A Conversation with Luis Lanuza ~ Striking a Balance Between Digital and Analog
Interview written by Eric Smith (@erocksmith)
Let’s begin with your background. Where are you from and where you’re currently located and what type of photography you primarily shoot.
Thank you for having me.I am from Ontario, California, 30 minutes east of Los Angeles. The type of photography I primarily like to shoot is landscapes, but I literally will shoot anything and any genre.
How were you introduced to photography? Can you pinpoint the catalyst that influenced your decision to begin your creative journey?
I have 2 intros, my first with digital photography and my second with film. My introduction to digital photography was honestly having a phone with a camera in high school. Ever since I’ve had a camera on me I’ve been interested in taking good photographs. Then finally in 2014 I bought an actual mirrorless camera and skipped DSLR’s.
My interest in film photography started much earlier. When I was a kid my dad shot all of our family photos on a Canon T50 with a 50mm 1.8. Naturally I always wanted to mess with it. Then in 2017, I had asked him if he still had it. He did. I shot a few rolls through it, got them developed, loved the images. I would shoot film here and there until fully getting into it in 2019.
I find it interesting you started with a phone camera. I wonder if that rings true for a lot of our creative readers. What would you say are the advantages of using a Mirrorless camera vs. the latest iPhone or Android? Anything you miss?
Yeah the first camera I used was a Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I still have some of those images.
The advantages of a mirrorless camera are control and image quality. Iphone’s are great and you can get good images from one, but they have too much processing it seems like. Things like too much clarity and that HDR thing they do. I don’t miss it tbh because I still do it haha.
Describe for me your first professional camera setup. What was it like picking up a camera and learning from a beginner’s standpoint?
My first camera setup was a Sony NEX6 with a 16mm kit lens. I used to love shooting wide. I had a thing for getting the whole environment in frame. Learning as a beginner was fun. I would shoot in auto mostly, but later looked up videos on how to use the exposure settings. To be honest, learning with a mirrorless camera was easy because I could see the finished product on screen as I changed the settings. Naturally that knowledge helped me on my film journey.
How has your photography evolved in the years since?
I think my photography now is composed, exposed, and edited much better. With the emphasis being on edited better.
Would you describe yourself as self taught?
I would describe myself as self taught. There are tons of resources out there to learn photography, sources like YouTube and Google. The only thing I was shown was what gear to use. I used to hangout with a group of friends who all shot Sony, so naturally I gravitated towards that brand.
Since you shoot both film and digital, how do you decide what media to go with when you shoot?
I think deciding which media to go with will forever be a struggle when shooting everyday. I constantly have to decide if I take my mirrorless camera with a film point and shoot, or a medium format or SLR with a digital point and shoot. Or both a mirrorless setup and a medium format SLR camera, or sometimes two point and shoots, one digital and one film. All I know is that when it comes to professional work my choice will always be film.
What is your camera bag looking like these days?
In my camera bag I usually carry my Canon AE-1 program with 50mm 1.4, Mamiya 645 Super with 80mm 2.8, and my Sony a7riii with my 24-70 2.8.
Do you ever find having too much gear to be overwhelming?
Having too much gear is definitely overwhelming. When I first started shooting full frame with a Sony a7 I couldn’t afford a Sony lens so instead I bought up like 3-4 Canon FD lenses(they fit on F1, AE-1) most of them primes and adapted them. I would carry a backpack full of lenses and would constantly switch. Now I’ve learned less is more. I can make do with a 28 or 50mm prime or my favorite go to a 24-70mm. As for film I like carrying a 40mm. I find the 40 to be a good sweet spot. 35 is too wide and 50 is too tight.
What role does post-processing play into your photography? How do you approach developing, scanning film and editing your digital and film photos?
Post processing is so inconsistent with my digital photography. I am constantly changing it up. What I do now though is I almost try and remember what that day looked like and try and recreate it. For film, I occasionally develop and scan my film myself when I don’t feel like it though, which is most of the time lately. I send it to my film lab and they use the DSLR scanning method with the same camera I have at home. My edits for film photos though are contrasty, vibrant, and the colors, I keep them with what the film gave me. The only thing I mess with is the warmth and the tint, just to color correct you know.
How did you become a better editor?
I became a better editor by editing less. I’m guilty of doing what everyone else did back in the day. Crushing the blacks, raising the clarity slider too high, and making stuff super vibrant. Now with digital I try to get photos to look as natural as possible, and with film I try to accentuate what each film stock does.
Editing software such as Lightroom is always open and available, what makes a photo complete?
To me a photo is never complete. I literally edit stuff like three times before I like it, and can still not be satisfied. Even when I am satisfied I may come back like a day, a week, a month later and I would reedit it because I didn’t like something. That’s just me though.
Community plays a big part in film photography in this current era we are living in.. Do you find yourself more or less motivated when you shoot with others? Do you draw inspiration from other creatives in the community or do you pull from other places?
The people I have met in the community have been very nice and all about photography and creating. It’s very inspiring. I definitely pull inspiration from the people I interact with. I think the biggest thing I have been trying lately is analyzing other’s work for their compositions.
What is it like for you collaborating with models and other photographers? Can you share any insight, success stories or lessons learned from working with other creatives?
I haven’t done too many collabs with models or photographers. From the ones I have done though, with creatives, talk about what you both want out of a shoot without being shy. As for models, just be respectful and ask for their input or ideas.
What is your relationship like with social media today? Do you find it informs your creative process in any way, or how and what you choose to share from your portfolio?
The way I used to use social media was crazy and unsustainable in my opinion. I used to have notifications on and respond immediately to anyone and everyone. Also only sharing what I saw was trending. Now I kind of just respond in the morning and at night. Not at any specific times. It definitely helps me see what is cool currently, and helps me evolve by seeing what others are doing, and is my main draw of inspiration because that’s where everyone shares their work. IG, specifically.
What’s the future looking like for you and your photo work? Any projects you’re working on that you are excited to share?
As far as the future, I’ll continue doing gigs whenever I am contacted and if I am interested in the project. I think right now I am really into shooting long exposures, so I have been doing a ton of that. And I am looking to launch a website soon.
With your relative experience, do you have any advice for someone just starting out on their journey with photography?
My advice if you are thinking about starting a creative project or getting into something, just do it! If you already have the desire then something inside you is telling you you can. Why not take the chance. And also if you are starting out and know nothing about exposures get a mirrorless camera, watch some youtube videos, practice, and SHOOT EVERYTHING!
