Elisabeth Gatterburg: Reviving Old Hollywood Glam with the Lomo'Instant Wide

Instant film photographer Elisabeth Gatterburg shies away from the typical splashes of the Warholian palette in instant photography and opts for a more classic, refined aesthetic found in vintage magazines and catalogs using the Lomo'Instant Wide and the Fujifilm Monochrome Instax Wide Film.

Elisabeth's set of monochromatic portraits are a fresh approach to instant photography. She took inspiration from old Hollywood celebrities and a bit of film noir, fully taking advantage of the total darkness to make her model Marlene Enna pop out of the instant portrait. Read our short interview with Elisabeth and how she planned the glamour shoot here in Lomography Magazine.

Hi Elisabeth, welcome to Lomography Magazine! Firstly, how's your analogue grind so far for early 2018?

Thank you for having me! The first few weeks of 2018 I dedicated to planning and organization (ok … doing the last accounting work, I put off until now), but the next shoots are in planning. The end of January is going to be interesting!

Usually, when we talk of instant photography, we immediately imagine Warholian colors and pop art. In this instance, you used the Lomo'Instant Wide paired with the Fujifilm Monochrome Instax Wide film. What piqued you to use a unique emulsion for instant photography?

I have to be honest, I’m more for the classical and more neutral look, so the Fujifilm Monochrome Instax film was perfect for me. I enjoyed the moody flair, the old-fashioned glamour style – an atmosphere I'm always trying to accomplish in my photography. So I'm really thankful to Lomography, that you invited me to test your camera.

Please share with us, what's the story behind the shots?

Oh, this shoot was fun. My amazing make-up-artist Inge Schra and I had the idea for a Christmas themed shoot, but we both work during the day and it was already the 20th of December. So we got together with a model, with whom we’ve already worked before – Marlene. It got dark really fast, so we had to improvise and in the end, we used all the lights we found in the apartment to light the studio setup. The atmosphere was relaxed and we listened to Christmas songs and rap - a perfect mixture and in the end, we were all happy with the result.

The photos are very much like vintage glamour shots! What did you love about using the Lomo'Instant Wide camera and the Wide-format?

I think, the Lomo’Instant Wide works perfect for a more professional fashion shoot, like this. The smaller cameras are also fun, but with the Wide, I felt like nothing, not the little details in the outfit or the make-up, got lost.

Lastly, some tips you can leave us when using the Lomo'Instant Wide?

Try it out, play around and have more than one film for disposal - because, like always, the last few pictures are the best. And if you are used to digital cameras, it may take you one or two shots to get used to it.

Pick up our Lomo'Instant Wide and stock up your Fujifilm Monochrome Instax Wide Film to emulate Elisabeth's retro take on instant photography!

2018-01-16 #people #lomo-instant-wide #black-and-white-instant-phottography #elisabeth-gatterburg