StreetVIEW – 24HourProject Interview with Oliver Lang by Laura Peischl

’11:45 in #London’ – ©Oliver Lang

What is your name, both real and Instagram ?

Oliver Lang, aka @oggsie

Was this the first time you participated in this exciting 24 hour project, or have you taken part in previous years as well?

Yes, it was although I might have previously and I’ve completely forgotten.

What city where you able to document?

London, mostly the West End, but also some North London locations.

What inspired you, or drove you to take part in this project, i mean walking around 24 hours is not for the faint hearted!

It’s easy to be lazy with a camera. To get comfortable. This is not comfortable, and you become a better photographer by pushing yourself.

Did you plan where to go or did you have an idea what you wanted to document, or did you just let fate decide as you wandered through the streets?

I had a few ideas, but mostly I went where it was relatively safe, and where I could get good coffee. London is a big place.

What was the biggest challenge you  faced during the 24 hours?

The cold, the temperature dropped much more than expected and I struggled without my spare cold weather gear. It wasn’t nice. There were fights and people on drugs, and at 4am I had to avoid some streets because it was dangerous.

Do you feel like the time pressure was beneficial to your creativity, or did it just make you nervous and diminish the quality of your images slightly?

Yes, I love the pressure. It is a creative force in my life. Life is like the 24 hour project, it ends and either you went for it or you slept in and missed it.

‘07:03 in #London’ – ©Oliver Lang

Did you develop a work flow for every hour in order to manage uploading your next image in time?

I think my workflow is fast, but I did add a final template for time and location so the images appear to all be a part of the same series.

Be honest, did you by any chance cheat a little by processing a few pictures in advance in order to rest a bit?

Towards the end I didn’t always shoot and share within the hour, but I uploaded as soon as I could. It’s not a rule, it’s a pressure point, if you didn’t get the photo you wanted to get, don’t post anything until you do.

Did you follow the IG feed of other excellent photographers taking part in the competition? You know, to check on your “competition”!

Firstly, I don’t think the 24 hour project should be seen as a competition. Photography is a challenge, not a sport. This is really a great big party! My favorite images for motivation were from (http://instagram.com/marcellini) Marcellini in Germany and Ming (http://instagram.com/fortheluvof) in London, but there were great images coming from everywhere. It is motivating to see others trying to create interesting images under time pressure.

What was your secret to staying up so long? Energy drinks? Coffees? Pure determination? Fruit smoothies perhaps?

I stopped early, I have some very important events coming up and I didn’t want to be unwell. Coffee helped during the day but the best trick is to go shooting with friends or people who can keep you motivated. I met people all the way through around London and they kept me going. I thanked them in my final picture.

‘Piccadilly Circus, 00:59 #London’ –  ©Oliver Lang

Would you take part in this again next year?

Yes, I’m looking forward to it.

Was it a point when you considered giving up and going home? Did you walk the whole 24 hours?

Yes, I stopped when the light ended on Saturday. I had a plan to stay out but I had been cold for 18 hours and it’s not healthy.

If you had to choose, what would be your 3 favorite imaged from that long day?

They’re all included here.

What were some thoughts that ran through your mind when you were finally able to crash into bed?

Photography is such a privilege, I’m lucky to be a part of a community that treats it as a journey and supports mobile creativity.