Katharina Lublinski is a Film Club Member and student ambassador for PhotoLounge. The photos she has shared and tagged us in on Instagram are eye-catching which is why we interviewed her this week. Scroll down to read her responses and see a group of her photos.
PL: What got you interested in film photography?
KL: I started with my mobile phone, always trying to take as many pictures as I could of anything I could witness in my daily life. Choosing film photography over digital pictures helped me to draw away from overconsuming and be more attentive to my environment. I have over 50,000 pictures stored in my phone, but the ones I always come back to are the 36 pictures I recently had developed. In this way, I appreciate the manner in which film photography captures the energy of certain moments and people and the way it allows me to revive them.
PL: What type of camera do you shoot with and what kind of film do you usually use?
KL: I use my Canon Prima Zoom 76 most of the time and utilize the Kodak Gold film.
PL: Many of these photos capture people. What do you enjoy about photographing people? What is challenging about it?
KL: The people surrounding me, whether they are friends, acquaintances, or strangers I just met, inspire me the most to embrace life and remain kind. Taking pictures of them is not only a way for me to preserve them in a visual memory but also a gesture of gratitude, as I enjoy capturing people in moments of satisfaction and happiness and sharing these photos with them later on. I believe that anyone who develops film can relate to the fact that sometimes the person most excited about the picture is not even yourself but the person who was photographed.
My goal is for these pictures to be authentic and to capture people in the moment. The moment I take out the camera, people notice it and may adjust their demeanor or suddenly change their whole body language. Therefore, I need to be quick in taking a photo before the moment passes.
PL: Many of your photos are taken in color. What are some qualities that you like about color film?
KL: My preference for color film is the result of my constant avoidance of black and white film. I appreciate the way colors enhance the atmosphere I aim to capture in the photo. In 2024, I hope to challenge myself and explore black and white photography without sacrificing the capture of the vibes, moods, and liveliness of the specific memories I seek to treasure.
PL: Out of all of these photos, which one is your favorite and why?
KL: There are two photos I took in the last months that are very dear to me: one taken of Christa, a woman I randomly met while she was helping her son move out. She showed me kindness I did not expect from someone I had just met. The other picture was taken of my friends walking along the beach at Cape May in New Jersey. I used to take photos of group gatherings on certain occasions, such as birthdays. The Photo Club and its members encouraged and inspired me to step out of my comfort zone, take pictures of my environment, and see photos as gifts we can share with the people dear to us.
The day trip we took to New Jersey and the day Christa invited me over to her family in New York did not sound as exciting as going to Miami Beach. However, if I could go back to these moments anytime, I would take that chance and trade in some travel days of Miami Beach. These photos were taken with the original motivation for why I photograph in the first place: to have a memory I can come back to anytime.
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