Artist Spotlight
Film Photographer Anthony Licari by Dannie Dan-Irabor
Tell us a little about yourself
Licari: I am a 26 year old film photographer, living in Omaha, Nebraska. I began shooting two years ago as a hobby and taught myself the craft. It took over writing as my primary outlet and now I’ m working to take it further. I’ ve always been one for chasing new experiences and I still consider myself going after adventure first and the photo second.
How would you describe your style?
Aesthetically my work is sultry and noir, almost romantic, but that’ s really an expression of myself more than anything. As a kid I would write love letters to girls and slip the notes in their backpacks to find later. At times, strangers think I’ m cold and callous but inside I’ m a bag of emotions. For the longest time I fancied myself a writer and with photography it’ s just another tool for expression. There’ s no way around being contrived, conscious decisions are being made when creating art but channeling what’ s inside with the least amount guidance is the key to my style. With that I expect style to change along with my own personal growth.
Which photographers inspire you?
Daido Moriyama and Ralph Eugene Meatyard.
What makes you unique as a photographer?
I have no idea. I only have a handful of photography friends and I’ ve never been around them when they shoot. Shooting with film isn’ t terribly unique.. I don’ t use a light meter or batteries in my cameras and that’ s pretty rare these days. I’ ve missed quite a few shots because of that but it’ s rewarding when things work out.
photo by Atiim Jones
What type of cameras do you work with?
I started with a Diana-F and Minolta XG-1. I currently use a Nikon F2 and a few plastic cameras I found at thrift stores. I’ d like to snag a Leica M2 this summer for street photos and a medium / large format camera for portraits.
What is your favorite photography
accessory?
I like lamps with the shade off for lighting, rubber bands to hold the film back on, duct tape for a shutter release and anything basic.
What is your post production
process?
I spend about 10-20 seconds on the computer and that’ s mostly correcting quality loss from the scan. I focus on getting what I want in the production stage, tweaking in the darkroom and having as little reliance on the computer as possible.
Do you have a favorite photo shoot or favorite image?
I like the photo titled,“ 24th and Leavenworth”. I had envisioned a shot like this a couple months prior and sure