Fresh Friday is baaaack!
I met Natasha Leadem here in Buenos Aires. She is a young photographer from Littleton, Colorado. I was lucky enough to see some of her work, and I was very impressed. Her portraits in particular seem to really capture the essence of the subject. So without further ado here is my fresh friday interview with Natasha.
Natasha, how did you get into photography?
I got into photography my sophomore year of high school when I worked on the yearbook staff. We would have photo assignments to take pictures at all of the events. It’s weird, but for me every time that I got to photograph an event it was almost as if I were actually experiencing what I was photographing. It’s like I got to be a part of every different facet of my school without actually having to commit to anything. Before I knew it I had earned a reputation as the girl with the camera and my by line started to appear all over our book.
I know that you’re currently studying journalism. Do your studies influence your photography? If so how?
At my college the journalism program emphasizes growth in all areas of the field: writing, designing, and photographing. I feel as though I had a lot of experience before entering college, but am learning cool new tricks as I go.
What aspects of photography appeal to you?
The ability to preserve memories and capture beautiful moments is the aspect of photography that appeals to me the most. No matter how long ago something happened photographs can always seem to bring you right back to a specific moment in time. On a less sentimental note, I also really like playing with angles and lighting and capturing something that people can marvel at.
Photography wasn’t really accepted as a true artistic form of expression for decades. Why do you think the perception of the medium has changed?
I think that for a while a lot of people believed that photography didn’t take much skill, but it is so much more than just pointing a camera at something and pushing a button. A true photographer knows how to look at things from different angles and capture images at the right moment. There is a hidden art behind everything ordinary from the wrinkles that span a person’s face to the delicate way in which a raindrop enters a body of water. Photography just captures the art of real life.
How has living in Buenos Aires affected your work?
There is just so much to photograph in Buenos Aires. It’s almost effortless. The culture is so vibrant and expressive that I don’t have to look very hard to find inspiration. I do, however, think twice before pulling out my camera in a city that is known for its robberies so in that respect I probably don’t carry my camera around as often as I would like.
Che boluda, ojito, si quieres hacer algo mas tranqui este fin de que podemos hacer?
Sentaríamos en un parque con mate y prentenderíamos ser porteños.
You’re also a dancer. Does your experience in dance influence your photography?
I can hardly call myself a dancer because I am new to the sport, but I almost feel as though the two are completely opposite. When I am dancing I have to be aware of every movement that I am making and how it appears from an outsiders perspective. I am in control. However, when I am looking through a viewfinder I am that outside perspective, watching every movement and waiting when it is the right time to take the shot. Dancing has given me a greater respect for performing art rather than capturing it.
Ball so hard?
Always.
I noticed you have an affinity for portraits. Why is that?
As a journalist I think that the best stories are those written about people, not places or things. Everyone is so unique and different and I love capturing people in their true form. Candid shots are my favorite.
Why do you take pictures?
Hard question. It really depends on the pictures. I take candid shots to capture people as they are in specific moments, like moments of bliss or moments of anguish, just those real, un-fabricated moments. I take more artsy pictures to present objects or scenery from a different perspective, and to make things look pretty. Overall though, for me when I am looking through a lens I am much more observant and connected with whatever it is I’m photographing, and I think it just makes me operate on a more intuitive level.
Thank you Natasha for that fantabulous interview. Keep taking those pictures and don’t forget to share!
