Lonepan and His Beloved Pinhole Photography Memories

Lone has multiple identities. He runs his own dessert shop in Shanghai and loves film photography. He also runs his own Bilibili photography channel. Most importantly, he is an advanced player in Lomography Pinhole! He often walks around Shanghai with his camera. With the film photography month coming, we invite him to come to Lomography Magazine to share his photography experience, come and have a look!

Hi, Lone! Tell us a little bit about you.

Hello everyone, I am very happy to have this Lomography interview. I’m Lonepan, Junlong Pan. I'm from Shanghai and I am a pastry chef. Eight years ago, I started a dessert shop. I make all kinds of exquisite desserts and healthy Western-style meals in the shop every day and takes photos of them. I like to read all kinds of books and to cook at home. Whenever I have time, I will hang out with friends or get up earlier to take pictures myself. One line that I often use to describe myself is "a pastry chef who can't take pictures is not a qualified dessert shop owner", haha!

How did you encounter Lomography?

I heard the word LOMO for the first time in 2001, and it was by chance. At that time, I was learning Jazz saxophone, and "Let our lives be Magic and Open" was deeply rooted in my heart. It has been my motto written on my social media until today.

I think LOMO is a lifestyle that allows me to relax and focus on myself. Later, I learned about LOMO photography through an article about Russian cameras. I started to use filters such as film color temperature and special effects to shooting daily life. I feel that it is a way for me to record and observe things objectively. LOMO gives me such a relaxed and objective way of observation.

What does photography mean to you?

Photography is an indispensable part of my life. Films, digital cameras, and mobile phones are all used as my recording tools. At first, I would press the shutter when I saw fun and interesting things, and later I took pictures of my desserts and cakes. In recent years, I have been taking pictures of my family, my home, the surrounding environment of my life, and my friends.

It seems that I am holding onto film photography but it is actually natural for me. I have many memories of films: when I was a child, I saw my father zoom in on the pictures at home. When I was in elementary school, my father gave me a camera with black and white rolls to take to spring outing. When I grew up, I took my father’s camera to take pictures of the dishes I made... People actually pay more attention to the process when using film to take photographs, the shooting process, the post-cleaning process, the post-enlargement process in the darkroom... I enjoy everything before and after pressing the shutter, so this does not require me to be "persistent". I think film photography is integrated into my life.

Which Lomography cameras do you own?

There are currently four cameras that I use: WPC120 pinhole, Diana multi Pinhole, Holga120, Lomo Sprocket Rocket, Lomo Instant Mini. These cameras all have their own uniqueness.

My favorite cameras are pinholes. Pinhole is a very interesting thing: the compression of space, and the feeling of time passing in the film, and even I can "travel back and forth" in it... These will all be saved in the film in the end. Besides, it's like the image of dreams in everyone's mind. And pinhole shooting records can make your heart calmer and more relaxing!

Is there anything you want to share about pinhole photography?

I think the first is always making sure the viewing angle is stable; The second is to make good use of the imaging characteristics of pinhole photography: the distortion magnification of close-up objects and the exaggerated contrast effect presented in distance; The third is to take advantage of its unique slow shutter. It enables me to record stories and moments.

Share with us some of your plans.

The next filming plan is to record Pujiang with a pinhole. In recent months, I have begun to organize my ideas and filming. Thank you, Lomography and Lomography friends!

Also, remember that the last Sunday in April is World Pinhole Day, this year, that is, the 25th of this month. “Let Our lives be Magic and Open!” This is what I have been telling myself.

Thanks, Lone for sharing as well as those who have been holding onto this beautiful slow arts until today. If you want to follow more of Lonepan Pan Junlong’s works, you can check out his Bilibili. You can also go to Sugarpie Bakery in Shanghai to discuss more photography experience with him and taste his delicious desserts!

Happy World Pinhole Day!

written by gavintang on 2021-04-24 #people #pinhole-photography