{"id":12289,"date":"2013-07-11T15:03:32","date_gmt":"2013-07-11T22:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=12289"},"modified":"2014-02-23T21:37:36","modified_gmt":"2014-02-24T05:37:36","slug":"the-thrill-and-anticipation-of-street-photography-interview-with-ola-billmont-in-stockholm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/11\/the-thrill-and-anticipation-of-street-photography-interview-with-ola-billmont-in-stockholm\/","title":{"rendered":"The Thrill and Anticipation of Street Photography: Interview with Ola Billmont in Stockholm"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Eric’s Note<\/strong>: Ola Billmont<\/a><\/strong> is a street photographer based in Stockholm, Sweden. He is also one of the co-founders of CUP (Contemporary Urban Photography). Learn more about the founding of CUP (Contemporary Urban Photography in Stockholm<\/a>), his work in film and digital, and how he approaches strangers on the street.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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How did you first get interested in photography?<\/h2>\n

\"Broom\"<\/p>\n

I’ve always been interested in photography. I actually had my own darkroom when I was 15 in my parents basement, developing both my film and making copies. But that lasted a few months only because the result sucked…hahaha.<\/p>\n

First I had a Pentax MX which was stolen when I was Interrailing and then a Contax 139 Quartz which I forgot on a train.<\/p>\n

Then there was a long gap and when the Nikon D200 came out I bought it with an ambition to use it a lot. But I took only 200 shoots because I hated this big heavy camera.<\/p>\n

Another time gap and when the small cropped cameras became better I thought it was time again. So I bought a Olympus E-P3 at Christmas 2012 and that’s when I started shooting for real the first time.<\/p>\n

Who were some of your role models when you started taking photos?<\/h2>\n

\"Break\"<\/p>\n

To be honest there wasn’t any specific photographers that got me going, I kind of had it in me. I always liked portraits, both shooting and looking at but I’m drawn towards conceptual photography.<\/p>\n

I got three books from Paul Stuart<\/a>, a fetish photographer who (often) combines his shoots into a “street” environment or candid style. It’s as he bumped into all these semi nude women by accident, weird but nice.<\/p>\n

But rather answer who is my inspiration right now I have to say that even though I like color it’s in bw, strong contrasts. I think my darkroom mentor Joakim (Anders Petersen’s copyist) has inspired my on that level at least.<\/p>\n

So my answer will be in books:<\/p>\n