Monday 31 May 2010

Hannah Fresia



Hannah Fresia
Phoenix, Arizona
flickr blog



















You do shoot a lot spontaneously as you go, don't you?

Yes I do. I like to just capture moments of my life.


What do you think is more important for taking good pictures: speed or patience?

For me, probably speed. Because the moment will pass and I will miss my shot if I dont act quickly.


If you got offered a job for food photography, how would you react?

Sounds tragically boring.


Dark, milk or white chocolate?

All three.


Which TV series do you think has/had the best setting?

Well, Lost had a pretty cool island.


Do you think that the concept of the auteur in film theory would also work for photography?

If I’m understanding the question right, then yes. Because the photographer should have their vision and what they want their photos to look like and not let others ruin that.


What are the charms of black and white photography in your opinion?

It just doesn’t look like the real world, it can makes things beautiful and look completely different than reality.


The most romantic movie you can think of?

Paris, je t’aime.


On your flickr you uploaded a lot of portraits. Would you say that the setting of the pictures has a great effect on their final outcome, or is the person portrayed more likely to be independent from it?

The person portrayed is more likely to be independent from it. Because when I take a portrait of someone it is usually in the moment, and I dont move the person to another background or anything. But if the setting is lovely then that is just a bonus.


On your blog, you have an entry about the movie "An Education". What did you like most about it?

I loved the look of the film. The locations were lovely and I’m just a sucker for films set in the sixties.


What do you consider the best shitty job a student can have?

Probably some sort of mom and pop run business where you get cut a lot of slack.


Your biggest teenage celebrity crush was?

James Franco.




Fantastic portaits. Be sure to take a look at her flickr!


Monday 24 May 2010

Bookshop Folk, Lorna


Bookshop Folk, Lorna
Leeds, England




What is your set "Olympus trip 35" about?
It's not particularly about anything, just basically some photographs I've taken over the past month since my dad gave me his old Olympus trip 35 film camera; which he got for his 21st birthday.


If you were to exhibit your pictures, under which headline or theme would you present them?
I'm not sure, I'd have to really think about it, I'd want it to be something totally unique.


Have you watched "Alice in Wonderland"? If so, how did you like it?
I hated the Tim Burton remake, I thought it was pretty tacky; and I've not seen the Disney version since I was little, but I remember I used to watch it all the time. Alice by Jan Svankmajer is wicked though.


What makes you decide to edit a photo?

I don't like to do too much editing, I like messing around on photoshop with digital images but not film. I usually like them as they are, they don't need perfecting, film photography isn't about perfection.


Among young photographers, whose work do you admire the most?
Annette Pehrsson, so so good.


What's your opinion on online social networking?

Depends, I love Flickr and blogging; but I hate Facebook and I'm not sure why I even have it still, in my experience it causes more harm than good.


The best cupcake you've ever eaten?
Starbucks do right lovely little cute 'uns.


On family events, which questions annoy you the most?
I come from a pretty small family, so we don't really do events, we keep it pretty small and simple.

Dreamy, be sure to take a look at her flickr!

Saturday 15 May 2010

Matilde Viegas



Matilde Viegas
Portugal
flickr blog



















When was the first time you really liked a picture you had taken? What was it about?

Many photographers, amateurs or not, remember the time when they were still little kids and got their 1st camera and they would take as many pictures as they could. With me it didn't happen that way, it came quite late, I was around 18 at the time I got my 1st camera. That 1st special picture was a portrait of a friend of mine, she looked like a queen. That picture hit me like a meteor, I don't know, but that was somehow the "calling".


When looking through pictures, do you like to flip quickly through them or do you tend to look at them for a long time?

I tend to flip them, I trust my 1st impressions and when I feel something I'll take a closer and longer look. I guess I tend to be much more emotional than rational about imagery, when something gets my eye it also gets my heart.


Which film do you have the best experiences with?

I'm always changing between different types of films but I guess it would be Fujifilm X-TRA 400iso. Its depth of colours is just amazing!


How many rolls do you shoot on an average throughout the year?

I have no idea. I go through phases, right now I'm not carrying around my camera, I'm trying to keep the pictures in mind and see which ones remain. It's as if I was getting rid of all the clutter. But I guess, 40 rolls?!


Do you fear that film photography will eventually lose its significance due to digital photography?

I don't know, I just don't think about it. If it will, oh well, it's evolution.


If you were to donate your picture collections to a gallery or museum someday, which one would it be?

That's a difficult one. I really don't know, I supposed I haven't taken "the" picture yet, one that really amazes me.


Are you comfortable both before and behind the camera?

I'm most confortable behind the camera but recently I started to enjoy being observed. It's all about power once you are in front of the camera, being the object of admiration.


Jazz joints or heavy metal concerts?

Metal concerts, most definitely. I really enjoy the experience of being pusehd around in the middle of a moshpit, screaming my guts out. It's cathartic, cleans out the system.


Which current "trend" in art annoys you the most?

Everything around the wolves, galaxies and triangles. I think it boring. I don't like that universe.


Do you think that one should develop a certain dress style for oneself?

If it helps one to express himself, than yes. For me, it's very important, it says much about me and it helps me to feel good and powerful. Yes, clothing gives you power. Gives you structure, but mostly power.


Light leaks?

Magic.


European or American or Indian cinema?

America AND European.


Do you think you would enjoy designing clothes more than visiting fashion shows?

Never. I've been to a serious fashion show once and it was quite an experience. Being an obsessive observer, it was almost like going to the zoo. People act different on fashion shows, trying to create a different personality for 3 days. It's very intriguing and fascinating.



All pictures amazing. Be sure to take a look at her work!

Sunday 9 May 2010

Zack Huggins



Zack Huggins
Denton, Texas
flickr deviantart




















What made you decide to concentrate on photography after college?

I was working on my final film projects for school and I decided to take my camera along to get some behind-the-scenes photos, mainly just to build a slideshow or something for everyone in the class. I was going to be the class equivalent of a soccer mom, I didn't have any big designs behind it. During the filming, I discovered that my favorite part of the whole thing was when I was taking pictures. Not long afterwards, I decided that was what I would rather do with my life.


You seem to love shooting with digital cameras. Any particular reason for this?

Hah! I enjoy shooting film too, I'm not a digital-only guy in the least. I used to work in a photolab so I could develop and scan my own stuff pretty much at will, and I shot a ton of film as a result. I haven't as much lately just because I got a new digital camera, so it's been hard to seperate it from my hands. I love cameras, period. Film or digital. Two of my favorite cameras of all time are film. An Olympus XA, a film point-and-shoot, and a Yashica Electro, a rangefinder from the 70s. I'm a camera nerd, through and through. I would probably forget to wear shoes before I'd forget to bring a camera.


As a freelance photographer, where there any jobs you turned down? If so, why?

Now that I think of it, I don't think I have, aside from some where I had a previous engagement or scheduling conflict. I've shot 30 some odd weddings, highschool sports games, bands... Once I even shot some 5 year old's birthday party. His folks wanted to enjoy the day without worrying about pictures. It was actually a lot of fun. There was a Nerf war, and I got to eat some awesome cake. :)
I'm not saying I'm willing to do everything for any money I get, but I guess I just haven't come across a job that I wouldn't be willing to take. Not yet at least.


Where do you think do photography and movie making connect, besides that technically movies are a long series of pictures?

Well, it's essentially a form of storytelling. And editing plays a role too. I don't remember exactly where I heard it, but someone once said that photography is similar to film editing. Film editing is all about what you do and don't show the audience. In photography, the frame itself is your editing tool. What you include within the frame and how you frame it is key.

That and everything I ever learned about composition I picked up from movies.


You mostly seem to take pictures of "real life" people and events. Have you ever worked with models? How far are you interested in this area of photography?

I'm definitely more of a candid photographer. But I've never worked with actual models before, so it's uncharted territory for me. I'm not sure if I'd know how to use a model if Ihad one. I'm more familiar with lurking around and waiting for 'the moment.'

I have done some staged photography before, but it's all been with friends or acquaintances, and none of them with modeling backgrounds. But I have lots of photogenic friends, so that helps.


Is there any way to explain the magics of Animal Collective?

Hah! I think it must involve outer space, somehow.


National Geographic or History Channel?

National Geographic. I actually don't watch TV, really. Years ago, I came to a crossroads. I only had enough money to pay for the cable bill, or the internet. I went with the internet, and have never looked back.


Which technological gadget can't you live without?

I've always got a camera on my person, somewhere. I feel awkward without it, like I put my underwear on backwards and didn't realize it until I was at work. I like knowing I have the ability to photograph something if I see it. You never know if something will catch fire somewhere.
I do have a cell phone, but I keep the bare minimum, and I stubbornly refuse to upgrade. I get a new phone when the old one breaks beyond usability.


In term of video/film, next to filming documentaries, what other plans do you have right now?

I would love to work on a short narrative film, especially with my friend Jon. Maybe we can get something going this summer, when it's too hot to do anything else.


Who do you personally think has the freshest ideas within arts right now?

That's a tough question actually. There's so much awesome art out there, just when I log on to Vimeo or Flickr, I see gobs of it. It's overwhelming sometimes.


Which digital SLR is worth buying the most right now?

Any that will shoot video. I think in the next few years the line between photography and video will blur until one is hardly distinguishable from the other. There will no longer be "photographers" and "videographers" but some new beast that is both at once.
So get a body that will shoot video and start practicing now. :)


In college, did you like dealing with film theory?

Oh, I loved film theory! There was one that always stuck out in my mind, about editing vs. context. A Soviet director once took a clip of a man staring down blankly, then cut it with a shot of a bowl of soup. When an audience was shown this, they said the man was obviously hungry. He then took the exact same footage of the man looking down and intercut it with a shot of a woman in a casket. People shown this sequence said the man's grief was written across his face. It was a simple experiment, but it showed the power of editing and how context can influence how images are 'read.' Those crafty Soviets.

I sometimes try to apply some of this logic to my photography, taking scenes out a context to see if they make sense anymore. A lot of the time, I'm left with a really puzzling but oddly compelling image.


In your opinion, whose movies have the best soundtracks?

In terms of sheer listenability, it's hard to go wrong with Wes Anderson. I could take any soundtrack from one of his movies and enjoy it in it's own right, completely separate from the film. I'm not sure if I could say that about a lot of directors. Quentin Tarantino is renowned for putting together a great soundtrack, but his selections typically don't have as much life when they're taken out of the context of his movies. They certainly enhance the scene, but listening to just the soundtrack can be jarring. Wes Anderson's have a nice flow, like a good mixtape. Jason Reitman also puts together a respectable soundtrack.



It's an honour. Be sure to take a look at his flickr and deviantart!


Thursday 6 May 2010

Benedetta Falugi


Benedetta Falugi
Tuscany, Italy
flickr website



















How do you bring depth of feeling into a picture?

I don't know if I'm able to do that but for sure, when I'm photographing, I try to follow the wave of emotion and involvement. I think that to be able to lose yourself, you have to leave behind everything else. This is very important, at least for me.


Do you think that living in Tuscany made you more alert to motives in nature for your photographic work?

It's possible, Tuscany is very beautiful and I'm proud to live here, but hey, there are so many other beautiful countries. By the way, I think that we are always conditioned by our surroundings and maybe if I Iived somewhere else my shots would be different in subject. But the eye it's the same.


What is your latest project "Il Cotone" around your most recent pictures on flickr about?

Well, it's a little project that I started 2 months ago and I'll finish it at the end of may. It's about two small areas of the city of Piombino. I'm trying to show through photography these two industrial quarters, working-class neighborhoods behind a big steel factory. My grandparents and my dad were born and raised here so I often visited these places when I was a child... I feel a great emotional connection with these places. I like it, because it's a small microcosm, most people know each other, there are still many people who leave their keys in the door, it seems that time has stopped and life flows more slowly.
But on the other side it is changing very quickly, a lot of foreigners have came to live here, because the houses are less expensive, there are many architectual renovations and it is interesting to see these changes and what people are thinking about this.


Your preference: reading books or listening to audiobooks?

Absolutely reading. I love books and I love touching and smelling their paper, too.


Which genre of movie do enjoy you watching the most?

Next to books, cinema is another thing that I really love. I prefer dramatic ones, but I enjoy good comedies and thrillers too. My favorite director is Kristof Kievslovski, I simply adore everything he did.


Fast food is ...

Bad? But I eat a lot of choccolate!


Is there a musical act that you like which, however, does not fit at all between all the other musics you enjoy listening to?

Classic music, sometimes it's perfect.



Fabulous. Be sure to take a look at her work!