Remarkable: Photographs by Evita Weed
®claryl: What got you started in photography?
EW: I was born in 1986 in a small village in the province of Jaén in Andalusia, and that’s where I began to learn about photography in a very experimental way.
In 2002 I moved to Granada, and I started studying photography there. I developed my own style thanks to a love affair that was somewhat tempestuous and left me mired in a deep sadness.I see photography as more than just an activity, it’s a way of translating my feelings and impressions into light and transforming them into a tangible reality that can be seen on paper.
®claryl: What kind of equipment do you use?
EW: I use different types of cameras, but primarily I love analogue cameras; I have a passion for Lomography cameras - I have one of their Diana F cameras, and a Mini Diana too. I have lots of Polaroid 600s, a Nikon F70 that’s kind of old, and a digital Canon 450D.
I really like my Lomo fisheye camera, though I also have a fisheye lens for my Canon EOS 450D, as well as a macro lens and a 55-200 telephoto lens, both of which are from Canon.
®claryl: If a friend of yours wanted to take up photography, what advice would you give him/her?
EW: Don’t try to copy other people’s ideas, try to be innovative and to develop your own style.
®claryl: What inspires you?
EW: I’m inspired every day, by my life, my problems, my favorite places, my boyfriend…My work especially contains lots of self-portraits; I like going out to my favorite spots with my tripod and taking photos of myself, either alone or with my partner, just to show that it’s possible to capture each and every moment and make it special.
There’s always a touch of melancholy in my pictures, because I love analogue cameras and with them I’ll always get a graininess that imbues every shot, as a product of the light. My pictures are also characterized by soft, subtle shades, small imperfections and an incredibly studied use of light. Natural light is the key theme of the collection.
My style is totally recognizable and distinctive. It’s so easy to let yourself be transported away and immersed in this imaginary world of sublime landscapes, dynamic skies, and sensations hidden away in the most remote corners imaginable.
®claryl: What do you love about photography?
EW: It lets me unburden myself of the cares of the world, lets me express myself no matter where I am.
®claryl: Where do the ideas and themes of the collection come from?
EW: It’s my window on the world. Everything around me is a huge asphalt wasteland that I’m trying to escape from… by preserving my innocence in a society that seems to be losing that quality. A vision of my city, of this enormous, desolate asphalt wasteland, of the futile resistance against the loss of innocence … There are thousands of moments in life, and some of them deserve to be captured … feelings and images … and that’s all there is to it.
®claryl: Who is your favorite photographer?
EW: I have lots of favorites, from the classic big names like Jim Goldberg, Elliott Erwitt and Josef Koudelka to Terry Richardson’s “disposable” style of photography. Ultimately, I’m influenced by lots of different people.
®claryl: Thank you, Evita!
This interview has been translated from spanish.
Discover more about Evita Weed on her websites evitaweed.tumblr.com und flickr.com/photos/evitaweed.