Luz

Frank Archer, Chilean living in the Canary Islands. My real name is Franco, but in Spain, that name can be a bit complicated, so I chose Frank after a character from a very famous anime series—you can probably look it up. The music I enjoy is definitely not for everyone; it ranges from grindcore to Japanese math rock, something most people wouldn’t understand. I must mention Radiohead as a band I love and will never stop listening to. This ties into another passion of mine: tattooing, an art I practice quite often. My girlfriend is a tattoo artist, and when she travels for work, I take the opportunity to visit new places and take photographs. Among my hobbies are playing a video game called Overwatch—I’ve been playing it for more than seven years, and through it, I’ve met many people I’m still in contact with.

I also enjoy watching comedy, especially Chilean stand-up, fooling around with my friends, and above all, memes. I think they’re important as a distraction from life’s problems. Humor and jokes are even created by the algorithm for you; it feels a bit controlling, but I think we should take advantage of it. Another thing I enjoy is juggling a ball (I’m actually very good at it). I once wanted to be a footballer before I dedicated myself to photography.

I travel to populated cities where there are more chances to capture an image. Sometimes, in small towns or villages, there aren’t as many opportunities to take the kind of photos I look for. I feel that landscapes or pictures of the moon can be taken by anyone—you just have to go to the right place or look up.

I believe my only real inspiration came from looking at photographs of myself back in 1998, beautifully taken by my father. Years later, I asked him which camera he used, and it turned out to be an Olympus OM-10. When I studied photography, we were asked to bring an analog camera, so without hesitation, I bought a very cheap OM-20 at a market. I thought it would allow me to take better photos than my father (it didn’t). What I really wanted was to be behind the camera, not in the pictures.

Another defining moment was one day when a young man stopped me on the street in Santiago, Chile. He was Japanese, if I’m not mistaken, wearing a skirt. His look and his camera impressed me—he was using a Nikon with a very long telephoto lens. He told me he was a photographer and wanted to feature me on his Tumblr, which was popular at the time. He was doing street fashion photography, while I dressed like a tough guy, always in black. His name was Murilo Yamanaka (I don’t know what became of him today).

I admire advertising images—the staging is fantastic—but I don’t really consider them photography. Personally, I’m more interested in capturing what I like: simply something aesthetic that I feel is worth immortalizing, digitizing, and, if possible, making tangible.

My first camera was a gift from my father. I wanted something more professional, but he gave me a very small Agfa digital camera. I didn’t like the photos I was taking with it, but that was only because I didn’t know how to use it properly. I thought that just having a bright lens and creating bokeh behind the subject would automatically make a good picture.

Later, I used Canon for a long time. I even borrowed a camera from my friend Camila to study photography, since I couldn’t afford one myself. I used it for about a year until my mother surprised me with a Canon 750D—or T6i, I think that’s the model name as well. It was a camera I didn’t fully take advantage of, and eventually I sold it because I wanted to move up to full-frame. (At that time, I didn’t have a defined style or a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve with my photos.) I eventually bought a Canon 5D Mark II, which allowed me to take incredible pictures of fashion models, events, and especially my cat.

As time went by, I wanted to push further. I searched Facebook photography groups for a lens that would be phenomenal for portraits. I connected with a guy who had a Sigma 35mm f/1.4, which I think was very popular at the time—anyone reading this will probably understand. I met up with him to buy it, and he told me that on a trip to the U.S., some friends had forced him to buy a camera to photograph skyscrapers. In the end, he just used his phone. The lens came without a case and was broken in one spot, but when I tested it, I realized it was in good condition. The price was also great—I got it for only $200 USD.

Today, I use the Ricoh GR. I like it because it’s pocket-sized and I can pull it out at any moment. It’s practically weightless, and I can carry it inside my bag or pocket to take it out quickly—in the subway, in a restaurant, anywhere. I also often take photos with my iPhone 11, which allows me to photograph people without it looking like I’m photographing them. Sometimes I pretend I’m talking on the phone with a friend, and I use that distraction to capture the moment.