LomoAmigo : Ethel Chauvin at the YEAH! festival with the LC-A 120

Ethel Chauvin, a photographer and a music lover from France, brought the LC-A 120 camera to Lourmarin to capture some sights at the Yeah! Festival.

Name : Ethel Chauvin
Website :https://www.flickr.com/photos/amnotham

Please introduce yourself to readers of the Magazine.

Hello, my name is Ethel. I’m an amateur photographer.

How did you get involved in photography?

I discovered photography 10 years ago. A friend took a lot of snapshots and analog pictures and shared them with some photography lovers. It was at the beginning of Flickr. I bought a Polaroid 60, and another, then a Holga, then an Action Sampler, and a SX70. Those cameras are not really complicated to use. I just use them for fun without a specific aim. I like snapshots, and the unique prints. The picture costs 2,50€ so each picture is considered. I also like to do photography series. Moreover, Lomography gives a particular result : dark vignetted edges, blurred outside circles, and minty sharp & contrasty centers, which is the tunnel effect. And the cross processing gives some beautiful contrasts. I was focusing on Polaroids those past years. I’ve been doing only black and white for a year. I’m waiting for color chemicals to be better. I’m going out again today with my Holga and it’s a big pleasure. I also tried the LC-A 120 in the best festival of the world : the Yeah! Festival.

Tell us about your passion for music.

I’m passionate, keen on, and insatiable about music. I’m a collector and I like playing and listening to vinyls. Music is my first love, my faithful friend, my favorite lover, my “take a breath and relax”, my confidant, my North, my South, my East, my West. I had a lot of chance because I met extraordinary people who helped me to satisfy my hunger. When I grow up I would like to be Polly Jean Harvey, Steven Morris and John Pee!

You have a project at the moment, which involves shooting bands and artists during festivals with an instant camera. How did this idea come about?

I worked on several festivals either for radio (an amazing radio in construction in Strasbourg, then in Radio Campus in Paris) or like a DJ. For 15 years, I built a network in the music industry. I rub shoulders with a lot of artists. I don’t remember how the idea to make portraits came up. I had access so I decided to continue. I’m not afraid to meet people so I’m carrying on. It started at the Route du Rock music festival in Saint-Malo, about 8 years ago. I have a really big collection now! I don’t know why I’m pursuing this because there is no goal, neither a precise project at the moment. This activity entertains me.

You used the LC-120 to make portraits during the Yeah! Festival in Lourmarin. How was the experience? Did you like this format?

Yes, but I’m a little bit disappointed because it’s wasn’t as I imagined. Maybe I should have tried the camera before. The Yeah! Festival takes place in a fantastic Renaissance castle in Lourmarin in the Lubéron. My original project was to make snapshot portraits inside the castle and group photography outdoors. I had some technical problems with the LC-A 120.
Even if I had some issues that are quite common when you’re doing analog photography, I enjoyed my moments with the LC-A 120.

Could you please tell us about series that you produced?

Unfortunately, my series did not meet my expectations. What a shame! I had all the artists next to me. I have series in the daylight. I took also portraits series with my Polaroid. I’m just showing the village activities : Air DJ conquest, sponges throw, pétanque balls championship and the visit of the castle.

Do you have a favorite picture? Which one?

My favorite picture is the one with Laurent Garnier, which was created with a great ambiance at the castle’s terrace for the opening of the festival. Also, he mixed a DJ set for three hours. He didn’t look tired but I think he was tired. He looked so relaxed and happy. This picture is like a summary of this festival.

PS : I’m not paid for those remarks.

You usually use an instant camera. Why do you prefer using it over other cameras?

I like the unique printing, the size and the sound of the camera. I remember all the stories, meetings and funny anecdotes about each shot, which is not the same thing with digital.

Do you have a little anecdote to tell us about the festival? Or during another event?

There are obviously a lot of anecdotes. But what happens in the festival stays in the festival. I had an utmost moment of shame when I mixed up Michel Cloup with Rodolphe Burger.

Do you have other photographic projects that you would like to pursue?

Oh yeah, I have a lot of projects in my mind. I have two projects at the moment.

Any last words?

POUET ! POUET ! YEAAAAAAAH !

écrit par mpflawer le 2015-07-03 dans #news #people #event #lomoamigo