LomoAmigo Simeon Smith Shoots with the Jupiter 3+ Art Lens

UK-based photographer Simeon Smith is a true analogue apostle, sampling camera sounds to make interesting rhythms, then shooting film to make his music videos. He is also a huge Leica fan so we decided to lend him the new Jupiter 3+ Art Lens to test out.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a producer from South Wales, writing mainly instrumental electronic music and music for film. I help run a community recording studio at a local youth project, and I’m a massive fan of Gower beaches, good coffee and crate digging for great music on vinyl. I have far too many film cameras, but usually use my Leica IIIa from 1938.

How did you get on shooting with the Jupiter Lens?

The lens is a thing of beauty. I mainly shoot on old 50mm Soviet Industar lenses on my Leica IIIa, so was expecting to see something similar to my N-61 LD, but the construction values are worlds apart. The focusing and aperture rings are totally smooth and a joy to tweak, but at the same time feel really solid. The rangefinder coupled perfectly with both the Leica and my Fed3.

What did you choose to shoot and why?

I wanted to give the lens a good workout, so started with my regular close-up urban abstracts, and then worked my way through to landscapes. I then asked a friend, Abbie, if she’d pose for some portraits as I’d been really inspired by the portraits I’d seen shot on the lens already. Portrait photography is well outside my comfort zone, but I’m extremely happy with the results. The photos feel very connected and familiar, and even the candid shots I took feel intimate.

Any tips?

The widest apertures have very different characteristics to them. At f/1.5 the lens has a beautiful softness and lightness that pulls the subject in, but closing the lens a tiny amount to f/2.8 still has lovely soft bokeh, but with a totally different character and punch to the in-focus areas of the photos. I love both personalities of the lens and the duality makes for a very versatile piece of glass. Oh, and free-lensing with an f/1.5 is a real challenge, but one worth taking!

What’s coming up in 2016?

I’m currently writing a lot of music for film, but I’m always most excited about getting out and playing live. I’m also planning my next music video with the Lomokino.

Go to awonderfulkindofimpossible for more of Simeon’s work and watch this video he made featuring the Jupiter 3 Lens below.

Visit the microsite for more info and the Lomography Online Shop to get your very own New Jupiter+ Art Lens.

2016-03-09 #persone #videos #lifestyle #wales #film #soho #portrait #london #uk #leica #lomoamigo #jupiter-3 #simeon-smith #new-jupiter-lens