Dutch Streets Captured on Analogue - Dutch Street Magazine

Dutch Street Magazine is a project created by Dennis Sewberath Misser, driven by his passion to build a platform for creators. His motivation is to give artists a space to showcase their beautiful, often unseen, photographs. All issues are available for free download, and anyone can be selected, making the project open and inclusive. Although each issue has the theme Dutch Streets, submissions are welcome from photographers worldwide.

When we discovered this project, we were inspired by the dedication behind it. Curious to see what an all-analogue version of Dutch Street Magazine would look like, we teamed up with Dennis to create just that. Although Dennis doesn’t necessarily favor choosing winners, his motto being, “You make, you decide”, we wanted to show our appreciation to this community by awarding prizes to our top three entries. View here the whole Analogue Special Edition of the Dutch street Magazine.

Congratulations to winners, Marnix van Bokhorst, Jeffrey Buys and Jasper Lindenberg!

Dennis, for this edition, we decided to do an analogue-only theme, so only photos shot on film were allowed for submission. What is your personal relationship with film photography?

I started with digital but 12 years ago I first came into contact with film. Or better said, with Lomography. I quickly fell in love with all kinds of analogue cameras and film stocks. The philosophy and the 10 golden rules of Lomography gave me so much freedom and pleasure in taking photos again.

I have always applied this way of photographing in my digital street photography as well. This past year I've been shooting a lot more film, and the last few months I've only been shooting film. This is partly due to a 100-year-old Kodak Brownie that belonged to my children's great-grandmother. To go out with this camera and only having eight shots on 120 film is very satisfying.

Although I use and try multiple film cameras, I always come back to the Lomo LC-A. The images I get from it speak to me the most and translate my feelings the best. Both for my street photography and personal documentation.

I develop myself, I enjoy the process of making. As rushed as I am on the street, I am so patient with the post-process of developing, scanning and selecting. Even though it sometimes takes me a long time to get film in the reel, I don't even mind, I love it. The circle is not yet completely complete, actually printing myself is still on the schedule for 2025.

What differences did you notice when curating this edition compared to previous ones that also included digital photos?

In previous challenges you see that the submissions are often more focused on a perfect picture. That people think that it has to be technically and qualitatively perfect. In this edition I saw many more entries where I could see the feeling and fun in the images (and therefore also the joy from the photographer).

Normally, when judging or curating, you will have to pay attention to certain fixed aspects, because how else can you judge the photo and compare it between all participants. Just saying “this photo appeals to me” is not enough to justify your conclusion. But this was not the case for this edition. I think that is precisely the beauty of Lomography.

What are your hopes for the future of analogue photography?

I see a lot of people trying out film, this is really not just out of nostalgia or as a hype but it is mainly the search for your own voice and style. At a certain point it’s no longer just about technical perfection, more megapixels, endless photos. It is precisely about "what you really want to say" with your photos. Analogue photography can help with that.

Becoming more aware of your surroundings, looking better, staying in the moment, no distractions and patience. Nowadays everything is behind a screen, books, music and photos. We don’t want to sit behind that screen all day. It is precisely those real tangible things in real life that matter to us. A photo only on your screen is always behind that glass. You cannot touch it, hold it or even smell it. You look at your photo and with luck someone else does too, but it is also swiped away again very quickly.

I already see that the future of analogue photography is coming back more because new cameras are also being released. Many devices that get a cult status and are getting more expensive on second hand sites. It is a sign that there is a demand for it.

But what I really hope for the future of analogue photography is that everyone will see the joy of film again. And if you don't develop yourself, people will know their way back to the local camera store where you can have your photos developed easily and affordably.

A big thank you to Dennis for his wonderful insights and for facilitating this all analogue edition of Dutch Street Magazine! And thank you to all photographers that submitted their captured wonders on the Dutch streets! Curious about the whole magazine? Check it here.

Do you have some great shots of the Netherlands? Don’t hesitate to share them with Dennis, and there will be a big chance you'll see your work back in one of the following issues of the magazine!

written by lomocato on 2024-12-18 #culture #people #places #competition #street-photography #netherlands