Tess Roby

Tess Roby

Toronto, Canada

flickr

be wildered: blog flickr group

friends, dripping moments, gleam

A short interview with Tess:

You have a couple of pictures taken in laundry shops. Is this one shop or different ones? If it's the same one, where is it?

It’s the same one! I love the shade of the washing machines. We usually get kicked out when we go in there. It’s in downtown Toronto at Queen West and Spadina.

For long have you been involved in photography, and what made you start?

When I was about three or so, my parents bought me a Minolta point and shoot camera for Christmas. They wanted to get me something that worked as opposed to a toy. When I look back on the photos, it defiantly captured my childhood in a different way than just parents taking photos of their kids. My father also shot film with an Olympus OM-1, I started to get really interested in that in 2008.

Friends are the best models. Do you agree?

Of course. You can capture so much more out of someone if you’re close with them.

The cities your pictures have been taken in are absolutely fabulous. Do you like to travel a lot?

I love to travel. I love the excitement of getting on a plane or a train and going somewhere new. This year I seem to have traveled a lot, sometimes it wasn’t even planned. I feel privileged to have been so many places.

What is the idea behind "be wildered" ?

To be perplexed and mystified by the wild, the wilderness.

One advice you would give someone who has just started to do photography?

When you look through your camera lens, wait till everything in the frame comes into perfect place, then take the photo. Start off taking photos of things you experience in day-to-day life, places you go, your friends. It comes off as much more natural.

What kind of film do you use most often?

Almost all of last year, I used up all of my dad’s old film that had been sitting in my basement. Surprisingly enough, none of it had expired. Now that that’s gone I use this cheap drug store colour film that goes on sale all the time for $6.99. For black and white I use Ilford.

Disposable cameras are great for...?

Nights when you go out and don’t want to risk anything happening to your SLR. They’re also good for concerts and hot summer days. They capture colours so well.

Is there a camera everybody should purchase?

I don’t think so. Everyone is biased based around the cameras they own, so I can’t answer that properly.

In your opinion, is photography a special form of art? If yes, what makes it special?

A photograph can capture so much and speak to some people in a way that other art can’t. It can capture the most vulnerable and intimate moments. You could try and examine a photograph for hours and still not know the whole story behind it. By looking at a photo, it pulls you in and makes you want to know more. I think that’s really special.

Good times in their own colours. Be sure to visit her flickr! Also, don't forget to take a look at be wildered.