Limassol, Cyprus. German photographer Benedikt van Lengerich is documenting Cyprus through analogue film, creating images of the island’s coastlines, villages, archaeological sites and urban architecture. What began as a personal interest has developed into a visual record intended to help others discover or rediscover Cyprus.
Move to Cyprus
Van Lengerich moved to Cyprus in 2018 after completing university and beginning his career in Germany. A friend who had relocated to the island encouraged him to visit, and he booked a one-way flight.
At the time, Cyprus’s fintech sector was seeking German-speaking employees. He secured a job within three weeks and has remained on the island since.
Born in Cologne, van Lengerich lived in several countries through his father’s business, including Canada, where he completed his school education. Cyprus is the country where he has lived the longest.
Changing communities
Based primarily in Limassol and, to a lesser extent, Paphos, van Lengerich has observed significant changes in Cyprus, particularly in Limassol, over the past decade.
He distinguishes between earlier German communities that arrived in the 1980s, many of whom worked in shipping, and more recent arrivals including entrepreneurs and owners of online and e-commerce businesses.
Film as an intentional medium
Van Lengerich developed his interest in photography in Cyprus and chose analogue film as his main medium. Although film photography declined for about two decades following the rise of digital cameras, it has experienced renewed interest in recent years, supported by social media and nostalgia-driven trends.
Film photography produces distinct lens characteristics, colour rendering and grain, while requiring a more deliberate approach because each image has a cost. Van Lengerich estimates that film and development cost about €1 per photograph.
He said the medium encourages photographers to look for colours, contrasts and compositions before taking a picture, rather than taking large numbers of digital images without the same constraints.
Capturing the island
His photographs depict Cyprus through imagery that recalls the island’s appearance in previous decades. His subjects include coastal landscapes, mountain villages, archaeological locations and the architecture of Nicosia.
Van Lengerich said digital editing can approximate some film effects, but cannot fully reproduce the results created by older camera lenses, film colours, contrast and grain.