5 Questions on Analogue Photography with Charlie Wagers

2

In this new ongoing series “5 Questions on Analogue Photography with…” we send out the same set of questions to photographers. This time, Charlie Wagers – friend, soon-to-be amigo, photographer and graphic designer – answered these and sent along a selection of his work.

Name: 
 Charlie Wagers
Occupation: Graphic Designer & Creative Director at Three Bears Design

Country: United States

1. Tell us something about yourself
Well, by trade, I am a graphic designer. I credit a lot of my style to the Midwest, resulting in a blue collar, Rust Belt aesthetic. I grew up on 800 acres of Kentucky farmland, thus forging a deep connection nature, and today I still spend much of my time outdoors in search of new colors and contrasts. Within my work, I like to utilize early printing techniques, aged textures, and forgotten books. This aspect is what sparked my interested in analogue photography; the old-school way of doing things.


2. Why do you still shoot in analogue?
I love to utilize old-school printing techniques when I can, like screen-printing, letterpress & lithography. There’s something about experimentation and getting your hands dirty, that I think is important to creative people. So it makes perfect sense that I had to try analogue photography. I love being able to experiment with films, lenses, and non-traditional manipulation, like cross-processing. The anticipation between taking the photo, and seeing it developed is what makes the entire process exciting. I spend a lot of time traveling, and I prefer to use film cameras to document my life. In a world now dominated by carelessly snapping a digital point-and-shoot, I prefer the particular care and time that goes into it, and the character of the colors in each photo.


3. What are the photographic paraphernalia (cameras, films, and accessories) do you usually have in your camera bag?
I almost always have two cameras with me, and neither of them digital; Holga & Diana F+. I took first to using the Holga, as it seems more sturdy, so I have plenty of extra things to use with it; cable-release, miniature tripod (for long exposures), as well as color filters to cover the lens. I also keep several rolls of film; my preferred is Fuji Provia 400, but I also like to try out different speeds, black & white, and red-scale films.


4. Share with us a killer trick of yours that will always result to a great photo.
My film of choice is Fuji Provia 400, because when cross-processed, it delivers beautiful colors.


5. Which photographers influence your work?
I love Gregory Crewdson; the amount of time that goes into creating the set for each of his photos – lighting, models, the environment, all for one photo – kills me. It’s completely opposite from the “Don’t think, just shoot” mentality of Lomographers, which is why his photos are so captivating to me.

Thanks, Charlie, for taking the time to answer these questions! See more of his work on Charlie Wagers.com and Three Bears Design

ed. note: Charlie’s shop sells the cutest owls on the planet here

written by alexandrak on 2011-10-02 #lifestyle #analogue #holga #diana #5-questions-series #charlie-wagers

2 Comments

  1. nam
    nam ·

    Really enjoyed reading this piece! Great to know he uses Diana F+.

  2. ncsphotography
    ncsphotography ·

    nice one, good read

More Interesting Articles