Newcomer of the Week: iam_srs

This week’s Newcomer is a journalism student who likes skateboarding and anything that involves cheese. Let’s take a look at the fascinating analogue world of Sigmund Steiger, aka iam_srs, our Newcomer of the Week!

Name: Sigmund Steiger
LomoHome: iam_srs
Location: Grand Rapids, MI, USA

Please tell us something about yourself.

I’m a journalism student who works at a radio station. I like pizza and basically anything that involves cheese.

How did you find the Community and who/what convinced you to join?

When I was in my early high school days I was into skateboarding, and a magazine I was subscribed to was advertising Lomography’s Fisheye One camera. I was intrigued by the camera’s odd design and idealized the concept of shooting film, even if I knew nothing about it. I got a film camera for my birthday and have vigorously followed the Lomography Community since!

As you have read the 10 Golden Rules of Lomography, what rule do you apply in your everyday life?

Rule #3: “Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it.”

The beautiful thing about shooting film is that your photos represent a particular moment you’ve experienced that may never happen again. And since you can’t usually repose or recreate that exact image, it makes the photographs even more special and that moment less distorted.

In this digital age, why still film?

Referring back to the last question, the nature of shooting film doesn’t interfere with your experiences because you’re not only focused on your viewfinder. I also love the fact that when my images get developed, I see these imperfections in color and grain and everything else which feel and look more unique than a perfect digital image.

Your favorite analogue camera as of the moment? Why?

The Diana Mini because it works well with experimentation. I love multiple exposures and I’m still getting a hang of mastering this tiny beast.

What is the Lomographic camera you’d want to have someday?

Probably the LC-A or the LC-Wide because I’ve seen a slew of absurdly fantastic images captured by fellow Lomographers using them.

Any song or movie you live by?

Hmmm, that’s a tough one. I would like to live my life as passionately as Dennis Christopher’s character in the 1979 classic Breaking Away. Dave has some serious charisma.

Share your current favorite Lomograph, could be yours or a friend’s. Why?

I hate to seem narcissistic but it would be impossible to choose out of the thousands upon thousands of great photos out there, so I’ll just share one of my own. For me, my favorite Lomograph is this one:

It is one of the first successful doubles I’ve taken that turned out exactly the way I want to. More importantly, it represents one of the last beautiful days of summer, and it makes me feel warm.

Any Community member you look up to? If so, why him or her?

hodachrome, definitely! The way he looks at the world is seriously interesting, and his photos are a clear result of that. I love his experimentation and the way he uses bold colors, and his images truly inspire me to keep learning how to produce better photos.

What are you looking forward to in our Community?

I’m constantly seeking for new techniques on film baths and fun experiments in the Tipsters section. Also, it’s inspiring to see articles by already established community members about manipulating and controlling film.

written by icequeenubia on 2014-06-22 #lifestyle #newcomer #newcomer-of-the-week