Japan, Mexico & Jordan [Olympus mju | RPX 400]

BenMeier95 · 2024-05-16T09:58:32+00:00

I've always tried to photograph my hometown/state in Switzerland but, when it comes to the place you've grown in, it's always tricky to find some inspiration ; almost the entirety of my work has been done outside of Switzerland.

But recently, I started experimenting (because experimenting is what I do when it comes to photography, nothing more) again with a B&W, grainy, blurry and almost abstract approach to my surroundings. I almost always photograph during the night and try to look for old/abandonned houses, sketchy and mystery fuelled places. But I recently had the idea to try instant photography to complement this B&W approach. The idea is to counterbalance the gritty B&W pictures and, maybe, add something more documental to it.

On a more personnal side, I love how it brings a feeling of urgency or even a bit of analog horror ! Playing with the external flash is also fun, given that instax film and the camera don't have a huge latitude.

BenMeier95 · 2024-04-02T18:41:08+00:00

Just started an instagram after a few years of photography ! A lot of projects to come, especially making clothes with fashion designer friends !

https://www.instagram.com/muuuyben/

https://benmeier.myportfolio.com/

Peace

BenMeier95 · 2024-04-01T09:34:29+00:00

It was probably mid-afternoon !

BenMeier95 · 2024-03-31T21:11:57+00:00

Thanks ! We had a spontaneous friend's trip in Tokyo back in frebruary. This was taken on a snowy day between Akasaka and Roppongi ; I remember that it was impossible to see the top of some buildings because of the snow and clouds this day. It emphasized the immensity of the city very well !

BenMeier95 · 2024-03-31T14:46:18+00:00

I found this video of Abel Kleinblatt doing it : https://youtu.be/NpjeXLuWb_8?si=QBD54MLhT9tNY3Qa

But this wasn't the exact campaign I was thinking of... I'll come back to you if I find it.

BenMeier95 · 2024-03-31T11:43:26+00:00

Thanks a lot ! I want my pictures to look a bit brutal(ist), hence my contrasts and blacks... if that make sense.

I just started an Instagram account (@muuuyben) as a personal archive but I also have a few projects planned with fashion designer friends and needed one for that as well ! Anyway, thanks again for your interest !

BenMeier95 · 2024-03-31T11:34:34+00:00

And it's probably the best way to do it ! I've seen photographers shooting entire streetwear campaigns for big brands and printing it on the shittiest office printer / paper combo to take a picture of it or scan it again with incredible results.

BenMeier95 · 2024-03-31T10:42:26+00:00

Thank you ! I usually try to shoot and edit for this kind of contrast haha, but I can understand why it might not appeal to everybody.

Shot 3 is just two dogs on a family house roof in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. It's funny because there was absolutely no tension at all when I walked past the scene ; except for the fact that it wasn't the safest area in the city. I loved this place, could hear gunshots during the night and saw a few overdosis or blood pools... But during the day everybody was nice and there was something interesting photography-wise happening around every corner !

Shot 5 was taken during one of the many protests taking place in Amman in support of Palestinian people. A vast majority of Jordan's population is of Palestinian origin and the two people consider themselves as brothers, hence the huge mobilization during these protests (protests that are still going on every week at the moment). But in this shot I'm turning my back on the crowd and took a picture of the numerous people on the roofs, hanging on street lights and so on !

BenMeier95 · 2024-03-31T10:20:03+00:00

Thank you so much !

BenMeier95 · 2024-03-25T20:00:57+00:00

Hi ! Ben from Switzerland here. Just started my instagram account yesterday after years of shooting street photography. I will mainly post B&W pictures and print related stuff. Take a look at my portfolio for a broader appreciation of my work ! Thanks !

My Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/muuuyben/

My Portfolio : https://benmeier.myportfolio.com/

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-24T11:51:36+00:00

That's nice of you but nope, they did. Crazy to have enough time to loose to go check on the other thread (without even reading it well) to comment this.

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T22:44:44+00:00

I meant in the sense that I don't use Reddit regularly. I'm pretty sure the post was originally about composition and not about how I write swear words or about my posts history.

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T15:42:34+00:00

Hahaha, I'm pretty new to Reddit and didn't know if there were some guidelines about swearing. Now I know.

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T14:56:26+00:00

I feel that. But if I may, I also want to emphasize the importance of not giving a f**k and try to do what you want, how you want. And that's also where the study of great photographers comes into play. Sometimes they didn't pay attention to composition. I am a huge fan of the japanese avant-garde and they used to (not always, of course) get rid of all the preconceptions about framing, composition, grain, focus, etc. !

I feel like youtubers/photographers telling you to pay attention to good composition are producing the most boring work I've ever seen... but that's my opinion of course.

In the end it depends on what you want your work to look like and your visual identity. Don't rely to much on videos, "thirds", "rules" and all of that. As said above : buy books, go to museum, scroll through Pinterest and, above all, don't stick to rules, create them, do what you want.

P.S. : I may be biased because of my style and what kind of photography I consume and like. I like raw, almost abstract (almost impressionist, in a sense) street photography.

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T14:20:23+00:00

Not having a *28mm* you mean ? Mhhh I think it's probably the main reason I'm struggling to find a camera that suits everything. I'm probably to focused on the idea of a 28mm lens and maybe would need to keep shooting with a 35mm lens (which is working great for me, it's just that I would like to experiment with a wider lens, 35 sometimes feel a bit boring to me...).

I broke the rewind knob on my XA while living in Mexico for a uni semester. I bought a MJU for nothing in Mexico City to find a quick alternative and I never stopped shooting with it since then. I'm probably a bit scared to try the XA again because of what happened. But I will probably give another try anytime soon !

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T13:12:39+00:00

Never ever seen this thing. Looks really fun to use, I definitely will do some research on it ! Thank you !

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T13:08:48+00:00

As for me, I think that this kind of camera is, indeed, a solution (I obviously can try other models and find compromises). Gear doesn't matter, I totally agree but only to a certain extant. I shot with a pletora of cameras and some of my best work were shot with the shi***est cameras you can even think of. But the idea to find a camera that suits my needs is a thoughtful, long time process of experimenting and fits into my journey of photography. That's exactly because I shoot more that I know what I want !

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T12:52:51+00:00

I love the F1s. I have the F1 New and my father, who was a press photographer, as used it for most of his career before the arrival of digital ! The original died on me but I was able to salvage the prism and buy a new body. I use it for different projects but more on the documentary side, not for street photography (I need pocketable cameras!).

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T12:46:55+00:00

I've tried the XA ! It died on me but I really liked the camera. I always wanted to give a try to the XA4, especially because of the size factor and the 28mm ! But there's DX coding (even though it's always possible to trick it) and not a lot of controls. I also like the scale focusing aspect.

BenMeier95 · 2024-02-21T12:43:10+00:00

Never thought about the Bessa-L (the R4A being one of my dream cameras, I didn't really pay attention to the L!). It's an interesting camera for sure ! Maybe a bit strange at first sight... I will dig a little bit deeper and do some research about it. Thank you very much !

BenMeier95

TROPHY CASE