Learning with Lomography: The Photography Foundation La Sardina Workshop Recap

The Photography Foundation are a charity based in South London who exist to diversify and improve access to the photography industry with emerging talent in London by supporting them to gain access to spaces, people or knowledge. They incorporated the La Sardina 35 mm camera into their photography course and the trainees decided to capture their environments, personal mementos, and individual perspectives through film.

We talked to the staff and trainees on the course to find out a bit more about the the charity, workshops and how the they found the experience of using the La Sardina.

Hi and welcome to Lomography Magazine! Firstly, what kind of project did you set up using the La Sardina camera and what was the aim of the project?

Each trainee was given their own camera and one roll of film to shoot over two weeks. We really wanted them to come up with a concept on their own and decide collectively the themes they wanted to focus on as well as the approach. It has been such a wonderful experience to see the subjects they picked and how personal the small moments from their day to day lives have become present in the communal series. Although they have a brief description individually, there is a harmony with the body of images that allow their individual styles to peek through.

For many of us, photography is a form of self-expression through which we showcase our true selves and document life through our lenses. Each of us has different personalities, ways of thinking, and methods of expressing ourselves. Therefore, for this project, we wanted to highlight the beauty of self-expression and our unique identities by including ourselves and the things around us as we carried our cameras around from home to work to TPF and in other aspects of our daily lives.

For most of us, it was our first time shooting with film cameras. We were excited to experiment with La Sardina and Lomography film. Our aim was to have a fun and experimental experience, allowing us to unleash our creativity and embrace the unknown. Not being able to view what we were shooting changed our perspective on framing our shots and made us more mindful of our exposure. This added another layer of preparation and creativity, particularly when attempting multiple exposures. Although it was challenging, the experience was unique, interesting, and fun. As trainee photographers, the process taught us new skills and allowed us to discover new facets of our creativity.

To the trainees, what did you choose to photograph and was the experience of shooting with film?

Tsipora: I decided to explore my relationship to my local area, playing with the ideas of the perspectives of being inside and outside of the home and the way I view the world around me. I am happy with the results as it was my first time using this type of camera so I had no expectations of what the end results would look like. The photos came out well focused and showcased some beauty within my area from buildings that may not be perceived as such.

Fatima: I decided to photograph the items and places that remind me of home since I moved to London from France a couple of years ago. For instance, I often travel to France to visit family, so I tend to take my Polaroid with me to capture memories. Taking a picture of the vegetable stand represents a part of my culture. Growing up, my mum used to go to the food market in Peckham to buy ingredients to make my siblings and I our favourite Ivorian dishes on Sundays. I also did a lot of outdoor activities growing up such as horse riding, hiking, biking, and camping with family and friends back in France. I still do so the picture of the plants represents this aspect of my life.

Mehaira: This photo series explores identity by integrating self-portraits with significant locations, my favourite childhood park, through double exposure.

Blaze: I decided to shoot my home and the things I love. For example the way in which the sun shines through into the kitchen and onto the plants. I also shot a Sunset as I am a big lover for sunsets, to me it feels like magic, to have displayed across the sky, these beautiful colours, painted on like watercolour, it looks beautiful.

Nadim: For my self-expression, I decided to depict one of my favorite walking routes in my local area.

Joshua: I decided to take a self portrait and a picture of the streets of Hackney shaping my identity. I've frequently taken photos during my years living in Hackney, typically that would be the journey to school and home which has contributed largely to my development as a person and creativity, hence the Hackney empire featuring.

Zane: I chose to shoot Primrose Hill and also one of my football sessions. I chose to shoot Primrose Hill because living in Camden Primrose Hill is just somewhere I go if I just want to clear my mind and just kind of zone out. And the second was my football session, with football being very close to me, having played it from a young age and still playing now. The shoot was a bit difficult regarding the camera settings with keeping the bulb on but then again I really do like how the images came out.

Dee: I captured the day-to-day fast pace reality of my everyday life and the things that help me to slow down and anchor myself amongst it all.

Thank you to all the participants! To find out more information about The Photography Foundation visit their website.

2024-07-14 #news #la-sardina #learning-with-lomography Share Article