Lomographers Throughout the Years: Vicuna

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It's been twenty-five years since Lomography was born! So many interesting things have happened since then: new products were introduced to satisfy your evolving photographic needs; events and workshops were set up to encourage creativity among beginners and photographers looking for something new, and competitions and awards recognized many Lomographers' visual talents. Of course, we couldn't have done it without you! To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are honoring 25 of the most iconic Lomographers in the community.

First on the list is Stéphane Heinz (Vicuna, whose photographs inspire wanderlust. He is a teacher who has traveled extensively and had the amazing opportunity to live in paradise.

Self-portrait

Name: Stéphane Heinz
Username: Vicuna
Year when you joined Lomography: 2006, but started Lomography (without knowing it) in 2004
What keeps you busy now: I'm still a teacher for History and Geography, and still a passionate analog photographer and an enthusiastic Lomographer.

Hi, Vicuna! Let's do a backtrack: How did you discover Lomography?

I discovered Lomography before knowing anything about the site and the Lomographic movement. In fact, I was shooting analog with my beloved Olympus OM20 since 1996, and in 2004 I heard about the book of Fred Lebain - "Mes vacances avec Holga" - and I was stunned with these pictures. I was a bit bored with classic photography and looked for something new, and this was exactly the kind of new photography I was looking for. So I bought myself a Holga 120S (for not more than 30€ at the time) and started shooting with this camera. But I wasn't aware that this was part of the Lomography movement and didn't know the Lomography website then ... It was only 2 years later that I discovered the existence of the site and joined it, entering this amazing world of photographic experimentation and analog passion.

What was your first Lomography camera?

As I said, it was the Holga 120S, and I still have it of course!

What's your fondest Lomography moment?

Oh, there were a lot of great moments within the community ... I think that one of those would be the first time I had the "Lomohome of the day" award was a very great moment as it was (if I remember well) in 2007 and I still was a new member of the community (think it was around 6 or 8 months after I joined) and I felt very honored to be recognized in such a way by the community.

Then, the first time I won a competition (2007 as well, I think) and especially the one for the 2007 London Lomo World Congress (where I couldn't, unfortunately, attend to). 2007 was also the time of the launch of the Lomo LC-A+, and I was chosen to test one of these new LC-A+ cameras, and all of my 2007 summer holidays were shot with the new LC-A+ ... I was hooked ... Well, I could go on and on, as a lot of great moments happened since I joined Lomography!

Could you share some of your earliest Lomography shots?

If I had to choose 3 of my earliest shots it would be these 3:

- "Street cross", taken with a Holga, back in 2006. It's one of my first attempts of cross processing. It was an Agfa RSX 200 film and I didn't know what to expect with such a film in x-pro. When I saw the result I was really stunned! Since then I'm an enthusiastic x-pro fan.

- Holgarama at my brother's wedding: in fact, I think it's one of my very first rolls with my new Holga 120S in 2004. I made a kind of "mistake" as I used the numbers of the film back for the 6x4.5 shots but without the mask and thinking I was shooting 6x6 photos. So I produced some "Holgaramas" without knowing what that was beforehand... at first I was disappointed by this "mistake", but quickly realized that there was something very interesting in this kind of shooting ... That's all about the Lomographic spirit!

- My friend Gauthier in the pool: made with LC-A+ in 2007, it was one of the first rolls I made with the new LC-A+ after I received it. This afternoon was one of the first summer barbecues we had with friends. There was a pool and Gauthier suddenly jumped in with all his clothes on. I took this shot without thinking, and I really loved the result!

Who were your Lomography friends back then?

My 2 first friends on Lomography, which also were friends in real life (and still are) were @jazzgohan and @dudizm. Jazzgohan had opened a "Lomography Embassy" in Nice in 2006 and he was the one who introduced me to the website and all the fantastic world of Lomographic cameras and films. Dudizm is a long time friend and he joined at the same time I did, and we were really enthusiastic about all this. The 3 of us were the "Lomo crew" of Nice, back in the days! Once on the site, I quickly met some other great Lomographers who are now good friends, like @wil6ka or @stouf and many others of course...

What advice would you give new Lomographers?

Have fun and be creative! It's the most important thing to do with Lomography. Don't lose yourself in technical data and specifications, don't think too much about what you want to create, don't be obsessed with perfection ... feel free to make experimentations, make mistakes, and let you surprise by the unpredictable results of film. Shoot, shoot and shoot again!

Some of our favorite photos by Vicuna

Credits: vicuna

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!

2017-07-22 #people #25thanniversary #25yearsoflomography #lomographersthroughouttheyears

43 Comment

  1. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    Very honored and pleased to be "the first on the list" among the "25 most iconic lomographers of the community" :) Thanks a lot!!! :)

  2. neja
    neja ·

    @vicuna well done!

  3. kylewis
    kylewis ·

    I remember those first shots, congratulations this is so well deserved, I've always loved looking at your work over the years!

  4. stouf
    stouf ·

    @vicuna Bravo l'ami ! Ça fait bien plaisir d'avoir de tes nouvelles. Et ça m'a rendu un peu nostalgique aussi. Ahhh le bon vieux temps...

  5. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @neja @kylewis @stouf thanks a lot! :)

  6. bloomchen
    bloomchen ·

    @vicuna Congrats! Nice read. Keep it up for many more years to come.

  7. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @bloomchen thanks! No doubt that I'll be shooting analog for many years to come! :)

  8. jeansman
    jeansman ·

    These photos take me back to old time. Thanks man!

  9. superlighter
    superlighter ·

    VIVA VICUNA!

  10. coca
    coca ·

    Congrats @vicuna, the great lomo master!

  11. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @jeansman @coca @superlighter thanks! 😊

  12. akula
    akula ·

    Congratulations @vicuna

  13. quaisoir
    quaisoir ·

    So iconic! @vicuna n his awesome shots. Always a big fan. 😊

  14. grazie
    grazie ·

    Congratulations!!!

  15. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @akula @quaisoir @grazie thanks a lot 😊

  16. disdis
    disdis ·

    Bravo @vicuna!

  17. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @disdis thanks 😊

  18. gepo1303
    gepo1303 ·

    Felicitations Stephane. You're famous ;-)

  19. dudizm
    dudizm ·

    Vicuna rules! Thumbs up!

  20. scootiepye
    scootiepye ·

    Great read @vicuna always interesting to see your shots and read your words :)

  21. fragakis_p
    fragakis_p ·

    great article! congrats @vicuna!

  22. naomac
    naomac ·

    Always beautifully stunning shots a lomography legend.

  23. davidobryan
    davidobryan ·

    Congratulations @vicuna!

  24. adi_totp
    adi_totp ·

    hey congrats my guru @vicuna ! :D

  25. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @adi_totp @davidobryan @naomac @fragakis_p @scootiepye @dudizm @gepo1303 thanks a lot ! 😃

  26. gaz
    gaz ·

    Congrats! @vicuna

  27. oleman
    oleman ·

    Congrats @vicuna you have great shots! Lomo on!

  28. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @gaz @oleman thanks! 😊

  29. wil6ka
    wil6ka ·

    ❤️

  30. 134340
    134340 ·

    i remember when i've first joined here and vicuna is one of a great lomographer. :)

  31. pearlgirl77
    pearlgirl77 ·

    congrats @vicuna !!

  32. mapix
    mapix ·

    very very well deserved indeed! congrats!!

  33. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @wil6ka @134340 @pearlgirl77 @mapix thanks!! :))

  34. hervinsyah
    hervinsyah ·

    congrats vicuna (y) do you still driving an airplane? =)

  35. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @hervinsyah thanks! No, I don't fly anymore, was really the fabulous thing to do in the islands (total liberty, no air traffic, easy to go...), but not anymore in Switzerland (really more air traffic, too much regulations and does cost a hell more...)

  36. herbert-4
    herbert-4 ·

    @vicuna Congratz!!

  37. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @herbert-4 thanks! :)

  38. neanderthalis
    neanderthalis ·

    @vicuna You have always been a kind and helpful community member. I'm glad you're being recognized by the website. Plus, I keep adding your travels to my own holiday wishlist.

  39. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    Thanks a lot for this comment @neanderthalis :)

  40. zulupt
    zulupt ·

    Congrats @vicuna :) You are one of the references in Lomography, one of the best in my opinion. I feel blessed to be in your team in the past Great Lomo Lc-a Race :)

  41. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @zulupt thanks a lot for these nice words! :)

  42. gheinz
    gheinz ·

    Que de louanges... (légitimes et justifiées, tu es un maître !) et moi, j'ai un privilège supplémentaire, celui d'être ton frangin !! @vicuna

  43. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    @gheinz 😊

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