Analogue Adventures with LomoAmigo Chris Tomson of Vampire Weekend

It is our esteemed honor to present Chris Tomson, the drummer of Vampire Weekend as our newest LomoAmigo! Take a look at his gallery and interview after the jump!

Hello Chris! First, for our readers, tell us who you are and what you do.
Hello! My name is Chris Tomson and I play drums in Vampire Weekend.

What and who are your musical influences? Why?
I would say that, like a lot of people my age, my musical foundation is the Western Pop canon (inherited from my parents) that stretches roughly from The Beatles to Talking Heads. From there, I tentacled forward, backward and outward. I really enjoy music, in whatever cultural or geographical context, where the artist’s intended audience is a popular one. Two albums at random from my all-time top 10 are The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace of Sin and The Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency!.

According to your Wikipedia article, It says that you are an avid fan of photography. What kind of photography do you do and what camera/s are you using?
I’ve always really enjoyed the act of archiving things and being able to revisit a certain time or emotion through an object, be it a song, a t-shirt or a map. For me, photography is one of my favorite archival engines. Alternately, you could also just file my photography under “Travel/Adventure.” I would say that I take most of my pictures during touring and the adjoining side trips, when, whether imagined or not, I feel like I am experiencing “new” things. I have a Nikon digital camera that acts as a baseline (and is great for self portraits) but try to also have at least two of the following on me at all times: LC-A+, Horizon Perfekt, Sprocket Rocket, Sardinia, Diana F+ or a Fuji Instax.

What do you like to take pictures of?
Despite actively not trying to think about this question too much, certain trends have emerged. I generally just walk around and snap a picture or two when something catches my eye, which usually means some kind of vaguely lonely street scene involving one or no people. Also, obviously, animals, sports and statues.

Have you tried Lomographic cameras before or is this your first time? Which of our cameras have you tried and how was it?
I forget now exactly where I first heard of Lomography, but I remember being super-excited upon entering the W8th street store for the first time. Looking around at the picture walls and through the example books, I knew I wanted my pictures to look like that. Despite still not knowing too much about the technical aspects that make that happen, Lomography cameras (and staff!) have really helped me achieve that. Thus far, I have used the LC-A+, Diana F+ (regs and instant), Horizon, Sprocket Rocket and Sardina. They’ve all been great and easy to use, but I think for its versatility my favorite is still the LC-A+.

And how do you like shooting with the Horizon and Sprocket Rocket cameras?
I love it! It’s awesome to look through the viewfinder and find such a large amount of what my eye is seeing. With its built in motion, the Horizon has one of the most satisfying shutter releases I’ve ever experienced.

Describe the LC-A+ in five words.
Versatile. Clean. Simple. Powerful. Chill.

Are there any accessories that you like to use with your cameras? What are they?
Besides a flash, I really enjoy adding the instant back options to Lomo cameras. The gratification of seeing your/the camera’s vision develop before your eyes is hard to match.

How do you describe analogue lifestyle?
To me, an “analogue lifestyle” is, at some levels, a reaction to the digitization of society in general and one’s own personality/personal brand. With everything so easy to buy/see/quasi-experience, the drive to put in a little work to achieve something becomes harder yet more important to maintain. Even though it might not improve the song on some absolute levels, I still enjoy playing a record more than listening to an mp3. I think the same goes for photography. The physical acts of loading, shooting and rewinding a film camera can be just as important as the resulting pictures. That said, I use flickr and instagram too, but my favorite pictures are still the ones that took me the most effort to take.

If you could take your camera and a sack of film anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
That’s a tough one. Right now (mid-September), I’d have to go with Big Sky country. I spent a month volunteering on a ranch in the Madison River Valley in Montana earlier this year and it was breathtakingly beautiful. I’m sure with these late-summer/early-fall vibes going on it would be, if possible, even better. Also, don’t sleep on Idaho.

If your photos shown here could have a soundtrack of three songs, what would they be (song title & artist please)?
Medicine Head – “When Night Falls”
George Jones – “I’m Ragged but I’m Right”
The Kinks – “Waterloo Sunset”

What tips can you share with future Lomographers?
It really is as fun as the pictures make it seem to be! I cant think of a feeling that compares to picking up and looking through a few rolls of developed photos. Often, the shots you thought would be great aren’t the best ones on the roll, and your favorites are the ones you forgot even taking. Whether it was a party, a vacation or even just a great meal, looking through Lomo pictures can bring it all back to you as if you were living it over again (sometimes even improving on the original experience)!

What’s in store for Vampire Weekend in the future?
Well, right now we’re currently brainstorming ideas for LP3. We have no set schedule but we’re still having fun working together and we’ll be excited to share whatever we come up with whenever we come up with it. In the meantime, we’ll be enjoying sweater-weather in NYC in our scattered hoods. If you see me around, odds are I’ll be eating a sandwich, but still don’t hesitate to say hi…

written by mmoya on 2011-11-02 #people #amigo #lomo #vampire-weekend #lomoamigo #chris-tomson