Photographing Simplicity and Beauty in Life with Community Member Miki, a.k.a. @miks

Though she discovered film photography by chance, for Japanese film enthusiast Miki, the practice has become part of her journey to be more connected with her surroundings after moving to Sweden from Japan.

Using different cameras, especially half-frame and 120, and film stocks such as the Lomography Color Negative range, she takes snapshots of her everyday life and everything that makes it colorful. Here's our interview with her.

Hi, Miki! Can you start by telling us about yourself? When and how did you start your hobby of film photography?

Hello! My name is Miki and I’m from Japan but currently living in Sweden with my Swedish husband and our orange cat. I started enjoying taking photos when I was around 14 and at that time I used an Olympus mirrorless digital camera. The Pen series was very popular in Japan, and that was my first camera.

What do you love to photograph most, and where do you draw inspiration for your images?

I like to photograph my life. Photos that may be a bit boring for someone else, like, an apartment where I used to live, or countless similar pictures of my cat. Things and moments that I want to remember forever, just for myself. But interestingly it seems like those are the photos that people like and I often get comments saying, “I can feel your love from the pictures”.

You use both 35 mm and 120 format, as well as a half-frame camera. What draws you to these different film formats and cameras?

My first film camera (I actually got from a random stranger at a park) was a twin lens camera, not like those cute little Rolleicord, but a big heavy Mamiya C33. I absolutely loved the camera and learned a lot about film photography. I recently purchased Olympus Pen FT again because of the high film developing cost here in Sweden.

Do you think film photography has helped you be more comfortable in another country in any way?

Definitely yes. I met my husband in Tokyo and we lived there for years but we decided to move to Sweden for our next stage in life. Moving to another country is not easy, especially when the language and culture are so different. For me it was a tough and a long journey to gain confidence and be independent in this foreign country, but walking around with my camera in my hand definitely helped me to get to know this new environment.

How has your experience been shooting with Lomography Color Negative film?

The best go-to film! I love the bright, vivid colors you can capture with this film.

Do you have any favorite photos among those you've taken?

My sister's coming of age day, a summer night and Mikan.

Are there any film cameras or film stocks you'd still like to try out?

I bought my first roll of the new LomoChrome Color '92 film recently! I can’t wait to see the pictures but I haven’t finished the roll yet, it’s too precious to use and also I loaded in the Olympus Pen FT which is a half-frame camera so it will take a little time to finish.

Since I'm living in the country of Hasselblad, I’m dreaming of getting one in the future, perhaps receiving from another random stranger in a park!

We'd like to thank Miki for sharing her images and stories with us! To keep in touch, visit her LomoHome.

written by sylvann on 2024-03-18 #culture #people #places #120 #sweden #half-frame #japan #miks