Elisabeth Sarah

Elizabeth Sarah
Bronxville, USA

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Do you sometimes feel urged to take a picture because you feel that you're witnessing a moment that needs to be captured?

All the time! And it tears me up inside when I miss out on an opportunity, as if a piece of me that was rightfully mine has been stolen! ...as crazy as it may sound.


Your latest polaroid project is of major importance to you. Can you describe your thoughts behind this one?

I have many projects going at once and am constantly inventing new ideas, but "maps" is sort of my baby. I have a very long growing list of locations and scenes to photograph, and everyday I itch to make them into reality. Where will each photograph will take the story next and how will it connect to the past and future shots? The story will never be presented in any correct order. The order in which the adventure takes place is completely up to each and every individual. That is the mystery behind it. Why is she in a map? Where did she come from and where is she going? Who is she? How did she get to these places? It is all up to you to decide and I like leaving a lot of questions up to you! It is meant to be an interactive story between you, the photographs, and others that have their own opinions and conclusions.


What is it about the "brown paper packages tied up with strings"?

The simple things in life are what I cherish most. Those small moments that most people do not stop to appreciate and breathe in keeps my heart keep beating and my brain ticking.


In your imagination, where would the happy-end-kissing in a love movie be set?

Can I give a few options? A rainy, misty forest. A hot airballoon above green fields and mountains. A rowboat in a body of water far away from other people, but not animals. In bed, at home, that was built and created together over many years filled with great memories from a long life.


You write that you feel you should have been born in a different time? Which time comes to your mind most often in this context and why?

The early 50s! I would still be surrounded with things from the twenties, thirties and forties in my environment, but I would get to live and breathe the fifties, sixties and seventies!! The music, culture, movements, lifestyle, art and design are all so intriguing to me. I feel like i live in the future, and while technology today does excite me, the technologies that are phasing out tend to make my blood rush a whole lot more. My appreciation for the past is not something I can really explain, it is just a feeling that I have. I would prefer to have been young before and old today, even though I do feel like I am getting old everyday.


Please explain what you mean by "vintage and modern photography of the way things are".

Vintage and modern are in reference to the mediums I use. My passion lies with vintage cameras and films, however, I would not be the photographer I am today without my digital camera. All mediums that I use have their appropriate time and I am very careful to always chose what I feel works best each shoot. With few exceptions, I take photographs of the way things are. I like to utilize what I am surrounded with in terms of nature, people, objects and, most importantly, light. Staging is something I try to do very little of, even when working with a person; I like to let them pose however is natural with as little direction as possible in order to keep everything the way things are.


Of the different travels you have made, which one do you think has changed your view on life the most?

For very personal reasons, my life took a major turn when I went on a 20 day voyage through the Caribbean in the summer of 2006. I visited many different lands on an 88 foot schooner (a very large sailboat) and truly found who I am. Although, the worst happened on that adventure---my camera decided to stop working just halfway through the adventure!


Correct me if I'm wrong: It appears to me that you have, even if widely set, a particular and defining frame for your work as a photographer. Do you think that this is necessary to have a coherent body of artwork?

I feel that my photography is so vast, but I always keep a sense of innocence, nostalgia and realism which I hope ties all of my work together. It is hard to say whether being coherent is or is not necessary to be successful. It works for some and for others, the work can sort of run dry. I love to experiment and try new mediums and ideas. It is so important for all artists to experiment. All iconic artists went through different periods, and it is those periods of experimentation that identify them for the artist they are. Those periods also led them to their most current style which defines who they are as an artist. I would like to be remembered and known for my variety of work, while maintaining a solid and underlying set of themes.


What would your first major counter-argument be to the assertion that dealing with art would not be "really necessary" but a pastime for people having the time and means to do so?

I don't have the time and patience for people who think this way. Art is culture, everything is art, and every life has a culture. So, how a person can believe that art is meaningless, I will never understand. Not everyone can understand all art, but if you try and can respect that there is a meaning whether you understand what it is or not, that is key.


How significant would you say are interpersonal relationships to the education of one's self?

That is something I think about very often! I believe that we would not be who we are without having spoken to each and every person you have ever met, even the ones who you think may be a nobody. There is so much to be learned from everyone who surrounds you, and only you can teach yourself that!


What is the perfect teatime/afternoon snack to you?

Earl grey tea, fresh berries, a cranberry muffin, and a pumpernickel sandwich with lox and cream cheese! Is that too much to ask for??


Watercolours or crayons?

Both! I think it is fun to intermix. It is usually a much more exciting result!


Curiousity?

...killed the cat. I would not be surprised if it's what took me in the end too. I am always curious and not always doing what is conventional, ideal or best for me. I like to be spontaneous and do what seems right at the time with a little consideration to how it will affect my future.



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