Łukasz Spychała's "Ghosts of the Past"
"Born in 1995 in Wrocław, Lukasz Spychala "Koneser" is a Master of Science in Computer Science by education and an award winning photographer from passion.
Since 2015, he has been a member of the ParaArtist Photography Association - Culture Agenda of the Wrocław University of Technology. He has already collaborated with over a hundred models from different countries. His pictures have been included in several collective exhibitions, published in many international websites (such as PhotoVogue) and magazines, receiving awards and building quite a reputation as an analog photographer.
In fact, he shoots with the traditional Japanese Mamiya RB67 Pro-S medium format camera using black and white, color and diapositive photographic films.
His favourite types of photography are female portrait and nude photography, in which he excels.
The most recent awards are Category Winner "Analog/Film" - "Professional Analog/Film Photographer of the Year" Title; "Jury Top 5 Selection" Award; 1st place in the category "Analog/Film-Fine Art" in IPA - International Photography Awards 2022."
Photographer: Lukasz Spychala (https://www.instagram.com/koneser_fotografii/)
Model: Kamila Jantos (https://www.instagram.com/valkrah/)
Camera: Mamiya RB67 Pro-S
Films: Kodak Portra 400 & CineStill Film 800Tungsten
Technique: Double exposure on the film
A/A: Why is the Mamiya your favorite camera? (It happens to be mine!)
LS: My primary camera is a Mamiya RB67 Pro-S medium format camera. The standard film backs for this camera are 6x7, but I have been using 6x6 film backs for some time. Most often I use a Mamiya-Sekor C 65mm f/4.5 lens, but I also have a Mamiya-Sekor C 50mm f/4.5, a Mamiya-Sekor C 90mm f/3.8, and a Mamiya-Sekor 180mm f/4.5. Lately I've become very fascinated with instant photography. I have several Polaroid cameras with Polaroid 600 cartridges, but my latest love is a converted Instax Square SQ1 - "Frankinstax" by David Lago de Montaña, by which I can connect it to a Mamiya RB67! This is really a very cool thing, because it allows me to take pictures on Instax Square inserts using my Mamiya and its lenses. The quality is really mind blowing! Despite the advantages, it is a very heavy and large camera. I usually take photos using a monopod, but sometimes I also use a tripod. I really like to look at the frame through the waist level finder, but I use a prism for high altitude shots.
A/A: What intrigues you about shooting the female form?
LS: My artistic activities are always closely connected with what I am currently experiencing in my private life. I do not pigeonhole my artistic activities. I like to think that photography is an exposure of my soul. Each of us has a time when we appreciate all the moments that escape us and try not to miss any of them. I try not only to save them in memory, but also to expose them on film. Often I take the opposite approach and want to recreate special moments when I didn't have my camera with me to experience them fully.
Sometimes the message of my photos is to take on the challenge of capturing a fleeting moment, to steal that moment when the model is not posing and is herself. This happens especially when I am working with a loved one. Other times I try to listen to the place around me and tell the story it dictates to me. Sometimes the photos are my flashbacks and an attempt to metaphorically talk about my emotions and experiences.
I don't just close myself off to photographing women, photography even opens me up to learning about myself and exploring. More and more often I show male-female relationships in my photos, sometimes I also catch landscapes or snatches of city life.
A/A: Why did you choose film over digital, especially for portraiture?
LS: For several years now I have been involved only in analog photography. First of all, it is a different philosophy of taking pictures than with a digital camera. On a photo shoot, 12 well thought out and planned shots are created at once, rather than a few hundred or even a thousand photos, from which it is later difficult to choose the best ones. In addition, the photographic material itself produces interesting color effects and has a very wide range. The main advantage of my camera is the size of the photosensitive material 6cm x 6cm. A digital camera with such a large sensor is very expensive.
Traditional photography is a completely different approach and style of work. I really enjoy working on a given frame and perfecting it. Pressing the shutter button is already the final step and sealing the frame and details, which I am sure should be just so, not different. As I create the photos, I feel a sense of calm, as if my time with the model has slowed down. I take a breath and realize what is in my head at the moment and what moves my heart.