A Photo Diary with Emma Ledwith and LomoChrome Film

UK-based photographer Emma Ledwith creates colors and fun within her photos through the use of props, costumes, make up and unusual backdrops. She also likes to experiment with film types and has built up a photo diary of her life. She regularly uses the LomoChrome Purple and LomoChrome Turquoise film in different formats and shared some of her results with us!

Hi Emma, please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a portrait photographer, currently based in Sheffield, UK. I consider myself really lucky to be able to do photography as a career, particularly as I get to work with some inspiring people. The majority of my clients are creatives or small businesses, so there’s plenty of opportunity to collaborate on ideas. I don’t just use photography as a tool for work though. I carry a little film camera with me all the time, as the majority of my inspiration comes from the world around me. I find it helpful to keep a photo diary of things that have caught my eye, and see how those patterns unfold. It can make for some interesting ideas. I love to travel, explore new places, and have an obsession with good light. If you’re with me and I have a camera, you’re getting in that good light.

How did you get into shooting with film, especially 120, and what's the appeal?

Social media didn’t exist during my early adult years, and for this I am VERY grateful! The Instagram of my day was the disposable film camera. Many an afternoon was spent sat outside Snappy Snaps doubled up in laughter looking through the packs of photographs from nights out with my friends.

I don’t think that feeling of getting film back from the developers will ever leave me. In 2015 I was given a Canon AE1, then quickly developed a bit of an addiction to the Holga 120. It has taken me a while to master it (and a LOT of money in disasters), but I’m so glad I persisted. The joy that plastic toy camera brings to me is priceless. I love to experiment with light, shadow, and double exposures, this is the perfect camera for that. Having a roll of film with the limit of just 12 images means that I am really present and intentional when using it.

What made you want to experiment with LomoChrome Purple and Turquoise films?

That’s easy; the colors! The majority of my photography is really colorful, I guess its the way I see the world and what I’m drawn to. I’ll confess, purple used to my least favorite color, but LomoChrome Purple changed that immediately. I remember using it for the first time on a portrait session, and completely losing my mind with excitement when the scans came back. I’m drawn to the otherworldly, dreamlike quality they both give my photography, and how they can completely change the look and feel of the environment.

Tell us about these photos. What was the inspiration behind them?

Nature and light are the main inspirations in all my work, so I’ve chosen a mixture of portraits, and photographs taken from my photo diary, that represent this.

If you were to invent your own LomoChrome film what would it look like?

Great question. LomoChrome Sparkle please. Is there were a way to change the grey palette of Winter in the UK into silver and gold? Now that would be something special.

You can see more of Emma's work via her Instagram page. Thanks also goes to Franz Von, Mark Stoney, Shifaa Arfan, Emma Fenton, Ayse Balkose and Reciprocal Roles

2024-11-29 #gear #people #medium-format #120 #portrait #sheffield #photo-diary #lomochrome-purple #lomochrome-turquoise #emma-ledwith