Lomography Newcomer Walras Takes Us on a Berlin Journey

We take a look at the wonderful LomoHome by Lomography newcomer Walras a.k.a. Rasmus de Boer from Denmark. The 24-year-old has only been shooting with film for a month and the photos from his first roll of film are already amazing and show his creativity. We asked Rasmus about his inspiration, his experience with analogue photography so far, and his tips for newcomers.

Hi Rasmus aka Walras and welcome to Lomography Magazine! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a 24-year-old Journalism student, starting my master’s degree at the end of August. I really only consider myself a hobbyist photographer, and I only very recently got into 35 mm film photography. In the past, I’ve mostly done digital photography, but I’ve had a bit of a dry period over the last few years, only really taking pictures when it was relevant for my studies.

When did you get started with film photography?

About a month ago! The pictures from Berlin were from my first roll. I also have a roll of black and white film that I haven’t finished yet, so it’ll be exciting to see how that turns out. I’ve been wanting to get into the medium ever since I inherited my father’s Canon about four years ago but didn’t buy my first roll until this past July. I went with my cousin who is very into old cameras and film photography, and he helped me with the basics, even though the Canon EOS-5000 (luckily for me) does most of the job for you.

As for what I enjoy about it: It’s just a nice break from the turbulent nature of picture-sharing on social media (especially Instagram). You think a lot more about composition, and you’re forced to take your time with the picture, making you study your surroundings more than you would’ve if you’d have just brought your phone. It was also just a nice reminder of the days where my parents got me a disposable camera for a trip and the excitement when you got to look through the pictures you took with only a vague memory of what the scene was.

What is your favorite photo you have taken so far?

I actually didn’t upload it to Lomography as I think something went wrong in the scanning process (as you can see at the top of the scan). I’ll have to go get the negatives to see for myself. It was taken after a few beers at Das Haus der 100 Biere – my cousin said it wasn’t light enough for 160 iso film, and I guess it’s a little underexposed, but he uses it as his profile picture on Facebook now, so I’ll take that as a good sign.

What initially surprised me is that this picture got the most immediate attention on Lomography. It’s from the capsule hotel we stayed at and is once again way too underexposed, but I liked the idea of taking a picture of something future-like with a prop from the past – it kind of looks like a scene from an old sci-fi movie.

Is there a certain song that immediately comes to mind when you look at your pictures of Berlin?

A street performer called Tribal Need played some electronic tunes in Mauerpark, using a synthesizer, one of those children’s keyboards and a didgeridoo – that was pretty wild. I can definitely recommend Mauerpark, too.

For the pictures you posted you used the Kodak Portra 160 - what do you like about it and is there any other film that you particularly enjoy?

I actually went into my local photography store looking for 200 ISO film, but they didn’t have any, and the (expensive) Portra 160 was the closest they had, so I had to make do. I like the outcome, and my cousin says the pictures look sharp. But let’s be honest, I don’t know what I am talking about, so I’ll avoid saying anything just to sound cool.

What would be your #1 tip for anyone that wants to get started with film photography?

Use whatever camera you have available to you. The internet tells you to buy a Canon AE-1, which I’m sure is a great camera, but if you just want to dip your feet, your parents or someone you know might have something laying around. I was successful with the EOS-5000 – it feels plasticky and cheap, but it’s fully automatic or you can use shutter priority when it’s dark

Thank you so much for answering our questions, Rasmus! If you want to see more of Rasmus follow him on Instagram and make sure to leave some love!

written by kathi-la on 2021-09-26 #berlin #canon-ae-1 #germany #denmark