Meet Merette, A True Blue Dutch Lomo Amigo

What started with sending a single e-mail, leaded to becoming real friends with Lomography! It happend to Merette. Before flying down to India she approached Lomography, got herself a camera and confirmed her love for Lomography. Now – a few years later – she won’t leave her home without her LC-A+. Read more about Merette and her Lomography adventures.

Name Merette a.k.a. achocolatemoose
City The Hague
Country The Netherlands

Tell the community a little bit about yourself? What do you do for fun and is it the same thing you do for a living?
Hi! I’m Merette, a 26 years old and community manager for an international online gaming company. This means that I’m responsible for keeping the community on its feet and that part of my day activities is brainstorming about new events, testing of online games and resolve problems that occur in the online community. Ow and I’m on Facebook a lot for my work!

How long have you been a Lomographer or are you new to this whole thing?
I have been a lomographer since the summer of 2008. It started with a Fisheye that was quickly followed by a Diana Mini. When Lomography gave me the LC-A+ to document my rickshaw trip through India, I became a goner.

How does an average day of Merette look like?
Quite boring actually since I started working. I wake up at 7.30 AM and relax a bit at home. I jump on my bike around 8.30 AM and cycle for 30 min to work. I’m at work till around 6 PM. After work I usually eat with some friends or play volleyball and in the summer. I also like to picknick or hang out at the beach of Scheveningen after work.

You take excellent snapshots! How do you capture such snapshots?
Thank you! I really don’t think while shooting. I think that is the brilliance of Lomography. My first big trip with my LC-A+ I still carried my digital camera as well, because I was so afraid my analog pictures would turn out horrible. But they were so much better than my digital ones. From that moment on my LC-A+ has been my standard travel partner. He never disappointed me yet. I love shooting markets, people or ordinary object with a funny twist.

How did you like shooting with the Lomo LC-A+ and the Instant Back and what did your friends think about your analogue cameras?
I have one word for the Instant Back; amazing! I already had a Polaroid Image 2 camera but the instant back brought me so much more. First of all because it adds the LC-A+ vinaigrette look. Secondly it is very easy to do double exposures and last but not least you can pair it up with all other LC-A+ accessories like the Splitzer.

My friends looked at me a kind of strange when I started to bring analogue camera’s. By now they are used to it and have been raving about the results. When other people ask them what the hell I’m doing they explain them ‘Meret likes to take arty old school pictures’.

What was the strangest, funniest, or hands-down greatest photographic/Lomographic encounter you had while doing the series?
Well it was great to see how my friends were very enthusiastic about this Instant Back. They now regularly ask me to bring it. Even my boyfriend (who doesn’t own a single camera) got really into it. I had to try very hard to have a chance to shoot myself ;).

You have made two exciting trips, in a Rickshaw through India and in an old Renault all the way through North-Africa. Could you tell us something about these experiences?
I’ve always been a thrill seeker. I can’t sit still when I travel. So much to see, so little time. Covering a lot of ground during your holiday has the downside that you might miss great stuff because you just pass by. However this way of traveling also gets you in situations and places you otherwise would never visit. How many people can say they exchanged driving tips with a rickshaw driver in Agra or that they crossed the dessert in Mauritania in a Renault 21. These kind of experiences are hard to explain but unforgettable.

If you had to choose, which is your favorite photo form the selection and why?
After three weeks of driving the Amsterdam-Dakar Challenge we arrived in Lac Rose (Senegal). I decided to visit Dakar together with some other not completely tired challengers yet. The drive to Dakar was made in an old truck using the beach as a highway. Because of the bars of the truck blocking most of my view and because of the high speed we were driving, it was almost impossible to take any pictures. And then I saw a complete bed including nightstand just lying there on the beach. So I snapped and just hoped for the best. It was the last roll of film I scanned in after the trip. It turned out great. And the best part is that I’m sure that no one else on the same trip got that picture. It’s an original!

If your photo selection had a soundtrack what would it be? (3 songs title & artist please)
Richard Ashcroft – Check the meaning
Rod Steward – Every picture tells a story
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Come Saturday

What else is on the agenda for you? Anything you are looking forward to you would like to share?
In january I’m planning to go to Canada to do some heli snowboarding with my dad and bf. Of course I will be bringing my LC-A+ protected by the bright red krab case.

Your advice to future Lomo LC-A+ and Instant Back shooters is?
Experiment! I know the film isn’t cheap, but the great thing about this Instant Back is that with experimenting you can end up with pictures you could never make with any other instant camera!

Check Merette’s gallery for more great India, Dakar en Instant photo’s!