Lilly Schwartz

Lilly Schwartz is a documentary and street photographer based in Europe.

Capturing human behaviour and interaction is what drives her to prowl the streets, especially when these facets become odd, disturbing or outright ridiculous. In her search for the common everyday madness more often than not the banality of our daily human existence shines through, which of course has its own inherent oddities and absurdities.

Beyond her work on the streets, her long-term documentary projects often hinge on a personal connection, where her own experiences expand into themes of more generalised interest.

"I have been using film for 3 years now and shoot exclusively analog at the moment. In a world where cameras are so easy to use in automatic mode that even a monkey can take a selfie I like to slow down and use fully manual cameras without a screen and unlimited storage. There is a lot more craft involved in film photography and I like that. On some level the process of developing film is also rather therapeutic for me, because it usually gets me through those boring rainy winter months when nothing much is happening out there on the streets.“

See more film photography by Lilly Schwartz on her website.


Read more from Lilly Schwartz below

Featured
Zorki 3C / 4K Review | Lilly Schwartz
Zorki 3C / 4K Review | Lilly Schwartz

This month we celebrate Red Oktober with a series of reviews and articles about using “commie cameras”. 

On time travel and parallel universes - A night out in Buenos Aires | LILLY SCHWARTZ
On time travel and parallel universes - A night out in Buenos Aires | LILLY SCHWARTZ

Tango is so much more than a dance. It's a whole culture which can be found in cities all over the world. The social events called milongas at which the tango is danced can spring up in unexpected places, and it's always a good idea to carry your dancing shoes. Come along with Lilly and her camera as she explores this exhilarating and surprising world. 

A Journey Into Velvia Land
A Journey Into Velvia Land

For years I used to say that my brain works mostly in monochrome. Then one day I decided to go to a Joel Meyerowitz retrospective and as I stood open-mouthed in front of stunning dye transfer prints and large colour prints behind acrylic I suddenly felt reminded of that day when my parents bought their first colour television set. It was as if I finally found a hidden switch that activated the colour mode of my brain. Suddenly I saw colour everywhere when before I only saw tonality, structure, light and shade.

Cameron Kline