It’s been waaaaay too long since we published one of our Spotlight features, but we’re back and we’re here with Rikard Lindby, a Swedish photographer based in Switzerland. Rikard’s work focuses on mountain biking and the outdoors and you can always be sure of perfectly executed photographs in impressive locations! We love Rikard’s unique use of film, incorporating people into his landscapes in striking ways through the use of unusual compositions and beautiful, often dramatic light. You can follow Rikard here on Instagram and he also has a Tumblr site here.
As always we start off the feature with a Q&A and then move on to a selection of photographs. Let’s kick off with the Q&A:
Q: Why do you take photographs? What inspires you?
A: It’s really hard for me to describe why. All I can say is that I don’t feel well inside if I don’t make things. Photographs are some of the things I need to make. That sounded pretentious. I should say – I take photographs because it makes me happier than if I don’t.Sometimes I get ‘directly’ inspired by what I see. Like a mountain and a lake- something pretty which will also look nice as a photograph. Other times I simply wonder how something might look as a photograph. This might be something not obviously beautiful, but which has something else, like a pattern or surface. Currently I’m very interested in how things look when they are only partly revealed or when there is something not quite right with the composition. So I’m experimenting with that and mostly end up with a pile of crap. Haha. But I do like the outdoors and doing sports, so a lot of my photography end up being about that.Real life friends who shoot inspire me as well. Oskar Enander, Stefan Hellberg and Johan Axelsson are such people. I just wish we got to do more stuff together. Maybe this coming winter will see that happen! I also follow the work of a few contemporary photographers. I find people who work on and finish different personal projects inspiring; Thomas Prior and Cole Barash are two solid artists worth checking out. Lastly I can’t help being inspired by some of the giants of photography. Like Sebastio Salgado and W. Eugene Smith. Maybe not for any specific images, but for their pure raw dedication and for producing some of the most monumental work which will ever see the light of day.
Q: Tell us a little about why you shoot film.
A: There are so many aspects of shooting film that I enjoy; I love that I get a tangible result, a negative which I can hold up against the light and look at and not just a file on a computer but something real that exists in the physical world. I love that I don’t get to see the images immediately; I like that there is a delay between capturing and viewing the result and it somehow allows me to look at the images for what they are, more free from the expectations I had when I pressed the shutter. A lot of ‘mistakes’ which I probably would have deleted or ignored had I seen the result right away end up being the real keepers. Results that do not match the original vision exactly are not ignored, instead they help me find new ways in composing and seeing things. Finally I love the look of medium format colour film and grainy 35mm black and white. It’s just perfect right from the box.
Q: Why do you use UK Film Lab?
A: I have tried a few different labs, but UK Film Lab delivers the best result consistently and on time. Also the feedback and communication are excellent.
Q: Do you have any tips for your fellow film photographers?
A: Just one, not specifically for film shooters though: Photograph your friends and family members. These images will probably be the most important ones you will ever make. Take every chance you get and put your heart into it. There will always be another sunset, but you never know for how long the people you love will be around.
