Winner Interview . Challenge No 16
The Interview. (by @blucke)
Winner: @kermitz1
Dear Followers,
We have discussed with @kermitz1, the winner of our 16th classic challenge, to learn about who he really is, his background in photography, his preferences, his methods and his inspirations.
@streetphoto_bw: Firstly, what could you tell us about yourself? Giving a look at your feed, we noticed that you’ve joined to Instagram recently, how did you find the app and why you decided to join in?
@kermitz1: I’m 37, I’m French and I live in London since 2005. I decided to check out Instagram when I read an article saying the Obama campaign team was using it alongside other social media. I was impressed by the talent of many contributors from around the world. You can discover many things and places through their eyes.
@streetphoto_bw: Are you familiar with the black and white photography? Your photos sound like you already know a little of it. What do you think about Street Photography?
@kermitz1: I became interested in street photography when I was living in Paris, influenced by a friend and the rich photography heritage of this city. I started going to exhibitions, buying books and taking photos. William Klein, Garry Winogrand, Henry Cartier-Bresson are among my favourite photographers. My last acquisition is Yul Brynner’s Photographic Journey.
@streetphoto_bw: About your winner photo, how did you capture the moment and how did you edit? What are your plans from now on?
@kermitz: About the winner photo: I took it in Paris during the summer 2002. For a few weeks, the river banks turn in a public beach, with sand and deck chairs. It was a very hot day and kids were freshening up under the water sprays. And the dog too. I was ambling around, trying to capture the intriguing sight of Paris turned into a beach. At the time, I was using a Canon EOS 30 film camera with Kodak Tri-X 400 and BW400CN mostly. I believe this photo was taken with Tri-X judging by the grain.
Since then I have gone digital, with a Canon EOS 450D and a few months ago, a Panasonic GF2. I think the latter is a fabulous camera for street photography and travel. So my plan is to keep shooting with the GF2, and keep submitting to Instagram
@streetphoto_bw: Do you have any street IGers that inspires you?
@kermitz1: On Instagram, the feed of Eros Sana is particularly good. But there are plenty of others too.