the pictures turned out. She only shot two pictures because she had not found a good location yet, because the light was not right etc.. That’s not my way of Lomography. I think you should load a roll and go to a really stupid place like a supermarket and shoot the whole roll. Use the flash, do doubles, shoot people and double them with a shot of the ceiling. That’s how you learn to be a Lomographer, not by waiting until the perfect moment happens, you have to create the moment yourself.

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 qne become the next LomoGuru!

written by mayeemayee on 2013-01-13 #lifestyle #interview #community #lomoguru #gauthiermonde