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L1ghtb1tes #18: Andrew Miksys and his unique medium-format colour pictures from a small town disco in Lithuania. A 10-year project that takes you on a time travel whether you want it or not.

GL: How did you meet this girl in this disco that more than anything looks like a set from a David Lynch movie?
AM: The problem with photography is that you never know what’s going to work in a picture and what’s not. I find it impossible to plan a good photograph. It’s more about getting into interesting situations and environments and then just seeing what happens. I asked this girl if I could photograph her. The location was kinda good because it was in the lobby of the disco and not too chaotic. Then I tried a few different things from photographing her standing near a wall and then near this column. When I was photographing, I can’t remember seeing all the guys in the background in leather jackets, but when I saw them on the contact sheet I thought the contrast between the girl and the them looked great.

Andrew Miksys - interview with photographer

GL: How long work you working on this series? And how did you know that you were done with DISKO?
AM: I spent about 10 years on and off working on DISKO. It was really difficult to finish the series. I wasn’t exactly chasing after individual photographs. There was something more in the mood and atmosphere of rural Lithuania on empty back roads that I wanted to come through in the book and in a series of photographs. At one point a few years ago, I decided to stop photographing and look through every roll of film and start choosing images that worked together. There were about 75 images that seemed to fit the them which I later edited down to 45 for the book.

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Read full interview on L1ghtb1tes (#18: Andrew Miksys) – a photography blog run by our photography tutor György László

Roland Pokrywka

My transition from web design to photography started about 15 years ago, after my first trip to Central America. Disappointed with pictures in auto, I decided to take matters into my own hands and learn how to use the camera to its full potential in manual mode and improve my photography. Website: takebetterpictures.co.uk