In Focus - Larry Niehues Posted On 19th November 2024 To Magazine, Lockdown Sessions & In Focus
SECTION 1 - BACKGROUND
SHARE YOUR FAVOURITE IMAGE / PRINT SHOT ON ILFORD FILM AND TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU?
Shot on HP5+ in Bentonia, MS 2022. I love the composition, subjects and the fact that it is located at one of the last juke joint still operating in America, Blue Front Cafe.
JUST IN CASE ANYONE DOESN’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU DO, CAN YOU GIVE US THE OVERVIEW?
I’m originally from the south of France but have been based in the states for over 15 years. I consider myself a nostalgic documentarian. My style of photography is inspired by icons , legendary photographers such as Dennis Hopper, William Eggleston and Robert Frank to name a few. I have two of my work photography books published (by Belgium publisher Lannoo). Nothing Has Changed, 2019 and Mississippi Dream, 2023. These days I live in Nashville, TN with my current focus on a photo music project.
HOW AND WHY DID YOU GET STARTED SHOOTING FILM?
All my inspiration photographers were from the film era so I automatically starting shooting film when I got in to photography. I love the old school process, imperfection and nostalgia that film gets.
WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST PHOTOGRAPHIC INSPIRATION TO DATE?
Dennis Hopper is the reason why I shoot film with a Nikon camera.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF PHOTOGRAPHY TIP OR ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
That you should never ever go without a camera with you as a street/documentarian photographer. You have to be ready to capture that magic moment anytime.
WHAT FILM PHOTOGRAPHY RELATED PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON (OR ARE IN THE PIPELINE)?
I can’t say too much about it but it involved a famous rock n roll band and a lot of travels on the road and around the world. I love the people I’m with right now and believe that the project will get good attention.
WHAT / WHERE IS YOUR NEXT SHOOT AND HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT FILM / KIT YOU WILL USE?
My next shoot is in the big city of Chicago next month. I want to photograph some panoramic pictures using my widelux and Horizon 202 cameras.
WHAT ARE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC GOALS GOING FORWARD?
I’m feeling grateful to live as a photographer as a career. I want to keep being creative, passionate, everyday!! That’s what keeps me alive and happy.
SECTION 2 - SHOUT OUTS
We all need a bit of inspiration and love so this is your chance to tell the community about yours – from the film photographers whose work inspires you, the labs you trust with your film, your ‘go to’ film photography stockists, your favourite community darkrooms or just anyone in the community who you feel deserves a special mention.
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILM PHOTOGRAPHERS.
Laura Moreau (@laurasnowhere) - She always pushes herself to experiment film at the best.
Jason Lee (@jasonlee) - Jason and I have the same subject style, AMERICANA. True believer of Film nowadays, big inspiration.
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHY YOUTUBE CHANNELS.
I unfortunately have none. I don't watch YouTube apart from music live and Motocross races.
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC RETAILERS.
Icon LA !!! They are the best. Films are being processed the same day. I miss them in Nashville (https://try.iconla.com)
GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR FAVOURITE LAB SERVICE.
I’m always on the road so I don’t have specific one but being based in Nashville I go to Boutique Film Lab.
569 Stewarts Ferry Pike
Nashville, TN 37214
SECTION 3 - FAVOURITE KIT
WHAT FILM CAMERAS DO YOU OWN AND WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE?
Nikon F3, Nikon FE, Leica Minilux , Argus C3, Polaroid SX70, Widelux F3, Horizon 202, Canon Demi.
My favorite one is the Nikon F3.
ASIDE FROM YOUR CAMERA, LENSES AND FILM, WHAT ACCESSORIES MAKE IT INTO YOUR CAMERA BAG?
I always like to carry a book of some photographs or print sheets as inspiration. It motivates me and reminds me what I want to accomplish.
WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF PHOTOGRAPHY KIT YOU HAVE FOUND OR BEEN GIFTED?
Once again my Nikon F3!!! That film camera is the only one I trust 100%. I know that the shot would always be taken compared to other cameras where it's a total disappointment when you get film back from the lab with no pictures appearing . It was lost / go stolen from me a few years ago. But my F3 is always a camera I would buy back.
AS THIS IS AN ILFORD INTERVIEW IT WOULD BE REMISS OF US NOT TO ASK ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE ILFORD PRODUCTS. TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE ILFORD FILM, PAPER OR CHEMS AND WHY?
It’s hard to name only one but ILFORD Delta 3200 is my saver for all inside or low light photo. My second book Mississippi Dream was entirely shot with ILFORD 35mm films.
AND FINALLY…
NOMINATE ONE OTHER PERSON YOU THINK SHOULD FILL IN THIS FORM AND WE WILL REACH OUT TO THEM.
Laura Moreau @laurasnowhere. She is way too talented to not be included here.
Images ©Larry Niehues
About The Author
Larry Niehues
French-born photographer Larry Niehues was raised in the idyllic setting of Avignon in the South of France with an inherent fascination with America and all its beguiling history and culture. With a talented costume designer as mother, Larry and his brother, Charles fell naturally into the fashion world. Charles established his brand Fat Boy Clothing, catapulting Larry into the role as the brand’s de facto photographer.
While Larry’s introduction to fashion photography was somewhat by happenstance, his passion for the medium was immediate. An impressive roster of clients from the commercial, fashion, and fine art worlds steadily grew, prompting Larry’s full time career in photography and ultimately his relocation to Los Angeles in 2010.
In 2013 Larry began a life-altering journey throughout America’s fifty states capturing images of distinctly American subjects flush with gritty grimy muscular motorcycle lifestyles, seedy neon motels, and iconic cowboy cultures from a time long since gone by. Niehues’ tireless travels and countless rolls of Americana captured on 35mm film would ultimately amount to a publishing deal with Belgian-based Lannoo Publishers who released his first monograph, Nothing Has Changed in 2019.
Nothing Has Changed quickly sold through its first and second print runs and is currently sold out with accolades from top publications including The Guardian, W Magazine, and The
Telegraph. Glowing press coverage hailed Niehues’ reverant nods to American photographic masters such as William Eggleston and Robert Frank, with a modern twist perhaps only a foreigner could capture. Nothing Has Changed was blessed with an introduction from Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, who began as an early supporter of Niehues’s work before bringing Larry into the fold as the official tour photographer for the band.
Niehues’ second book, Mississippi Dream was born as the product of his extensive travels through the US during the making of Nothing Has Changed when Larry quickly became enthralled with the people and culture of the Mississippi Delta. The project was shot over the course of three years during the COVID pandemic requiring multiple cross country trips to the Delta during uncertain times in an area affected by illness and unseasonal flooding.
Mississippi Dream received a very special pre-release in the US in February, 2023 at Galerie XII in Los Angeles, with official launches following in Nashville in April, 2023, and European launch dates planned for Summer and Fall. In the meantime, we are pleased to announce that Larry’s long-standing passion for America has been requited with his official status as an American citizen, which was awarded to him in 2021.
Larry Niehues Website: https://www.larryniehues.com/
Larry Niehues Intagram: https://www.instagram.com/larryniehues/
Portrait of Larry – ©Jordan Hoover