Conversations with Daniel Lane

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Lane

Hi Daniel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey as a Game Boy Camera “funtographer” (a term coined by Nintendo to describe Game Boy Camera photography) began in earnest in 1999 when I was gifted a red Game Boy Camera for my birthday. My mother later told me that she felt it was the perfect gift for me then because of the nearly complete overlap in my personal interests in both gaming and amateur photography… and because it would match the red Game Boy Pocket I had received during the previous Christmas!

The quirky camera was an instant hit and I began to carry it with me regularly, snapping pictures of whatever I could whenever I could. Officially recognized as the “1999 world’s smallest digital camera” by the Guinness Book of World Records, the Game Boy Camera can only hold up to 30 postage stamp sized images at a time and without owning the accompanying Game Boy Printer I was unable to physically print my photos when I needed to clear space for additional ones. I continued to experiment and document with the camera regardless, often deleting entire galleries of images simply because I had no other choice at the time.

Flash forward to 2019: I stumbled across an online listing for a handmade electronic item called a “BitBoy”. Created by Alex Bahr, the BitBoy is a small box that connects to the Game Boy via Link Cable (usually used for multiplayer gaming or trading Pokémon) and dumps the image data onto a standard SD card, which finally allowed me to make digital backups of my photos. Not only that, but the BitBoy’s digital backups allowed me to begin sharing my “funtography” online with others! I originally set out to share my Game Boy Camera artwork until “it got boring”, making more of a push to shoot and post regularly as a hobby during the lockdown days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and found myself falling deeper and deeper in love with the minimalist and highly restrictive nature of the camera. I also began to meet other Game Boy Camera enthusiasts from across the globe through various social medias. The more I posted the larger the world of “funtography” seemed to grow in front of me.

The Game Boy Camera is witnessing a strong renaissance over twenty-five years after it’s original release with some enthusiasts going as far as to redesign the entire cartridge body in order to use professional camera lenses for better focus or zoom capabilities, telescopes for celestial photography, or even trichromatic color! I have been utilizing the Game Boy Camera’s unique dithered pixel aesthetic to express myself, fully embracing my role as the local “Game Boy Camera guy” around town. I’ve had “funtography” pieces featured in physical art galleries like the Voyeur Bordello in Detroit, MI. and virtual art spaces like the “Two Bit Contemporary” Minecraft gallery, zines stocked in local book and record stores, and regularly use the camera as a major part of my streaming setup on Twitch.tv.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m not sure if I would ever call my experience shooting on a Game Boy Camera “smooth”! The camera is unlike any other I have worked with. The image size is only 128 x 112 pixels (about 0.014-megapixels) and only displays them in four colors: black, white, light gray, and dark gray. The camera prefers subjects in direct sunlight or brighter lighting, often muddying shots taken in lower light environments… and capturing moving subjects often results in blurry images. Working around these harsh limitations and capturing a clear or unique image always feels outstandingly rewarding though!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I currently manage a retro videogame resale shop called Retro-Taku Videogames. My passion for games comes in handy at work because we regularly appraise, purchase, and resell used games, consoles, and accessories from all eras of gaming: from the latest and greatest next generation machines to the Atari 2600 and earlier. Despite the growing push to digitize or stream entire libraries of content there is still a feverish demand for those original physical copies, and so much of my job involves properly appraising authentic games from reproductions or counterfeits or assessing and revitalizing used consoles.

I’m quite proud to offer my services at Retro-Taku because I genuinely love and appreciate games as an interactive artform! I care for the craft as much as I would care for a book or film or musical record and appreciate that, as art, games are a subjective medium with a wide variety of influences for the player to discover and enjoy. Those feelings and memories that games can produce are highly potent and it is always a true thrill to watch others rediscover their inner child when they spot “that game” from their youth.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I can often be found on my Instagram, Twitch.tv, or YouTube profiles! You’ll find my latest Game Boy Camera photos and more on Instagram and can watch or interact with me during livestreams most Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings on Twitch. Archived Twitch streams are occasionally uploaded to my YouTube channel.

I was recently featured in the “Two Bit Contemporary” art gallery: a Game Boy Camera themed virtual artspace created entirely within Minecraft and featuring dozens of other “funtographers”. (More info can be found at: https://gameboycameraclub.com/two-bit-contemporary/)

Copies of my zines can currently be found at both Retro-Taku Videogames locations in Walled Lake and Madison Heights and at Wyrd Byrd in Ypsilanti.

I’m also very open to creative collaborations and can be contacted directly at hellodanlane@gmail.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/hellodanlane
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellodanlane
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hellodanlane
• Other: https://www.twitch.tv/hellodanlane

Image Credits
Dan Lane.