Ask Your Guru: F33t135 asks Blueskyandhardrock

Both are ladies and both come from the fine shores of America. Maybe, just maybe, we can be a little more girly in this interview?

These women are in a battle of question and answer. It sure is another Ask Your Guru in which we showcase the most intriguing questions in our Community!

Coming from Wisconsin, we have Newcomer f33t135 and LomoGuru blueskyandhardrock from California!

A wanderer who loves to play and laugh, blueskyandhardrock or Michelle Rae describes herself as a “child stuck in a 30-year-old’s body” and someone who is “always mischievous and restless.” She loves writing about her travels whether it be a hike in the woods or a swim in rivers and lakes. She always makes it a point to travel at least twice year or else she’ll start freaking out!

Michelle discovered Lomography in a magazine she was browsing. A model with a Diana around her neck made her search the 1960s beauty which from then, started to be a growing passion for film!

Emily Buck or f33t135, on the other hand, received an e-mail about our Online Shop which made her browse and start shopping! She also joined the Community in an instant which she admits is “the photo-sharing format I had been looking for.”

Att present, she is a sophomore in college who minors in studio art. Here she can pursue her favourite pastime, photography. Other interests of her are “playing frisbee, lying out in the sun, and procrastinating my homework with photos on Lomography.” She is also a part-time dishwasher at a local cafeteria. Way to go!

Oh well, oh well! We’ve introduced our AYG girls so it’s time we read on their interview!

Emily Buck (EB): May be a common question but what is your favourite camera and why?

Michelle Rae (MR): I’m always flitting from one camera to another but I’ve always been a 120 shooter. Right now, my camera of choice is the Yashica Mat 124G because it’s a medium format that takes crisp and bright photos.

EB: What is your favourite city to shoot in?

MR: Hmmm… that’s a hard one! Each city has it’s own personality and I love shooting in different cities for different reasons. In Chicago, it’s the grand architecture; in New York, it’s the lifestyle and the feeling of anonimity; and so on… If I were to pick right now, I would say my city, Los Angeles, because of it’s diversity – in culture, in neighborhoods, in landscapes! I especially love shooting portraits and here I have access to the hills, the mountains, the desert, and the coast for locations. It’s something special.

EB: If you were to add one more rule to the 10 Golden Rules of Lomography, what would it be?

MR: Easy! “Have the courage to try different things!” I’ve always encountered people who are scared to do something they haven’t done before because they don’t want to fail or they think they’re not good enough. I think it’s super important that we try out different things no matter how hard they look because it’s the only way we will grow as photographers.

EB: What would be your favourite photography subject to take?

MR: Definitely people. People are fascinating. Each person is unique and have his/her own personality and quirks and it’s fun to discover those little things that make each person. Also, it’s a challenge to capture a person on film so when they are pleased with the results, it really feels like you did well!

EB: What is something new you want to try with photography?

MR: I am constantly pushing myself to try out new things and right now, I’m really getting into learning about flash photography and studio lighting! And I never really knew it before but it’s really a lot harder than professional photographers make it look. And it’s defintely an art in itself!

EB: What is your favourite experiment that you’ve done with photography?

MR: I don’t do a lot of crazy experiments because I’m more straight-laced when it comes to my photos so I really can’t tell you. I have done a lot of filmswaps and multipule exposures with other Lomographers and I taught myself how to develop both color and black and white and both have really been fun as well as beneficial. I also love using DIY camera masks, especially with my Lubi and my Diana!

EB: Your LomoHome name is awesome – I noticed it’s also a part of your bio. What is the inspiration or meaning behind it?

MR: There’s this indie band from the 90s called Pavement. They’re one of my favorite bands, if not my most. They broke up before they got really big but a lot of today’s indie bands were influenced by them. (I love Pavement so much that a couple of years back when I saw them perform at one of their reunion concerts, I literally cried!) On the sleeve of one of their records were the words: “I am made of blue sky and hard rock and I will live this way forever.” Those words really spoke to me, especially when I was younger, and they never left me since!

EB: What advice would you give to a fledgling photographer? For example, me!

MR: Just go out there, shoot, have fun and find the courage to do things you’ve never done before. Don’t let anybody stop you from doing what you want! And also, know that you will always find support in this Community no matter where you are in the world!

EB: As a college kid, what film will get be the best bang for my buck?

I think it really depends on what you’re trying to do. When it comes to slide films, Fuji Provia is a really, really good but cheap film. I don’t use a lot of C41 films but I really like the Kodak Portra series – the colors are just amazing and they are fairly inexpensive. For black and white, I like the Kodak Tri-X. If you have a little more to spend though, I would definitely recommend Agfa films. They are harder to find these days but they are amazing!

No tips on hair and make-up sure is lot of analogue trivia! Thank you Emily and Michelle for that interesting read! Until our next Ask Your Guru! :)

Are you a curious Newcomer? Or maybe a LomoGuru who would like to share tips and tricks to our noobs? Then this is your time to be featured! Just drop me a line at mayee.gonzales@lomography.com. Catch ya!

written by mayeemayee on 2013-07-17 #lifestyle #blueskyandhardrock #ask-your-guru #f33t135 #community-interview