I — Beaune, France
A box at the flea market
Between the stalls of a flea market in Beaune, I came across an ancient camera. A Brownie, made in 1927.
I have always been fascinated by how these cameras worked. A simple box, a lens, a shutter and a roll of film. Nothing more. And still it could hold on to a moment for a hundred years.
II — A camera for everyone
Memories of your own
What moves me most is what these cameras meant. The Brownie was one of the cameras that put photography into the hands of ordinary people. Not just professionals. Families. Suddenly anyone could keep their own memories.
Film was precious, and a roll held only a handful of pictures. So people stopped and thought before they pressed the shutter.
Every photograph was a decision.
III — Today
Thousands of photos
Today we carry a camera everywhere, and we use it constantly. We snap and snap, without really thinking about the pictures, and without taking the time to enjoy them afterwards.
I have seen it all around me. And I have done it myself. Thousands of photos, and hardly any we ever look at again.
IV — Luminette
Taking it back
So I made Luminette. A way to take back the old way of taking pictures.
Eight frames to a roll. No preview and no retakes. You develop the prints yourself under the red light, hang them up to dry, and keep the best ones in an album. Every screen is made to feel like the real thing, down to the leather and the brass.
V — A year later
Slower, and better
I have used Luminette myself for almost a year now, and I noticed the difference quickly.
I appreciate the time I spend taking pictures. I look for the right frame. And afterwards, I take the time to put them in an album. The photos have started to mean something again.
VI — iPhone Duo
A camera that opens
When I saw that Apple was launching iPhone Duo, I knew immediately. Luminette has to be on this.
Luminette is skeuomorphic all the way through, and iPhone Duo opens just like a real camera does. Closed, it is the camera: leather, brass and a viewfinder. Open it, and the camera opens with it. The lid on one side, your film on the other.
Just the thought of the two together was enough. I got to work with enormous excitement.
This, I thought, is something the world has to see.
