Uncertain Familiarity: Eugene Siow and the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens

Graduating with a Visual Arts diploma from Singapore and currently shooting in South Korea, young photographer Eugene Siow's aesthetic is clean, hip, and straightforward.

Together with the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens, Eugene captures photos that seem familiar and foreign at the same time.

Please introduce yourself to the Lomography community and the readers of the Online Magazine.

Hey I’m Eugene, 22, a freelance photographer based in Seoul and Singapore. I mostly shoot fashion and portraits.

What is the origin story of your photography career?

Going through adolescence I was struggling with a lot of seemingly irreparable melancholy moods. I held so much contempt for the world because I have never felt a sense of belonging.

I was 14 and Tumblr had kinda just started out so I decided to create an account. I would spend so much time browsing through and then stumble onto many relatable content. It was then I finally found a place where it made me feel a little better. I know it sounds silly but it did for me. I was exposed to an abundance of compelling visuals particularly moody and surrealistic ones which I found myself seeking comfort in and later on inspired me to create my own photos.

How would you describe your style as a photographer?

Moody and candid.

What/Who do you consider as the greatest influence in your craft?

I admire Rodney Smith for his whims and subtle surrealism, Nan Goldin for her candidness and grittiness, and Kyle Thompson for his captivating ambiguity.

How do you develop your skills?

I always try to replicate my favorite photos with trial and error. I find that it really helps to improve my technical skills.

Tell us a little more about your Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens experience. Any challenges or interesting stories?

I was really pleased to be able to achieve a dreamy soft focus and a crisp sharp depending on a single lens but I kept misplacing the individual plates since there were so many of it (hahaha).

If your shoot can be summed up with a song, which song is it?

A Place for Something by Mt. Marcy

Do you have ongoing or upcoming projects that you would like to tell the community about?

Nothing concrete as I’ve just settled into Seoul but I'm hoping to focus on more fashion work with local influences.

Please give links to your website/social media accounts that we can go to if we want to stay updated on your work.

Follow my Instagram and website.

Eugene used the Canon 5Ds camera with the Daguerreotype Achromat Art Lens for the shoot.

written by crissyrobles on 2017-10-29 #people #lomography-art-lens #daguerreotype-achromat-art-lens