Shannon Lloyd Explores Medium Format Photography with the Diana F+
6Shannon Lloyd is a British photographer based in Barcelona. She is passionate about analogue photography and creative techniques such as film soups, emulsion lifts and cyanotype. She recently tested our Diana F+, and discovered that the camera's style matches her own experimental soul. Let's take a look at her beautiful results on LomoChrome Color '92 and Potsdam Kino medium format films.
Hi Shannon, welcome! Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello! I’m a British photographer and visual artist, based in Barcelona, Spain.
Tell us about your photographic background. When did you start your journey in the world of photography?
I think the earliest memory I have of photography dates back to my school excursions back in Wales. I can vividly recall capturing my friends playing around in the snow and leaning out of the train window to capture the moving landscape. I think a little spark was ignited there. However, it wasn’t until I moved to Barcelona that I really started to delve deeper predominantly into film photography and the technical aspects of the craft. I later enrolled in a fashion photography course at F.D Barcelona, which I feel played a pivotal role in refining and expanding my own photographic style.
In an undeniably digital world, why the choice to shoot primarily on film?
Shooting primarily on film holds a special appeal for me. I’m drawn to its hands-on nature. The entire process—from loading the film into the camera to developing the negatives and creating prints in the darkroom—is an immersive experience. I also value the purity of the aesthetic achieved with film, which requires minimal digital manipulation.
You experiment quite a lot with your art. Do you have a favourite creative technique?
Over the years I’ve experimented with loads of different techniques - ‘film soup’, double exposure and instant emulsion lifts. But cyanotype has become my favourite by far. It’s actually a camera-less process which involves special chemicals and sunlight to create blueprints. It found its place in my creative process during the lockdown in Barcelona amid the pandemic. It served as a bit of a lifeline for my creativity while confined indoors.
You shot this beautiful series with our Diana F+ paired with LomoChrome Color '92 and Potsdam Kino B&W medium format films. How was the experience shooting with a Diana camera?
Shooting the Diana is a pretty unique experience. It's super lightweight, which meant I could take it with me everywhere. I enjoyed its knack for doing things cameras aren't supposed to do. For that reason I decided to embrace light leaks and long exposures, and push the camera to its limits.
What features of our medium format films did you enjoy the most?
I’d say in general I like how many Lomography films have unique color renditions, contrast characteristics and grain structures, and of course along with the fact that shooting medium format offers a higher resolution image.
Do you have a favourite photo? What's the story behind it?
My favourite photo is probably the one of the unknown man standing in the wind, with a halo-like lens flare around him. A friend of mine and I had climbed a hill in Barcelona to catch the sunset that day.
What advice would you give to those who are used to shooting in 35 mm but would like to try medium format?
This project was my first experience with shooting medium format film, so I'm still getting the hang of it! I’d suggest playing around with framing and embracing the format's unique qualities.
Do you have any upcoming shoots or projects that you can share with our community?
I’m currently immersed in a personal project centred around the theme of impermanence. I’ll be exploring new experimental techniques as part of this project, so I look forward to sharing the results with the community. Additionally, I'm excited about doing test shoots and editorials throughout the year, as well as documenting my travel diaries.
We'd like to thank Shannon for sharing her work with us! You can follow her on Instagram.
written by ludovicazen on 2024-04-06 #gear #medium-format #120 #barcelona #spain #diana-f
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