COULD YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR STORY, WHERE DO YOU COME FROM AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WORK ON WHAT YOU DO NOW?
I started out as a model in 1986, and just stepped away from it this year. I never thought, when I started out, that I would have such a long run with it. What I have always loved about modeling is the creativity and collaboration with the whole team, from the wardrobe stylist to the makeup artist, the art director and finally the photographer. Growing up, my dad was rarely without his camera, and I think it is through him that I developed an appreciation for the medium. I started out in photography using his old 35mm film camera, shooting black and white. Once I got into modeling, it just kind of was a natural thing to start turning my lens on my fellow model friends during the times I wasn’t in front of the camera myself. I find that each field informs the other, and doing both helped me to learn and grow in both areas.
WHAT ROLE HAS CREATIVITY PLAYED IN YOUR LIFE / CAREER?
For me, as a visual person, creativity is about pausing, bring still, and seeing. When I am behind the lens I feel like I am basically just a giant eye. I kind of forget myself, all other thoughts fade into the background as I fully focus on what I am seeing through my lens. It can be very meditative.
WHAT DAILY PRACTICES HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR WORK THAT YOU CAN RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE IN YOUR PROFESSION?
Keep shooting! And don’t give up. The more you shoot the more you learn.
PLEASE TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR WORK. WE’D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHERS, WHAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF OR EXCITED ABOUT. HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY PROFESSIONALLY. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER ABOUT YOU?:
Almost all of my work is with people. I really enjoy people, and I love to really connect with my subject and bring out their essence, be it unique, quirky, beautiful, complex, etc. I think what may set me apart from other photographers is this love and connection. I try to create a harmonious environment that puts people at ease, so the best in them can shine through and be captured in an image.
Photos: Kei Moreno
Make up: Lellis Ribeiro