Meet On The Road Lomo Amigo, Steph Goralnick!

Meet our third On The Road Amigo! To celebrate the opening of On The Road on December 21st, we gave some of our favorite American photographers Lomo LC-A+ cameras and handfuls of film! Meet the third, our dear friend (and long time film lover), Steph Goralnick!

Name: Steph Goralnick
City: Brooklyn, NY
Camera: Lomo LC-A+
Favorite Jack Kerouac Book: On the Road

Tell us about yourself. What do you do for a living? What are your interests?
Hi! I’m a graphic designer, photographer, and avid popsicle eater. Travel has always been an inspiration for me, so I try to make far-flung adventures a consistent part of my life.

How long have you been a Lomographer (or are you new to this whole thing)?
I started in 2006 when a friend and I decided to co-adopt a Holga together. My first outing with it happened to be alongside the talented low-fi photographer Kevin Meredith (aka lomokev, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

How would you compare the LC-A+ to the equipment you usually shoot with?
Lately I am most frequently shooting with either a DSLR or an iPhone, so the LC-A+ is both smaller and larger. There is more waiting involved to see the final images, but also more happy surprises. Less precise, but more freedom to explore once you embrace that aspect. More worrisome in airport x-rays, but no charging of batteries involved.

Describe the Lomo LC-A+ in 2 sentences.
The petite flamboyant friend who loves to frolic on sunny days. Simple needs and desires, but spending time together always results in a colorful treasure trove of unexpected surprises.

Can you share one of your secrets to taking great pictures?
Shoot what you love. Your passion will come through to your audience.

What do you like best about low-fi/alternative photography?
It encourages experimentation.

The one person (living or deceased) who you would most like to photograph.
I most love to shoot events that involve a little bit of mayhem. It would have been thrilling to accompany Philippe Petit to the top of the World Trade Center Towers to photograph him during his historic high-wire walk.

What’s strangest, funniest, hands-down greatest or most “unusual” photographic/Lomographic encounter that you have ever had?
I’m a sucker for people dressed head-to-toe in solid colors, so photographing a crowd of over 100 people arranged in a human rainbow in the middle of the desert was a dream come true (not to mention the perfect place to sport my red tutu and matching red Holga).

If you could take your LC-A+ and a sack of film On The Road to anywhere right now, where would you go and why?
I have traveled up and down both coasts, but have never taken a full-on cross-country roadtrip, so I would definitely do that! Exploring Colorado, Utah, and Montana would be a treat.

What was your thought process in taking these photos? How do you think they communicate the themes of Americana / Kerouac / the Beat Generation? What was your favorite part of On The Road?
I generally photograph what’s going on in my daily life, including telling the stories of the places and people around me.

What’s coming up on the horizon? New projects? What’s in the works and what’s on your mind? Who/what would you like to shoot next?
I can’t wait to spend some time with Karl the Fog in San Francisco later this month. The kind of ethereal diffuse atmosphere is something we don’t get a lot of with the weather in New York.

Your advice to Lomographers and/or low-fi photographers?
Process your film sooner rather than later, that way you’ll remember the cause of pitfalls or circumstances for small miracles so you’ll be more likely to avoid or encourage them. Once you've spent some time with lo-fi cameras, go back and revisit your old prints and negatives. Images once passed over as failures might suddenly seem like new successes.

Take a look at all of Steph's photos below:

Check out Steph's work all over the web by visiting her site, following her on instagram and twitter!

Submit your photos to the Get On The Road with Lomography and On The Road Competition before December 10th 2012! Don't Forget to help us celebrate the competition winner in our Lomography Gallery Stores in NYC, SF, LA and Austin on December 20th as well!

Looking for more Beats? The Lomography Gallery Store NYC is going Kerouac crazy with a Beat Generation Photowalk on December 15th!

Don't forget, On The Road opens on December 21st!

written by alexandrak on 2012-12-09 #people #lomo-amigos #on-the-road #amigo #lc-a #lomoamigo #instagram #steph-goralnick