Lomo'Instant LomoAmigo：Jorgen Axelvall

Each person sees the world differently. How we see things are affected by our feelings, characteristics, and background. Jorgen Axelvall, a Swedish visual artist and photographer who is currently based in Tokyo, captures through photographs what his creative vision sees. He recreated his world, even with card-sized instant photos. Catch a glimpse of his moody yet tasteful pieces.

Name : Jorgen Axelvall
Location : Tokyo, Japan
Camera : Lomo’Instant
Web : www.jorgenaxelvall.com

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m from Sweden and that’s where I learned the basics of photography and darkroom work.
In 1996 I moved to NYC. The plan was to stay for a year and get some work experience with the best photographers in the world and then go back to Sweden.

I stayed for 15 years and learned a lot, but mostly about life. In 2011, on March 11, at the exact minute of the big Tohoku earthquake I landed in Japan and Tokyo is now my home.

How did you get into photography?

I always loved looking in my mother’s photo albums and when I was about nine years old I got one of those really basic compact 35mm cameras and I was hooked. It was too expensive to actually shoot film all the time so mostly I was just pretending..I would frame the picture through the view finder and click the button and listen to the sound of the winder and memorize the image because the was no film in the camera.

Later on me and some friends built a darkroom and figured out how to develop film and prints and then I could shoot real film and make prints all the time.

How would you describe your photographic universe and your preferred subjects?

My subject matter is very wide and I’m sure a lot of people get confused but I am more interested in a feeling than in realistic documentation. I don’t care about technology, pixels or if the picture is even sharp. My everyday world is far from sharp anyway. I live in a constant blur, I am quite nearsighted haha.

How was it shooting with the Lomo’Instant camera?

I used to shoot with all of Polaroid products before and I love the feeling of instant gratification. And in this digital world I really appreciate that you get an original, something that can never be duplicated. Instant film is just as precious as a negative, maybe even more so.

What function or feature of the Lomo’Instant do you like best?

I was using the “bulb” exposure almost all the time in low light. Something I am very comfortable doing. After all these years taking pictures, my brains light meter is usually more accurate than any cameras “auto-exposure” function. And the possibility to do multi-exposures is great.

Tell us about this shoot. How was it, and where did it take place?

I decided to use the Lomo’Instant for exactly one week and I brought the camera with me in my daily life and captured whatever I thought looked interesting. These pictures are kind of a “one-week visual diary”. With instant film I rarely take more than one picture of the same situation. I never stand still and by the time the film has developed I have already moved on.

Your instant photos are so artsy and experimental. What do you think made this possible?

It’s my personal style but the camera helped quite a lot. It’s not really a camera for super sharp and controlled images. But it captures very well what I see. Just like some insects or animals I get easily fascinated by simple colors, patterns or lights. I see and I photograph.

With people I usually just hang out with them and when I see something interesting I might say: – “wait, hold it, let me take a picture of that”.

Do you have any tips for anyone who’s new to the Lomo’Instant?

I never read the manual and it’s easy to figure out for yourself, but it’s different from any other camera. Instead of wasting film take your time to decide what kind of result you are looking for, and if something doesn’t come out the way you wanted, try to understand why and how to make it better. Allow yourself to experiment in the beginning with the different lenses and settings. Very soon you will know what you prefer.

Any future projects?

I have been working on a personal art project that I call “I was looking for Park Hyatt Tokyo” for almost 7 years and now it’s finally time to show it.

There will be an exhibition at Park Hyatt Tokyo, opening on November 28, and at the same time a publication will be released. I say publication because it’s not a typical book, more like..well you have to see for yourself..

For more info visit: www.parkhyatttokyo.com

Thanks for the interview, Jorgen!

written by ciscoswank on 2014-11-28 #people #instant #amigos #instax-mini #amigo #long-exposures #lomoamigos #fashion-photography #lomoamigo #lomo-instant #lomoinstant #jorgen-axelvall
translated by ciscoswank