Lomography Pioneers: The Pacific Northwest Photographer @tracyvmoore

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To do anything creative for over four decades is a feat in itself. Staying creative and continuing to foster growth is the story of Tracy Moore. Starting photography in high school while also being an artist, he continues these endeavors and more while learning bookbinding and producing stamps.

Joining the community in the 90s, his unique take on street photography is ever present and his thousands of photos on his LomoHome is a testament to his dedication to the craft. Living in the Pacific Northwest, he shows an intimate side of Washington State and everything it has to offer from breathtaking scenes of nature to the busy streets of Seattle. Today we take a look at his life and journey through this edition of Lomography Pioneers.

Credits: tracyvmoore

Back in 1981, Tracy got introduced to photography through his best friend who was an artist known for drawing but also was part of their school's photography club. Spending many days exploring parks and seeing how amazing the photos would turn out, Tracy eventually added photography to his creative endeavors. After marrying each other, they soon bought their first camera, a Minolta X700, which they shared over the years. It was in the 90s however when Tracy first got introduced to Lomography.

Sometime in the 90's my wife bought me my first LC-A, after reading something about Lomography in a magazine. I shot my first roll, and I loved the fact that I did not have to worry about focus. I just needed to adjust the range to four distances, and if I misjudged, it really didn't matter because the shots were coming out weird and amazing. I love the imperfect shot.
Credits: tracyvmoore

Tracy's style of photography has elements of all the rules of Lomography, with rule #1 "Taking your camera everywhere", the one he lives by the most. Looking at his pictures you can see how diverse the subjects of his photos can be. Mixing up street style, portrait, and nature among others, and putting his own twist to it, Tracy's style really shows how his experience and creativity have made each photo inspiring to gaze upon.

Another notable aspect of his shots is how he loves to blend and mix different photos to re-create and give a new image from what can normally be captured. It's adjacent to how DJs can blend different records or songs together to create new sounds for the audience. His layered shots, whether from creating his own multiple exposures or through film swaps, are incredibly creative.

The rule of taking your camera everywhere with you is one I live by. I usually have at least two cameras with me at all times. I have one camera with a roll that I intend to double expose (either by myself, or swapping with a friend), and then another camera is just ready to shoot normally with. For the roll I intend to double, I just focus on things that I think would be great backgrounds and textures for the double exposure. This is very freeing, as you really do not have to think a whole lot about what you are shooting.
Credits: tracyvmoore

Tracy has been a valued member of the community since 1998 and he looks back on key moments of his journey including the first time he browsed the website and saw other people's Lomography photos. It was through the Lomography website that he learned an abundance of techniques such as how to re-roll film, multiple exposures, and cross-processing. These techniques are clearly seen in his style of photography and being here for almost 24 years he has surely inspired generations of Lomographers as well.

Early on, I remember being very mystified by my LC-A. I liked the shots I was getting but for the most part, they didn't wow me. What completely transformed me was finally getting on lomography.com and creating my LomoHome. A giant lightbulb went off as I explored the site, seeing all of the amazing pictures from the other lomographers from all around the world. Lomography.com and the Lomographers made a huge impact on my photography and getting on the website, and joining the community was just the start of my journey.

Besides this, other major events in his Lomography journey include his trip to the Lomo World Congress held in London in 2007 and creating groups of Lomographers in his own area.

What completely launched me into orbit though was the Lomo World Congress in 2007 in London. I attended with my daughter who was 21 at the time. We got to hang out with 250 lomographers from 65 different countries and had the time of our lives. Over the years, many of those that we met at this event have come to Seattle and caroused about with the Seattle Lomo Adventure Club crew. The fact that we did not speak the same language as many, if not most, of the others at the Lomo World Congress did not matter in the least. We all spoke the language of film and camera Love.
Credits: tracyvmoore

As a veteran of the Lomo LC-A like other pioneers before him, Tracy was also selected to be an LC-A master in 2017. His shots are a true testament of how the LC-A can really capture your creativity and imagination. He shares some of his tips to get the most out of the Lomo LC-A series.

Take it everywhere. Get in the habit of always checking for the red light. If there is no red light your batteries are most likely dead. Keep spares with you at all times.
Clean the lens. I always have a lens cleaning cloth in my pocket. Keep the lens cover closed when it is in your pocket. If you have it open, there is a chance that you drain the batteries by having the shutter button depressed inside your bag or pocket.
Don't use the viewfinder just point it. Keep a tight grip. I have dropped my camera way too many times. For the LC-Wide get in the habit of keeping your fingers away from the lens. They like to show up in your shot if you don't consciously think about it every time you shoot.
Credits: tracyvmoore

Another way he keeps creative is by journaling, which he has been doing since the 80s. Though at first journaling for him was a very private practice, he was encouraged by his wife to share his doodles, which eventually led to the creation of their rubber stamp company called Zettiology. Later on in the company, he learned bookbinding and started sharing and even selling his journals which had mixtures of his sketches and even his Lomo pictures.

Her words of encouragement gave me the confidence to just draw more and more and get the freedom to just not really care if anyone liked what I was doing or not. If it entertained me that was the only reward I needed. I have filled hundreds of these journals with writing, doodles, and my lomo pics. We would sell my journals at the shows we attended as well. I love meeting new people. Having a cool camera and a unique book sitting on your table at coffee shops and bars really is a great conversation starter for other creatives who might happen to be in the same room. I have met many amazing people this way. I have taught journal-making all over the world and it is still one of my favorite art forms.
Credits: tracyvmoore

Based in the Pacific Northwest, Tracy has been shooting there for more than 40 years. The nature of Washington state, from the mountains, to the rivers, to the islands, and especially Pugent Sound are his favorite things about where he lives. Despite all the changes over the decades, it fuels his creativity by discovering something new in the different cities of Washington state.

Shooting in the Pacific Northwest is great. Of course, we have the weather to contend with, but it is not nearly as bad as it is portrayed on film and television. I like shooting with 400 ISO film most of the winter and pull out my 50 and 100 for the summer months. I like shooting in the rain, and with the cloudy contrasting skies. The cities change, but for the most part, the changes are good. Full of creativity and it makes exploring them all the more fun because you never know what new store, bar, or restaurant you might find right around the corner. So, I have seen a great deal of change over my time here, but if it stayed the same what fun would that be?
Credits: tracyvmoore

As a veteran of the Lomography Community and still a very active member, Tracy shares many words of wisdom with the members of the community.

Use the site to its fullest. It is so much more rewarding to browse through real film shots from all over the world than to peruse ad after ad on Instagram. Fill out your data when uploading your shots. Most of us browse along, and when we find something that really catches our eye, we love to take a closer look to see what camera, film, where it was taken, etc. That is a great way to learn from each other. Unfortunately, I see that many people are not adding this data and seriously, it is super easy to do, you just need to get in the habit of doing so when you upload.
I love swapping film with other Lomographers. However, if you are going to swap with someone, commit and follow through. Nothing worse than taking the time to swap with someone and sending your film off and never hearing from them again. Don't be that person.
Meet friends from all over the world. If you are planning a trip somewhere, search for that location on lomography.com. I guarantee that you will find very unique and unusual pics of places that are most likely not in any guidebook. Most lomographers seem to like that which is off the beaten path. The strange. The unusual. The kind of places I want to visit. Write to those lomographers in places you are going to visit and suggest a photo meetup. This is a great way to explore the world.
Credits: tracyvmoore

Lomography Pioneers is an ongoing tribute to our earliest community members, whose stories and photographs helped shape our thriving online community into what it is today—diverse, creative, and inspiring. See the Lomographers we've featured so far!

written by rocket_fries0036 on 2022-12-10 #culture #people #street #washington #america #seattle #usa #lc-a #lc-wide #lomography-pioneers

5 Comments

  1. leisuresuit
    leisuresuit ·

    Awesome

  2. sylvann
    sylvann ·

    Love this! <3

  3. tracyvmoore
    tracyvmoore ·

    @sylvann thank you ;) @leisuresuit thank you as well (and your little dogs...lol)

  4. sylvann
    sylvann ·

    You're welcome @tracyvmoore <3 So nice reading about you and your work!

  5. locutus
    locutus ·

    great pioneer work. congrats.

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