First Impressions: Troy Memis with The Diana Instant Square

We invited LomoAmigo Troy Memis out to New York City to come and test out the new Diana Instant Square. Working with both the Lomo'Instant Square and Diana F, the camera was a hybrid of two of Troy's favorites. They got to share with us their first impressions of the camera along with an update on what's been going on since we last caught up with Troy.

Hey Troy, welcome back to the magazine! You've been cranking out a lot of amazing work lately, working with both street photography and portraiture, what have been some of your favorite shoots as of recently?

I’ve mainly been doing street stuff as of late. My freelance days are pretty long days currently, so I haven’t really had the brain power for ideas or meeting with friends or models, but it’s nice to just walk around for an hour before the sun goes down. Getting to head to NY for the Diana Instant Square Kickstarter video was such a revitalizing thing because I got to escape to another city filled with some new stuff to photograph. I haven’t left Philadelphia since some time around the end of last December, and that’s been pretty harsh.

You've worked both with the Diana F and The Lomo'Instant Square, what do you enjoy about both and why?

I love the Lomo’Instant Square all around but to mix it with the Diana is cool because it changes the kind of shooting I do. A camera like the Diana is loose and fun, so I manage to grab snapshots and not worry about getting the perfect picture, thus usually changing my style of photographing. Will def slide me back toward portraiture.

You work diligently with square format cameras and instant photography in general, what about these formats do you think hold some kind of uniqueness in comparison to some of the other mediums and formats you've dabbled with in the past?

I like that I can see exactly what I’ve shot and know I have it right away. I guess it’s also good in case I need to reframe a shot or adjust lighting. Plus, it’s just nice to be able to hand people something right away. I know I could get immediate results from digital, but it just not the same as the softness of an instant film.

Do you think your photos carry a story to them?

I rarely follow any kind of storyline, so this is nothing new. I might have pictures that go together sometimes, but rarely a storyline unless someone else wants a project done like that.

Working with the Diana Instant Square, how do you think it sets itself apart from some of the other cameras you've worked with?

I feel like the selling point of this camera is all the different options. Different lenses, gels, the flash options, etc. I know I could get that stuff with another camera, but this is all affordable and compact as well.

How do you see yourself using the Diana Instant Square?

Mixed with the answer above, I’m excited to explore the almost countless combinations of accessories. Mixing all of those options with whatever weird portraits I’m going to take should be super fun to experiment with.

Take us through how you learned to use the Diana Instant Square, you call yourself a "hands-on" kind of person, so how'd you get acquainted with the camera?

Luckily we’ve already covered my familiarity with both cameras, so it was real easy to adapt to the Diana Instant Square. Those two cameras have been getting a lot of time from me recently, so it nice to just have them both be in one. Saves me time from having to switch out cameras, plus space and weight in my bag.

What advice can you give to new users who want to take the Diana Instant Square out for a spin?

Take advantage of things like the double and long exposure features, and to try all kinds of shots with every accessory because you never know what kind of great outcome you may get without testing yourself outside of your norm.

You can view more of Troy's work on their Instagram

written by sarahlindsayk on 2018-07-18