LomoGuru of the Week: Earlybird

19

His trademark black and white portraits have become very popular in our Community. His username rings a loud bell, too. Well, I guess it’s just time for us to publish an interview with this guy from Germany!

He admits that everything he knows about film photography, he have learned from our Community. Which is really great because along the way, he has made a lot of friends and have practiced tons of Lomography tips! He also admits not owning a digital camera, ever, in his life which makes him a true-blue film lover!

From managing medical jobs, to being a member of a band, an other half of a couple, a dog lover, and a passionate film photographer (just look at his film stash and you’ll understand) we’re finally introducing Hannes Volkmer or more known as earlybird as this week’s LomoGuru! Read on our interview with him below.

Credits: earlybird

Name: Hannes Volkmer
Lomography Username: earlybird
Location: Verl, Germany
Number of years as a Lomographer: 5
Number of years in the Community: 4

Tell us something about yourself… What are you do for a living? What are your main interests?

My Name is Hannes. I am 33 years old and I live with my girlfriend and my dog in a small town called Verl in Germany. I work as a facility manager in a small hospital which is getting closed in a few weeks so I will work in the drugstore of another hospital in the near future. I love music and photography. My daily activities are going for a walk with my dog, taking photos, develop, and scan photos and rehearse with one of the two bands I make music with.

Tell us something about your LomoHome`s name.

There is no special reason why i named me earlybird as I started my LomoHome. Maybe it is a little bit ironic because I love to sleep as long as possible and if I need to do things, I will do it the day after tomorrow. But I like the name because it sounds good and it is easy to remember.

I’m sure you’re familiar of these popular Lomographs!

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

It is the whole thing! The Community educates me in photography. All I know about taking pictures came from [this website.] I have never read books about photographic techniques nor have visited courses. The Community makes me hungry for funny, great, interesting, strong and unique pictures. Thank you all!

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

Yes, I have met people from the Community and yes, some of them became my friends. Especially Lukas aka lilaluke. We have been making music together since 2006 but I’ve known him since 2011, I guess. We talk a lot about photography and share our experiences with cameras, films, and all other photography stuff. He is really a close friend of mine!

I am although part of the LomOWL group. We are planing our third exhibition together right now. Members of this group are diana3009, mapix, brommi, frauspatzi, zeester, mirco, janetjhing, and evalina. I sometimes meet diana3009 and mapix in my free time for talking or drinking a coffee together, too. There are other Community members I have met over the past years like shoujoai, das-z, and ck_berlin to name a few of them.

What can we say?

I hope that one day I can travel with upic or with vicuna, take portraits with tall_bastard or ropi, take a walk with suizidekid, moodification, or artichekt and drink a beer and listen to reggae music with poeple.

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

I swear I will still be! The first reason is the fun and the second reason is that my fridge is full of film! I think I will take analogue photos my whole life because I love to develop [films] and the results are so unique that there is no reason for me to switch to digital photography. The next level for me is to accomplish my darkroom to make my own prints. I even haven’t owned a digital camera.

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

Like the most of us, I love the LC-A for the reason that it makes great photos and is simple to use. But I love the Spinner 360 too because of the funny panorama pictures it takes. I think that Lomography did a realy great job by building such a great camera. There is nothing comparable on the market.

It was a tough choice between the LC-A and the Spinner 360. But who said you can’t have two favourites at a time!

I often shoot with my Kiev 88 but i don`t think it is a Lomo camera in the classic meaning. If you ask for my memorable experience than I can only mention that I’ve had a lot of good conversations with strangers. Often times, older people approach me and tell me their stories about how they’ve took photographs in the past. We all can learn from older generations!

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

Credits: earlybird

I love this photo because it was one of the first where my melting faces technique worked nearly perfect and also because it shows two beloved people, my stepfather and my half brother. It gives a impression on how genetics work.

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

Credits: tommynorth

That one is so funny! I laugh every time I see it. And it is a good example for being ready to shoot and for momentariness. Maybe I like this one so much because I arrange my photos more and more. Also because one lives from the moment and can never be recured.

If there is a song or movie that best descibes your Lomo life, what is that and why?

Beastie Boys featuring Santigold – Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win

This is a video from my Band Octopus Prime. I want to share it with you because I love these guys and we have a lot of fun everytime we get together.

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

Never give up! You will get better from picture to picture. Every fail is a chance to do it better the next time. :)

See more of earlybird’s features here:

Camera Collections: Lomographer earlybird's Treasures and LomoAmigos Octopus Prime on a Black-and-White Mission

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!

2013-05-19 #ビデオ #lifestyle #earlybird #lomoguru mayeemayee の記事

19 Comment

  1. ropi
    ropi ·

    @earlybird ♥♥♥ we'll definitely make some portraits in the future!!!! :D

  2. vicuna
    vicuna ·

    great lomoguru for sure!! And yes @earlybird, it would be great to meet and travel together one day!! :))

  3. masha_njam
    masha_njam ·

    you are really a LOMOGURU!!! and your works are surely great!

  4. stouf
    stouf ·

    @earlybird Ho Yeah!

  5. renenob
    renenob ·

    super cool!

  6. disdis
    disdis ·

    yes! You are a lomoguru!

  7. mayeemayee
    mayeemayee ·

    Ah yes! Cheers, @earlybird! :)

  8. earlybird
    earlybird ·

    @poepel.....ich glaube das war ich :) sorry! Dafür bezahle ich den rum ;)

  9. gatokinetik-o
    gatokinetik-o ·

    :D my favourite gurú

  10. mapix
    mapix ·

    CONGRATS! must laugh a little reading the question, if you could imagine to still shoot film in five years ;-)

  11. ck_berlin
    ck_berlin ·

    Wurde ja auch mal Zeit für die Ernennung! Danke auch für die Erwähnung. Wäre schön, wenn wir uns mal wieder im dicken B auf einen Lomowalk treffen könnten.

  12. gepo1303
    gepo1303 ·

    Glückwunsch Hannes!

  13. grazie
    grazie ·

    great great great guru mister @earlybird ! thanks for all the wonderful lomographs in the past years. Dang, good thing I thoroughly read the interview coz I was gonna ask how early of an earlybird are you! :) Congrats!

  14. bravebird
    bravebird ·

    Der Guru war wirklich längst überfällig! Kann mich @vicuna nur anschließen :) Let's meet somewhere!

  15. moodification
    moodification ·

    @earlybird: Na bitte, direkt zwei Wünsche an einem Tag abgearbeitet :-)) Das war ein schöner Walk heute, lass uns das wiederholen! And congrats on the Guru title! That was so overdue and well reserved!!! Cheers, mate :-))

  16. moodification
    moodification ·

    Ooooops, DEserved! Sorry :-))

  17. shoujoai
    shoujoai ·

    !!!

  18. tall_bastard
    tall_bastard ·

    @earlybird we will, I promise ;)

  19. kathepalacio
    kathepalacio ·

    @earlybird <3 :)

他の記事を読む