Interview with GVOZDEN DESPOTOVSKI & IRENA KRNIČAN, SERBIA

It is a much more physical process and it makes you feel like you’ve used your entire body to create these photographs.

Hi, guys! Mind telling us about yourselves and your stories on how you got into film photography?

Irena : My name is Irena, I’m a student of Germanistics and I come from Serbia. I’ve always loved the colors of analog photography as well as the anticipation and uncertainty that it offers. Because of that, Gvozden, a couple of years ago, bought me a film camera for my birthday.

Gvozden : My name is Gvozden, born and living in Serbia. Currently 22 years old, studying informational systems and technologies at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of organizational sciences. My film photography story starts after entering the world of digital. I decided to try out the other spectrum of photography, so I took my grandfather’s old film camera, some cheap Kodak film, and decided to give it a shot. The photographs didn’t come out well, sadly, but it did not stop me from trying film again.

Dvoje (2voje) : The idea to start posting our work and creating our photo diary came to mind on our trip to Vienna, Austria. The profile name came from a Yugoslav film Dvoje (1961) which, in English means a couple (or two). We’re posting to our profile ever since.

What type of film do you use and what camera do you use it with? Why do you prefer these?

Dvoje : We are currently using Minolta x-300 and Olympus OM-10 and we are still experimenting and looking for films that suite our style of photography. Some of the films we tried are Ilford Pan, Kodak Ultramax, Fuji Color C200, Polaroid. We believe that the equipment you use is not as important as the moment you capture.

What do you think film has that digital doesn't have?


Irena: The moment of anticipation and surprise. Waiting for the development of the photographs brings excitement which in digital photography is not present. Analog photography teaches us to carefully observe and choose moments, to keep track of what’s happening around us.

Gvozden: For me, shooting film brings a whole different state of mind – calmness but at the same time anxiety of what the photograph is going to look like. Once you develop the film and see the results it just brings you back to the exact moment when you made that picture.

Do you print your own photographs or are you comfortable having them printed in a lab?

Dvoje: We did not try developing a film ourselves, but we definitely plan to give it a go.

What motivates you to continue making photographs with film?


Dvoje: The whole process is much more exciting than shooting digital. It is a much more physical process and it makes you feel like you’ve used your entire body to create these photographs. It’s very raw.

We’ve learned to stop and take a look at what’s really going on in front of the viewfinder.

Are there any photographers that influenced your way of making pictures?

Irena: Of course, while creating a human needs to be inspired. A big role in my photography style play Elliot Erwitt, Vivian Maier, Wim Wenders, Linda McCartney, directors of new wave on film, Robby Müller, Luka Trajković, Bruce Davidson, Robert Capa and many more.

Gvozden: Frederik Trovatten, Eduardo Pavez Goye

Do you see any value shooting with film? 

Dvoje: Even though it’s a bigger hassle to shoot and develop film it opens a new world of photography that you can never experience with digital. It will teach you to decide whether you’ll like what you’re shooting or not, instead of just riding that shutter button like there’s no tomorrow.

What do you think your future is like with film photography?

Irena: Like photography, I do not deal with future, but with the present moment.

Gvozden: As long as there is film, I will be shooting it. Perhaps looking to upgrade the gear and get some new lenses, but that’s it. You can definitely expect more analog photos on our profile such as new street series and series inspired by musical lyrics.

Do you have any dream film photography project?

Irena: Yes, there are a few ideas, but I’ll keep them a secret. I would also like to record something with analog film.

Gvozden: Not exactly a "photography project", but I would like to try shooting a super 8 film, since I have a couple of super 8 cameras laying around.

Photographers around the world are finding ways to keep themselves busy during this lockdown, and coming up with activities to make self-isolation a bit more interesting. What are your ways to keep busy while you have to stay at home?

Gvozden:: We are trying to devote our free time to art, scrolling through photo books, watching movies and series, looking at online museum tours and so on. We are using this time to inspire ourselves as much as we can. Since Irena lives in the countryside she is trying to capture the nature from her backyard. She finds peace in nature and hopes to have a great series of photographs soon.

Would you like to offer some good words to those who want to try film photography for the first time? What must they learn before venturing into this format?


Irena: It is important to try things. Practice makes perfect. Art is a process like everything else in life. You shouldn’t expect anything perfect, you should only concentrate on certain moments in life, as Salvador Dali once said: “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”

Gvozden: Film photography is nothing scary, plus it’s not that expensive to get going. Find an old camera laying somewhere in your house, or buy one that you like. Get some film that fits the camera, and get out, shoot. Anything you’re struggling with you can easily lookup on the internet.

Cheers, guys, for sharing your thoughts and these excellent set of photographs with us!

You can check and follow them on Instagram and on Tumblr.

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Be considerate. All photographs shown on this page are the sole property of Gvozden Despotovski and Irena Krničan. They have devoted their time, and worked hard making these photographs. It's seriously wrong to copy, download, reproduce, reprint, modify, distribute, publicly display, license, transfer or sell content retrieved from this page in any way without prior written permission of Gvozden Despotovski and Irena Krničan.. So bugger off! You don’t want to go to jail, do you?

Well now, if you are a passionate film photographer and would like to be interviewed? I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at mapamelvin@gmail.com with the subject, "Interview me", and share everyone your story, thoughts, and work related to film photography. I’ll get back to you as soon as I receive your request for an interview.

Don't forget to subscribe to this page so you can login and add your comments about Gvozden's and Irena's works. Be sure to be nice and constructive.

Cheers!

Mel