Turning Pro...Sort of - ISSUE 31
A pro with a point and shoot
The Word Professional
This word is far from a way I would normally describe myself. Not because I don’t shoot in exchange for money, until now, but more so because I don’t really like things to be polished and pro looking.
I love bands made up of people who can’t play their instruments, zines over photobooks every time and food that looks real and ready to eat, not like it’s been pained over for hours made to look perfect. I love regrowth on bleached blonde hair, holes in old t-shirts and the imperfect nature of film.
I am far from a perfectionist due to having virtually no patience - ironic given I mostly shoot film which requires a lot of waiting around. I don’t aspire to put my best foot forward in terms of performance and precision but instead opt for personality and presence.
Being this way led me to believe that I, Lucy Lumen, would never be out in the field shooting things for businesses because that is reserved for the folk who “know what they are doing” if you know what I mean.
I don’t often shoot fully manual other than with my Pen FT, I love snapping away on my point and shoots and I get distracted by the smaller details of things and places over the literal bigger picture of it all. Turns out though that maybe some people are like me and they want things to be a little off to the side, a little different, a little bit lo-fi and to ooze that kind of authenticity and IRL feel that our good friend film nails every time!
Enter Cantina, a little spot poked away in a sort of strip mall type location that is home to a charming neighborhood tapas bar owned by creative couple Harry and Missy. Next door are Harry’s parents who operate a 16 seat Italian restaurant by the name of Piatto.
This isn’t their first rodeo and I doubt it will be their last. Harry and co have fed the Gold Coast a few times over by now, each time a little different than the last but still with that classic, friendly and unpretentious vibe.
This isn’t a restaurant review so please keep reading as we circle right back to the land of photography and take a look at Cantina through the eyes of yours truly.
But first… here is a little video by the team over at Rare Medium magazine who recently visited my sunny hometown and documented not only Cantina, but also a few other delicious spots that are well worth a visit if you ever happen to drop by the GC!
Back to the photos though! I opted for my Yashica T4 and some Kodak Gold 200 for a fun flashy vibe and some Fuji Superior 400 in my Pen FT for some more sophisticated bokehery (not a word) shots that would really capture the warm and intimate space that is Cantina. Enjoy!
Now for some fuji in the pen shots. Feel free to comment below and let me know what you vibe with more. I find it hard to choose as I am a total sucker for the p n s built in flash look but I also love the warm, rich and softer look of SLR shots???
A quick reminder about limiting beliefs
So this isn’t a self help newsletter - or a food blog - but it is a place to share with you, dear reader, where I’m at each week. This week I have been thinking a lot about the limiting beliefs we set for ourselves and how they hold us back from realizing our full potential.
I have found lately that the only person standing in the way of you doing what you wanna do is normally just…you. Taking on these jobs has really challenged what I thought I could achieve as a photographer and a creative person, so I invite you to reflect on the stories you tell yourself, the negative narrative you have around what you can and can’t achieve or strive for and see what comes up. Feel free to reach out or comment and share your experiences if you feel comfortable to do so.
All I know is this was waaaaaaaaaaaay outta my comfort zone and it turned out fine, and I’m still standing despite a few panicked moments along the way. Heck I even enjoyed it and wanna do it again!
I have already got a portfolio together and have even been doing some product photography as well - more on that soon!
I really appreciate the opportunity to have captured such a cool little place like Cantina. I have known Harry for a long time and we have worked together, travelled together and been both in and out of contact for years. I really wanted to do the space him and Missy have created justice and I’m glad they are stoked with the overall vibe.
As always thank you for reading and spending your time with me. I hope Substack as a platform offers you some solace from the sometimes too muchness of other social media. Substack is my safe place lately - be sure to check out my recommended list for more publications you can dive into!
See you next Friday guys!
Love Lucy xx
Finally got around to Substack—thanks for the tip about it (and Darkroom) some time back. And this is my first read on it, fwiw. Love the Pen FT shots in particular. Just devved a roll I shot with my Pen F and gonna scan the negs now.
Excellent work Lucy, I love the vibes you have created with these photos.
I think your photos convey a true sense of what the venue is really like on your average day. I would look at the photos and think is this somewhere I want to try out, but not be disappointed when I got there and found it very different to the very carefully orchestrated photos on a website.
If you ever stay in an AirBnB, look around the place and compare it to the photos they have put on their profile on AirBnB they are often very misleadingly different!