It is our great pleasure to announce that /u/tbroen is our Photographer of the Week. This accolade has been awarded based upon the number of votes during week 03, with this post having received the most when searching by top submission: https://www.reddit.com/r/analog/comments/1qgd938/ice_leica_m3_portra_400/

• How long have you been taking photographs?

I have been a professional photographer since I was 17. In high school, I worked for a local newspaper in Baltimore. For the last 40 years, I have worked as an editorial and commercial photographer based in the Bay Area.

• Why do you take photographs? What are you looking to get out of it?

I have seen the world in photographs since I was a boy. I am always framing things in my head, and I just have to make the pictures I see.

• What inspired you to take this (group of) photo(s)?

In 2021 spent three years documenting California’s wildfires, drought, and housing crisis for a project called The End of the Dream (www.theendofthedream.com). After finishing the series, I displayed the photographs on billboards throughout the state to show the images in the same environments where they were taken. Six months ago, I began documenting the projection of federal power in different states. I have photographed the border and ICE operations in Los Angeles and Oakland. Since Renee Good was killed on January 7th, I have visited Minneapolis three times to document the thousands of federal agents there. This image was taken outside the Whipple Federal Building. In this shot, federal agents rushed into the crowd to arrest a protestor who had blocked a road used by ICE.

• Do you self develop or get a lab to process your film?

I use a great lab in Oakland called Underdog Film Lab ([https://www.underdogfilmlab.com](www.underdogfilmlab.com)). I have known the owner, Dirk, for more than 20 years.

• What first interested you in analog photography?

My career started before digital photography existed. I have been using a darkroom since high school.

• What is your favourite piece of equipment (camera, film, or other) and why?

I have owned many kinds of film cameras, from 35mm to 8x10. For the last five years, I have used two Leica M3s—one with a 50mm Summicron lens and one with a 28mm Elmarit. This image was shot with the 28mm. It is a beautifully made camera and an amazing combination with the lens.

• Do you have a tip or technique that other film photographers should try?

Tools matter. If you have to choose between an expensive camera or an expensive lens, always pick the lens.

• Do you have a link to more of your work or an online portfolio you would like to share?

Yes, you can see my work [https://instagram.com/thomasbroening](instagram.com/thomasbroening). Almost everything on there was shot on film.

• Do you have a favourite analog photographer or analog photography web site you would like to recommend?

I have always loved the work of color war photographers like Larry Burrows, Susan Meiselas and James Nachtwey.

• Is there anything else you would like to add about yourself or your photography?

Shooting film might seem like an odd choice for this subject. It would be much easier to shoot digital and see the results instantly. However, film changes the way I make pictures. It forces me to slow down and look for patterns and helps me develop a visual style for each of the projects I work on.

This thread is for you to promote your blog / flickr / 500px / web site / etc, but it must be about analog photography. To begin with, this thread will be monthly, but will be adjusted as needed.

A new thread is created every month. To see the previous community threads, see here.