Photographer Interview: Neelakshi Vidyalankara

The work of UK photographer Neelakshi Vidyalankara amazed me both for it's commercial and documentary aspects. She covers a wide range of social issues like young mothers in prison, swingers and members of the Chicago chapter of the Nation of Islam.

Outside of her commissioned work, Neelakshi has also been published in several newspapers and magazines, and still finds time to nurture a family. You can connect with Neelakshi on Facebook.

D&B: Where are you from?
NV: I was born in Sri Lanka and came to the UK when I was 4 years old with my family. I am currently based in London, where I have lived for the past 25+ years.

D&B: What kind of photography do you shoot and how did you get started - any "formal" training?
NV: I discovered photography late in life - in my early 20s. I completed a Postgraduate course in Photojournalism at the world-renowned London College of Communication. In terms of shooting, I’d best describe my style as a documentary journalist. However, more recently I’ve been approached to do everything from children’s portraits to corporate assignments.

D&B: What cameras or techniques do you use?
NV: I learned basic photography on a Nikon FM II. For current day-to-day use I use a Canon 5D. I also enjoy shooting with my old Hasselblad for personal work.

D&B: Who are your mentors (in photography)?
NV: My early inspirations were from the classic masters of reportage like Walker Evans, Cartier-Bresson and Eve Arnold. There are so many amazing photographers out there whom I take inspiration from, especially now with the scope of the internet. I am amazed every day.

D&B: Have you experienced any setbacks or different treatment along your photography career that you would attribute to being a woman and/or photographer of color? (this question is optional)
NV: Often working for editorial clients you tend to get 'pigeon-holed' for certain commissions where they think you may fit the brief. That said, I don’t see it as a negative as I try to use EVERY opportunity that presents itself in a positive way. 'Pigeon-holing' can be frustrating at times but I have used it to my advantage. As a female photographer clients often think you're more suited to more sensitive subject matter.

D&B: When did you realize you could have a career in photography? Describe your journey towards becoming a working photographer.
NV: After leaving the course and working in a photo library I started getting commissions. I was lucky. They gave me a chance and they seemed to like my work. So in hindsight, I guess I made some of my own luck.

D&B: What do you hope to achieve with your photography?
NV: A living! My ideals aren’t as high as they used to be but I’m managing to hold my own making a living as a photographer, for which I am privileged.

D&B: What's your dream photography project?
NV: To go to South America (a Continent that I have always wanted to see) and travel.

D&B: What's the biggest (life) lesson you've learned through photography?
NV: Don't sit around waiting for things to happen! You need to be proactive in order to realize your potential and achieve your dreams. I'm still trying...

Next week's Photographer Interview on Dodge & Burn: George Pitts

Read previous interviews with:
María Fernanda Hubeaut (Argentina)
Elia Alba (NYC)
Jaime Permuth (Guatemala)
William Vazquez (NYC/Puerto Rico)

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Photographer Interview: María Fernanda Hubeaut

The following photographs are part of a series titled Rayuela (translated in English meaning "hopscotch"), based on the novel of the same name by famed Argentinian author Julio Cortázar.

See more of this work at María Fernanda Hubeaut's website and read her blog (in Spanish).

D&B: Where are you from?
MFH: I’m from Argentina, from a small city called Santa Fe. I’ve being living in the New York and New Jersey area since 1999.

D&B: What kind of photography do you shoot and how did you get started - any "formal" training?
MFH: I am a photographer, and I do documentary and artistic [fine art] photography, but I love photography in any kind of genre. It is for me a precious instrument to have the possibility to recreate and help create the reality that surrounds us.

I have a master's degree in Social Communications from Argentina, but before I decided to formally study I was (during my teenage years) a self-taught photographer. In my adolescence, photography was a special part of my daily routine: to discover things and people around me through my camera.

From the series, Rayuela © María Fernanda Hubeaut

D&B: What cameras or techniques do you use?
MFH: In the beginning, I used film, I used an old Pentax Spotmatic. Now, I use a Leica M6 and the Canon 40D for my commercial work.

Special technique? None at all. Most important for me is to be present at the moment to catch the instant and be aware of the light. These two things are for me the most important in this path.

D&B: Who are your mentors (in photography)?
MFH: Well, my first mentors were my grandfather and my father (both of them were into the practice of photography) and then the books that showed me all the great photographers from the amazing history of photography. Today, I am still learning from them and from everyone in this field.

D&B: Have you experienced any setbacks or different treatment along your photography career that you would attribute to being a woman and/or photographer of color? (this question is optional)
MFH: Sometimes, I am surprised that here in America still exists discrimination against women, more in the journalism area. Honestly, I expected this type of discrimination to happen in my country or in other Latin American countries, but it is happening here, too. That is very sad and I would like things to really change in that aspect.

From the series, Rayuela © María Fernanda Hubeaut

D&B: When did you realize you could have a career in photography? Describe your journey towards becoming a working photographer.
MFH: At the university [in Argentina] I taught and worked as a photographer, but I formally decided to become one at the age of 19. I knew then that no matter what happened, I wanted to follow the photography path.

In Argentina this wasn’t easy. I wanted to keep myself working in the field - this was the principal motor of my travels around the world and the cause that finally led me to live in the USA.

Sometimes it is difficult to make a living only as a photographer, but I never give up. I’m also working as a freelance reporter and writer, and all of these together make a good combination that nourishes and allows me growing deeply into my goals as a photographer.

D&B: What do you hope to achieve with your photography?
MFH: The power to change “La Mirada” of people... meaning the way people look at things. To use the images to help them heal. To be more open and creative to their own reality. I would like to achieve that kind of communication, that kind of joy with my work.

D&B: What's your dream photography project?
MFH: Right now, my new photo essay is in progress, Independence. A series of human portraits that intends to awaken the sense of independence in every human being and in every possible way that people choose to show it in their own skin.

D&B: What's the biggest (life) lesson you've learned through photography?
MFH: Respect, openness and consistence. That it is what I want for myself and also for everyone that it is in front of my pictures.

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Roy DeCarava Quotes from 1996 Charlie Rose Interview

 




















[Editor's Update Feb 2, 2010: Famed photo critic A.D. Coleman attended the January 28, 2010 memorial service and private funeral held for DeCarava where he was invited to speak about the late photographer - here's what he had to say.]

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you already know I love doing photographer interviews. When I interview a photographer, I'm not just interested in their technique and equipment. I'm more interested in their artistic tendencies - the questions, theories and truths that drive them to make pictures as a means of expression.

An interview with photographer Roy DeCarava would've been a dream! Luckily Charlie Rose thought of the idea first. Towards the middle of his interview, Charlie Rose asks, "What haven't you been able to photograph that you've very much wanted to?"

Just when you think DeCarava's going to name some great historical figure, Roy smiles innocently, almost as if embarrassed by his answer, "The wind."

Here are some my favorite quotes from Charlie Rose's 1996 interview with DeCarava, the same year of his Museum of Modern Art retrospective.

"It's the not the subject that interests me as much as my perception of the subject."

"I don't really think that the technique really determines the veracity of the image. It's what the image does to the viewer that determines whether it's right or wrong."

"My life has been pretty rainbow-colored in the sense that I lived in many areas of the city that weren't completely black... So I wound up photographing a lot of different people."

"Seeing your work on the wall is like the ultimate thing that can happen."

"Artists are a very important part of our society because they make a great contribution to our values. The artist creates a value system that we all grow up on, whether we know it or not."

"The artist creates the material that we look back upon as part of history."

"The artist is a kind of a seer and by nature he is optimistic because he believes in the future."

DeCarava also talks about how he came to collaborate with author Langston Hughes on the book that chronicled Harlem's noble side, The Sweet Flypaper of Life. Watch the 14 minute interview below.



R.I.P. Roy DeCarava, we'll miss your eye on life.

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