Robert “Bomobob” Cadloff’s images are filled with the charm of neon lights and saturated colour from that glamorous era of movie star hotels and carnival carousels. He is besotted with their quirky shapes and stylish typography. But take a closer look, and you will see he has also captured the peeling paint and patinas of time, revealing their real age. These images are richly textural, carefully framed to extract flawed detail. They are dreams with grit.

 

 

It’s a long-term fascination he has with these colourful and fading signs. “We used to have to drive right past a venerable old amusement park to get home. The thundering of the towering wooden roller coaster on those hot summer nights, and screams of the riders still echo in my ears to this day.”

His father was an avid photographer, and Bob was given a Kodak Brownie by his parents when he was a kid. He was immediately hooked. “Before I even ‘got’ the fact that the film had to be sent away to be processed, I was in love with the idea of freezing the little image in the viewfinder with a simple click.” When he was older, he got himself a Kodak Instamatic X-15, which he still uses now. “It was the first camera of my very own, and it went everywhere with me.”

 

 

Although he worked as an engineer for many years, photography was always a passion, and it was only when the company he worked for closed down that he decided to take the plunge. He has been selling his photography under the name “Bomobob” since 2008.

Bomobob lives and works in Montreal,  “a beautiful mix of green space and old architecture, a walking photographer’s dream”, and in amongst his creative space, which he describes as “the biggest mess in the house. Piles of slides everywhere, cameras undergoing repair, and gear all over the place.”

 

 

 

His working method is not particularly methodical. “I carry at least one camera wherever I go – usually more – and get very easily distracted by things that I see…a little bit like a puppy. I rely on serendipity more than planning, and if an opportunity for a photo presents itself, I usually take it.

“I shoot mostly film, primarily with very old cameras, so there’s no instant gratification, but it’s worth the wait.  The tactile pleasure of holding a processed strip of Provia 120 just can’t be equalled in the digital world. The saturation of the colours is like candy.”

 

 

Artist Joan Miro is an inspiration to Bob, and it’s easy to see a similar sense of playful form and love of rich colour. He is also fascinated by the work of Weegee (Arthur Fellig) for his gritty depictions of the city. But Bob’s work is a little softer than Fellig’s; Bob believes that  “Photography isn’t just about documenting life, but is also about expressing dreams and memories.”

“I’ve always created photos for myself, but I still haven’t gotten over the excitement of people buying my work, knowing that people from all over the world  are displaying my photos in their homes and galleries.” And to that end, his best piece of advice is “Find a way to do what you love for a living.”

 

 

You can find the work of Bomobob in his Etsy shop here.

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With thanks to Bob for sharing his words and images here.