“Photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliot Erwitt
After seeing for the first time the pictures Ana takes, we instantly fell in love with her style and vision, and since then we have wanted to work with her when we needed someone to visually express the energy of our events.
We’ve sensed that she is doing photography because of the passion she carries for this art, so it felt only natural to ask her to answer a few questions about why and how she fell in love with cameras.
Keep on reading to find out what’s going on in Ana’s mind when it comes to photography.
🗨️ When did photography shift from something you were just interested in to something you felt connected to? Was there an influence behind it, or did it happen independently?
I’ve always felt deeply connected to photography, even before pursuing it, but it started gradually changing the way I view the world around me after I began using it as therapy and learned more about it as both a process and an art form.
I can say that the moment it truly clicked for me was at my first edition of Waha festival. Photography was still very new to me, and I got to understand why I feel so connected to it because I was surrounded by everything that Waha was.
All those people coming together, experiencing amazing music in a breathtaking environment. So many moment that made me feel at peace. It felt right to try to capture, through my perspective, whatever it was that made me feel so happy in those moments.
🗨️ Here at Misbits, we love music, so we are wondering… if your camera could capture sounds instead of light, what would your photos sound like?
I’ve actually tried many times to translate the elements from my photography into sound. I usually imagine that the playful characteristics that light has in my photos would sound groovy and bouncy.
Depending on what I’m shooting, that can shift into something more progressive, eclectic or even jazzy and relaxed. I think it depends a lot on my mood and the subject, but here are a few examples of what I think my photography sounds from time to time. 🙂
- St Germain – Pont des Arts
- Cyan85 – Astral stream
- Chateau Flight – Cosmic race
🗨️ Was there ever something you’ve seen that was so beautiful you actually decided not to take a photo of?
I rarely shoot nature landscapes exactly because i feel I can’t create something more beautiful than what’s already in front of me. Whenever I’m in a mountainous area, I’d rather just stare at what’s around me than go for my camera.
🗨️ If you were to be able to photograph only in black/white or color for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why?
As I keep shooting, I find myself appreciating and liking colored photography more and more. However, I’ve always seen B&W and colored photography as 2 completely different worlds, with different rules, approaches and meanings.
For me, B&W remains the method that best portraits what I’m search for in my shots. It allows me to make light one of the subjects and to play with shapes and lines in relation with the physical elements in the frame. Through B&W, I can almost paint surreal images and express emotions that aren’t immediately visible when seen in color.
In color photography, the meaning is often influenced by the colors present and their subconscious associations. In B&W, I’m not tied to those meanings, and I can create my own through my perspective.
🗨️ In an alternate reality where cameras were never invented, what do you think you would be doing to satisfy your creative itch?
Before learning how to use a camera, I experimented with many other art forms, such as music, theater, dance, fashion. Each of these have elements that bring me great pleasure when I engaged with them, but nothing I tried clicked quite the same as photography did.
That said, I do believe that i would find more of what makes me tick in landscaping or outdoor installations, or maybe even event organizing if that counts as satisfying my creative itch 🙂
🗨️ What’s a photography “rule” you take great pleasure in breaking?
I don’t break any rule on purpose. What I mean is that while I shoot, I don’t actively think about composition rules or other types of photography guidelines. I use them unconsciously, and I also break them unconsciously when I feel that’s what the shot needs.
Ideally, I anticipate what I want my shot to be and then either follow or break the so-called rules depending on what works in that moment. But I think I like filling the frame and creating many spaces where your eyes can wander, even if that means overlapping subjects.
I also dont mind making a weird crop if it serves a purpose. If I can get away with a strange cut and actually make it work, then I’ll have a smile on my face for the whole day.
🗨️ If you were a camera setting, would you be a fast shutter speed (anxious/quick) or a long exposure (chill/patient)?
I think there is a healthy balance nowadays between my ‘fast shutter” self and “long exposure” self. I enjoy my energetic, chaotic moments as much as I appreciate the calm, quiet sides of my personality.
Lately, I’ve been leaning more towards my “long exposure ” self, but that’s simply a response to a long “fast shutter” phase. I believe there will always be a shifting shutter button, depending on what I need at a given point in my life.
We want to thank Ana for sharing these thoughts with us, and we would also like to share with you a couple of photos she did for our 13 Years Anniversary Party we did at Platforma Wolff earlier this year.
