LomoAmigo The Balconies and the Fisheye

Lomography and FILTER Magazine teamed up to present a special collaboration! We provided several artists from the Culture Collide festival in Los Angeles some Lomography cameras and here is our seventh LomoAmigo from our Culture Collide LomoAmigo series!

Rockin’ and rollin’ from Ottawa and Toronto, Canada are The Balconies, made up of siblings Jacquie and Stephen Neville and Liam Jaeger. Somewhere in the city, speakers still ring with the remnants of The Balconies feedback. And ring on they will, as The Balconies leave a trail of exploded speakers and broken drumsticks in their wake. So if you’re not interested in sparring vocals, feedback, whipping hair, sweaty bodies, dancing drums and bottom-heavy bass lines, steer clear of The Balconies. If you fancy a riot of gargantuan rhythmic proportions, swing by. Oh… and bring earplugs – this will get loud.

NAME: The Balconies
COUNTRY: Canada
CAMERA: Fisheye

How long have you guys been Lomographers? How did you start?
In 2001, I bought a Holga for my girlfriend at the time… I definitely used it more than she did.

How do you incorporate Lomography in your daily life?
Turn any day into an art project. These cameras are great because they make interesting images out of what would otherwise be a mundane photo.

What inspires you to make music and what inspires you to take photos?
We make music hoping that it will reach people and make them feel something good, but also just for the sake of expressing what we’re feeling. I guess photos are taken for the same reason… The idea that you can make someone else see what you see.

Can you write a verse about the Fisheye?
I think we often imagine things in a distorted way. A photograph that is distorted has a way of making it feel more ‘alive’ because it has been altered to look ‘dream like’. I also just like round pictures heh.

If you were to shoot your next album cover with the Fisheye, can you describe what the imagery would be like? (Subject, colors, themes, etc.)
I’d ask someone to take a bunch of live photos of us playing in a tiny room, and shoot with a long exposure so our movement blurs and looks alive. Our music is best represented live, so an energetic photo would be the most appropriate thing.

Which of your musical instruments is most like the Fisheye?
Jacquie’s Delay pedal seems to have a mind of its own. Turn it on and you never know what’s going to happen. Could make some really pretty clear repeats; or sometimes it makes an explosion of abrasive noise!

If you could photograph your musical influences, living or dead, who would those be?
Buddy Holly, Sonic Youth, Television, The Modern Lovers, Cindy Lauper, David Bowie, Nirvana, Cream (in the 60s), Jack White

What’s the strangest, funniest, hands-down greatest, or most “unusual” photographic/Lomographic encounter that you have ever had?
One photo shop clerk said my camera was broken and didn’t charge me for my prints. He said my photos were ‘all messed up’ and said he was very sorry. I didn’t bother explaining.

What’s coming up on the horizon? New projects? What’s in the works and what’s on your mind?
We’ll be on tour for the next two months, and we constantly take photos and videos along the way. We post everything on our blog, often using our Lomography cameras.

Any advice for Lomographers?
Take as many photos as you can and keep buying film so someone keeps making it!

FILTER Magazine’s Culture Collide is a four-day international festival in Los Angeles California with musicians from over 25 countries to bringing their own unique take on music and culture to LA’s East Side for a musical melting pot of live performances, film screenings, and happy hours featuring food and drink from around the world. Follow FILTER on Twitter and like them on Facebook and check out their website

Fisheye No. 2 has a 170-degree wide angle view and stunning barrel distortion. Now with a hotshoe and multiple and long exposure capabilities, the world’s greatest compact Fisheye camera is now more amazing than you ever thought possible! Available in different colours and special designs.

written by denisesanjose on 2012-10-02 #people #videos #los-angeles #filter #fisheye #lomoamigo #the-balconies #culture-collide