Newcomer of the Week: conkirwantaylor

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Con immediately felt at home the first time he started browsing through the community’s collection of inspiring photographs and articles. Treating film photography as a form of a challenge, he enjoys shooting candid portraits and spontaneous street photographs. Meet our newcomer of the week from United Kingdom, Constantin Kirwan-Taylor!

Constantin Kirwan-Taylor

Name: Constantin Kirwan-Taylor
LomoHome: conkirwantaylor
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Please tell us something about yourself and what you do.

I’m a philosophy student at the University of Edinburgh. I’m from London but I like to think of Edinburgh as my home now. I’ve only really become serious about photography over the past year or so, but nonetheless it has become an obsession for me. Specifically, I love candid portraiture and street photography.

(You can see more of Con’s work on his personal website.)

How did you find the Community and who/what convinced you to join?

I found the Lomography community through Facebook while I was trying to work out where I could buy the Lomochrome Purple film in Edinburgh. When I first had a look, it felt like I was walking into my home for the first time. Being able to see what other photographers can do with different films and techniques is really inspiring! It’s also really nice to get encouragement from people who are as into photography as you are. It’s immensely validating.

Photos by conkirwantaylor

As you have read the 10 Golden Rules of Lomography, what rule do you apply in your everyday life?

I religiously follow rule number one (Take your camera everywhere you go). I never leave my room without one of my cameras, it’s the only way I work. Especially in London, you’ll never quite know what you’ll see and how long it’ll be there, so the only way to reliably capture what you see is have your camera loaded and have it within arms reach at all times.

In this digital age, why still film?

It started because I found one of my Dad’s old cameras and fixed it up. There was half a roll of expired film still inside it. When I got it developed, the photos looked so much more honest and emotionally charged than their digital counterparts.

Since then, I’ve started to treat shooting film as a kind of challenge. You’ve only got one ISO and 36 shots so you have to be much more thoughtful with each composition. There’s also an unparalleled joy in seeing the photos from a freshly developed roll of film that digital just can’t compete with.

Photos by conkirwantaylor

Your favorite analog camera as of the moment? Why?

Probably my Minolta SRT-101b. It’s amazingly reliable and incredibly simple. It got all the controls you need to get any effect you want and a nice, wide viewfinder without any unnecessary stuff to clutter up the camera.

What is the Lomography camera you’d want to have someday?

I’ve had my eyes on the LC-A 120 and the Lubitel 166+ for a while now. I’m keen to try medium format photography but I can’t decide which one I want!

Photos by conkirwantaylor

Any song or movie you live by?

There’s an absolutely brilliant Italian film called La Grande Belleza (“The Great Beauty”) which came out in 2013. It’s about a man who’s searching for beauty in unexpected places. I try to live by the message of the film: that beauty can come from anything and anything can be beautiful.

Share your current favorite lomograph, could be yours or a friend’s. Why?

It’s hard to pick a favorite but I really like this one:

Credits: xjimmyleungx

It embodies what I try to do and shows the beauty of an everyday object through color and spatial composition.

Any community member you look up to? If so, why him or her?

Maybe koduckgirl. She consistently takes sharp, clear, and beautiful photos which capture the mood and tone of the subject really well.

What are you looking forward to in the community?

I’m looking forward to seeing more of the unexpected. Maybe photos taken with really cool and new techniques or weird film. I’m looking forward to learning from other photographers’ experiences and methods.


Thank you Con for sharing your thoughts with us! Welcome to the community and we’re all looking forward to seeing more of your photographs!

Eunice Abique tarafından, 2015-05-17 tarihinde ve #lifestyle #newcomer #newcomer-of-the-week başlığında yazıldı.

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