At Lenspeople we have a special regard for those who shoot only with film. We do not believe that they are old-fashioned warriors of a fallen race who will someday drop their old weapons in desperation or surrender to newer technologies. We also do not think that film is going to completely go away. It is receiving a great many challenges and the good thing is that it is emerging as a unique art form. Some film photographers are now hand processing their images to maintain their signature style. Where price is not an issue, film photography excels over digital medium and produces results that surpass the effects of latest full-frame cameras of global giants.

There are many websites and Flickr groups / pools exclusively dedicated to film photography. Our endeavor will be to select good film shooters and showcase their work along with their interview. Today we are showcasing their work of Nikoloz Jorjikashvili from Georgia. Photography of Nikoloz is very impressive and it’d be a pleasure to know more about his photography. To begin with:

Hi Nikoloz! Tell us something about you:

Hello. I’m Nikoloz Jorjikashvili a.k.a MyDecember. I was born in Georgia and currently I’m based in Tbilisi. In my childhood I wanted to become an architect, but that was just a dream. Now I’m a doctor, an orthodontist, it’s about straightening up the teeth, so I think it’s kind of architecture, constructing a beautiful “building” from the “ruins”. Photography is my hobby, the way to get lost from routine. It was always hard for me to express my feelings with words and certain actions, so I found this visual way. I also love traveling to the mountains and woods, it’s a great way to relax and get inspired with the entire wilderness around you.

When did you begin taking photography seriously?

I’ve always loved pictures, photos, illustrations. I was shooting with my mobile phone in 2007-2008 and that was horrible. In 2009 I bought my first digital camera Nikon Coolpix L100 and it made a great job for me. I used to test and shoot a lot. I learned how to play with the light and find new angles during shooting. Honestly I’m not a photographer. I’ve never studied or had any master classes in photography. I’m a self-taught “photolover”. By and large, it’s fun doing art without using rules and norms. For me taking photos it’s not making photo sessions, make up, decorations and stuff. Casually I shoot on my way to home or work. The voyages are another way to let me break free with my camera. As a rule it takes me 2-3 weeks to shoot one (36 exp.) roll.

What type of photos do you like taking most?

The key to success is simplicity. I’m free when I choose what to photograph, I don’t like being told or asked to shoot something. I love shooting nature, landscapes, streets and strangers. Truly I don’t have a straight line when it comes to take or not a photo. I shoot what I see in the moment, I know that I just want this moment to be captured and became infinite. In 2011 I bought my first film camera Minolta X-700 and since that I’m using only her (I call her Lili, inspired by the movie “Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas” ( 2006)). At this moment I have two lenses: Minolta MD 50mm f/1.8 and Minolta MC Rokkor PF 58mm f/1.4. The last one is my favorite, I named it “The Lemur Eye”. It’s beautiful, sharp and makes stunning images.

As soon as I started shooting film, I forgot about digital. Everything is different: colors, sharpness, and grain. It’s always so nervous when you wait your film to be developed and scanned. You often forget what you’ve shot and while looking through the photos you discover them in a new way. I don’t really think that settings matter. Many of photographers talk about manual settings and all that stuff. It’s really boring for me spending time on that kind of things. I use one camera, one lens and film (I prefer Fujifilm, it’s more colorful and has better contrast). Aperture and focus are the only things I change in settings, everything else is automatically done by the camera. Don’t lose your time on lots of settings, because the photo you want to capture can become a history in a few seconds. The only software I use is Photoscape, for resizing and changing contrast of the photos That’s the whole editing.

Tell us about your shooting process in detail:

Shooting film is another experience because I can only imagine how the final photograph will look like. I just capture the moment. Time flies by and we forget the words we’ve said, the skies we’ve seen and the memories we gained. Photographs can make this moments reborn and remind you the old feelings. Photography has really become too common. It’s everywhere and people don’t filter what they shoot and upload on internet. I think smart phones with integrated cameras and photography applications ruined the photography as a branch of an art. Nowadays it’s really hard to find your own style and place in photography. I don’t think that I’ve found any of them, but I try to be patient, wait for a good shot to come and I don’t waste brilliant moments to be captured on mobile phone cameras. I’ll use all my 36 exposures if I think it’s worth. I don’t think that my art is different from the other film photographers’; I just love capturing everyday life. I’m far from fashion, commercial and that kind of genres.

How is Georgia from a photographer’s point of view?

Georgia is really beautiful and it has lots of amazing and breathtaking landscapes that have to be visited. Every place is special and you can discover it in a new way every time you go there. For my surroundings I’m a doctor and a photographer at the same time. I love combining them and I often find models in patients. Some people get really surprised when I tell them that I’m a doctor not a photographer. My dream is to make a personal exhibition and show people my printed work, because it looks more beautiful and different in that way.

Tell us about your inspirations and favourite photographers, etc:

“I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.” - Diane Arbus. That’s one of my favorite quotes, that makes me shoot and share my work.

Inspiration is the main thing while creating something. My sources for inspiration are: my surroundings, indie movies, electronic / experimental music, traveling and lots of other things. I’m inspired by floating birds, they are some kind of magic and I love taking photos of that chaos in the sky.

I have several favorite photographers, by whom I’m inspired. Here are some of them: Lera Mashiro a.k.a Vse Svetloe, Patrycja Lominska, Ana Gawlak, Rany P. Martin, Polina Poludkina a.k.a PollyChydes ((I wish to have a chance to make a collaboration work with her).

Tell something which may inspire our readers and photographers:

My advice to aspiring photographers is not to be a copy/paste. You can get inspired with the works of other photographers but don’t try to be like them. Shoot what you feel and learn to sort photos. Don’t upload all of them; find a friend or other photographers who’ll give you advice. I want to thank all of you my fans and people who support me. It’s been about five years that I’m in photography and it’s really long time for me that I haven’t given up. Thank you all and I’ll try my best to make more interesting and beautiful shots.

Nikoloz Jorjikashvili links: Flickr * Facebook * Tubmlr * 500px * Behence

Note: All images appearing in this post are the exclusive property of Nikoloz Jorjikashvili and protected under the International Copyright laws. Their copying and reproduction in any manner is strictly prohibited without the express permission of the owner.