WikiPortraits volunteer spotlight: Marlene Landu
A London-based photographer who shoots with a Leica and a Nikon, Marlene Landu joined WikiPortraits after a chance coffee-shop conversation. She has since covered Locarno and the Edinburgh Fringe.
Marlene Landu (User:Marlyrocks) is a London-based photographer who shoots with a Leica and a Nikon and has spent the last two decades travelling the world. She came to WikiPortraits the way many volunteers do — through a chance conversation — and has since covered Locarno Film Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, and more.
Q1) How did you become involved with Wikipedia and WikiPortraits?
Marlene Landu: I met a WikiPortraits photographer in a coffee shop in London during SXSW. We chatted about photography and filmmaking, he liked my profile, and suggested that I should join.
How did you get started with photography?
I have always been travelling the world in the last two decades, and I wanted to document the memories, so I started as a travel photographer. That has now evolved into paid commissions for people, events, small businesses, and brands — with a focus in the hospitality and wellness industry.
What are some recent events you've covered? What was it like?
Lately I've been to Locarno Film Festival and Edinburgh Fringe with WikiPortraits. Locarno was such an incredible experience — it got me into the groove of shooting international film festivals and the vibe was just so great, prestigious yet effortless. The challenge was the heat: it was over 34 degrees Celsius, sweating buckets, but at some point you get used to it.
In Edinburgh I was blown away by the performances — everything was just so good. The challenge there was logistical: all the venues are quite far away from each other, so you have to be very organised and contact people in advance to get access to take pictures.
What have been your other WikiPortraits highlights?
I'm going to Toronto for TIFF and I'm very excited — I've never been to Canada, and I'm always excited to discover new things. WikiPortraits has also unleashed my creativity in other ways: I've started making videos again, so I have a few Instagram Reels and YouTube videos about my experiences.
Where can people see your photographs?
Find Marlene's work on Instagram and at marlenelandu.co.uk. Her WikiPortraits uploads are on Wikimedia Commons under the username Marlyrocks.
