Kid Richards Shares his First Time with the LC-A 120

Bruno Cantanhede, also known as "Kid Richards" (as a tribute to his favorite musician), is passionate about fashion and music. Here, he shares his art with us as seen through the LC-A 120's lens.

Bruno, Kid, or Kid Richards? How do you prefer to be called?

Nowadays a lot of people call me Kid. Usually just my closest friends and family call me Bruno (which I prefer). Kid is like an alter ego, I think.

You were in the middle of your Architecture degree when you decided to focus on photography. What convinced you to pursue photography instead?

Well, I wasn’t happy at that time. I was already playing music and I began doing photography, so I needed to make those things full-time (or at least try). And I'd like to do things that really make me happy. Anyway, I studied Architecture, and I think it’s always really present in my work, especially in my diary series.

Is photography a childhood dream? How did it turn into your full time job?

Not really. But I remember taking photos all my life. It was something that was always really present in my childhood. I remember my dad telling me that I had to be careful with the photos I took with his camera, cause it was a film roll inside, and we just had 36 frames to shoot, and it wasn’t cheap to develop and all. And it’s funny to think about it now! There are weeks where I shot 20 or 30 film rolls! So, it wasn’t a “planned” thing per say, But it was always there.

Which cameras do you like to use?

Well, my all time favorites are still the Canon F1’s. I have two and they are just perfect. They were built like a tank. Now I’m using a brand new Fujifilm GA645, and I’m always buying cheap point and shoots to try and to do my diary photos. Besides this I love my Mamiya, the RB67 and the M645, my Contax T2, or my Big Shot Polaroid. I have around 70 cameras at home (still working).

You divide your time between Playboy and other publications. How did this invitation come about?

Well, Portuguese Playboy invited me about an year ago to start working with them. It was a big thing for me, and for them I think, cause they believed in me and in my work, and took the chance to have a film photographer shooting again for a national publication and for the brand Playboy. Now I’m over with them, at least here in Portugal, because of other concerns, some about the artistic view that I have about it, and other issues. About the other publications and magazines, it’s always good to be featured and getting invitations from some of the coolest magazines around.

Music is also a significant part of your life in a very practical way. You were part of Born A Lion and now in The Poppers. How do these opportunities come about?

Before photography, I was a musician. I still am and I will always be. I began playing guitar around 14, and I’ve never stopped since that. I think that it is my great love – rock n roll. I’m still with Born A Lion and now I’m playing with The Poppers. In Photography I discovered one of the loves of my life too, for sure, but music and Rock n Roll, well, that will be “the” love til the end. And it’s really dificult to choose one.

Which is easier - taking a picture for a music album (since you have shot a lot) or photograph models?

It’s different. But I think both are always dificult. Shooting models and editorial and fashion, at least for me, it’s always difficult. You are dealing with someone – that has an image, an ego, self-esteem, and all that. And you need to be careful. Shooting a cover album, it’s different in some ways. And shooting in film, it has always a big risk of failing. But I love to do both.

Tell us a little bit about your experience with the LC-A 120 and the photos you have made exclusively for Lomography.

So, I confess that it wasn’t easy in the first few days. I’m used to other kinds of medium format cameras, the ones in which you can actually see what you are focusing, and you control everything, like Mamiya RB67 Pro S or Mamiya M645. The focus system was a bit difficult in the beginning, but then it was really fun to use! I really liked the body of the camera, it’s really portable for a medium format camera, and the lens is pretty cool! I used a Lady Grey B&W film roll, and I was really impressed with it! I loved the contrast of it! I always develop my B&W rolls at home, and I did it with this one, and I loved the results. I tried to do some of the things I looking for on my work – diary, editorial, models, etc. So it was a really cool challenge!

Know more about Bruno's work by visiting his Tumblr or follow him on Instagram. All photographs are by Bruno Cantanhede and were used with his permission.

written by breaking_the_skys on 2017-02-14 #people #squares #lca-120