The Offline Story: LomoAmigo Rita Maria

Can you please introduce yourself to the Lomography Community? Tell us a bit about you and your work.

Hola, I’m a writer and photographer currently dividing my time between Copenhagen and San Diego. At the moment, I’m documenting European summer, finishing up one of my novels, shooting polaroids of female skateboarders and creating a photo campaign that emphasizes offline activities such as reading, writing and shooting analog.

What sparked your interest in analog photography? What do you shoot with?

At the fresh age of 18, I bought myself a round-the-world ticket. Right before the journey, I bought my first Holga, Diana and the Fisheye with submarine underwater case. That trip sparked my interest in analog photography in general.

However, what truly got me excited about film were disposables that I still buy from the most random places around the globe. You never know whether they have been exposed to the sun or kept in a storage room with freezing temperatures. I love to smack the disposable for a quickie double exposure, completely destroy the film, scratch the lens and carry it with me to the most random moments and to the gnarliest parties. As of this summer, I’m shooting most of my stuff with Holga and Instant Film Cameras. I like to try out new stuff and I’m looking for a lens that creates these dreamy, fantasy book-like images.

I think your approach to life is super admirable, what was a deciding factor for you to stay "off the grid" during your travels? And what do you get out of not being online?

I would argue that the three primary reasons were my desire to honor the art of travel itself, determination to develop my core values without online distractions and simply just the longing for getting lost in the moment.

I have never been good at math but according to my calculations, the more time you spend online, the less time you have to live your life offline. At the end of the day, finding a balance between the two is what matters.

What's your favorite thing to shoot and why?

I strongly believe that I will dedicate most of my life to storytelling, using visual arts and writing as my main mediums. For that reason, I'm often inspired by unique places, objects and authentic people with imperfections. “What’s your story?” is a great question to ask from anyone. Additionally, I’m inspired by cute movies with a groovy soundtrack, preferably from the '90s.

Where have you been? Where are some places you have not hit but would like to?

I have been extremely lucky with my travels and it feels unreal to say that I have only one country left on my Fuck It-list. That country is Japan and I’m going there in August to shoot a project that aims to emphasize the beauty of reading. On the same trip, I will be showcasing a UFO object and occurrence project in Kyoto, which took five years to make. If anyone in Japan wants to go shoot surreal spots, just hit me up.

Do you have any trips and or projects planned for the future?

Next week, I will be listening to Nas in Roskilde Festival. In a week or so, I’m going to hop on a 12-day mission, an all-female skate tour in my motherland Finland. After that, I will be having two offline exhibitions in Copenhagen while capturing a relatively large skateboarding event on Instant film at the same time. Then its time for Japan, Hawaii and winter months in Southern California. At the moment, life feels like a dream.

What is the most valuable thing that has come out of traveling in your situation?

In my opinion, the most valuable thing on Earth is the other people around you. We are all in this together. To me, friends are the best thing in life and I couldn’t be more grateful for the ones I have in my heart.

What do you have to say to young photographers, especially ones who are totally immersed in social media and how others perceive them and their work?

For artists of any kind, social media is a good way to put their work out there, gain confidence and to constantly create more. However, for a younger crowd whose worldview hasn’t fully developed yet, it can be tricky to navigate oneself through the platforms obsessed with numbers and fame. In my opinion, statistics have taken a small chunk out of the charm of creating. To me, simply the joy of creating something new is happiness in one of its purest forms.

What I hope is for everyone to find something they love to do and have fun while doing it. Whether you like to play chess, ride wooden toy horses or shoot photos, as long as you are having fun, don’t care if others like it.

You can check out more of Rita's work on her Instagram and website!
@traveldelic ritagraphy.com

written by katphip on 2017-07-15 #people