Feature Interview - The Power Of Film: Celeste Ortiz

SURPRISE! Another interview, this time with the wonderful Celeste Ortiz



1. Fill me in on your background, where are you from and how did you get in to photography?

I’m from San Antonio, a seaside town in Chile. I started to make pictures when a little Sony camera was given to me.



2. What is your favourite style of photography (Self portraiture? Fashion? Weddings? Documentary)?

Self portraiture, and concert and band photography too.



3. What is your process when taking photo's, from getting ideas to editing?

More than a process is like a mess…



4. What are your tools of the trade?

My Canon 500N and Zenit E mainly, my tripod and mirror.



5. Why do you seem to favour film cameras? And which of your film cameras is your favourite?

I love the romantic and nostalgic feeling you get working with those old cameras, my favourite is my Zenit E, love it’s imperfections.



6. A woman after my own heart you seem to love light and capturing it as much as I do, can you tell us why?

I feel like a cat looking for the rays of light where to relax! Photography and specially film photography is all about light, makes the magic happen.



7. Why do you think people are drawn to photography?

Because of the beauty that our eye has ... because of the composition of the beautiful and unreal ... the narrative language that acquires each frame .. that shapes our inner unconscious ...



8. How do you know which moments in life to capture?

Well, now a days you can capture everything, every moment of your life, you know, you can take pictures of everything your lunch and your feet in every place. With digital camera I can capture whatever, but I decide to make my personal work in film.



9. Where do you hope to go with your photography?

Out of this town.



10. What is your best tip to taking a striking photo?

Having a striking life.



11. Do you think you have an original style that is you own?

I don’t know if my style is original, but at least it’s honest.



12. Images showing skin and backs feature heavily in your work, how come?

I like showing skin in my pictures, it has a sense of vulnerability, you can’t hide… but you try to, so it’s easy to be backwards and not to face the camera, technically and “metaphorically”.



13. You seem to experiment a lot with post processing, can you share some of your techniques when using film camera's and developing the film?

I don’t make any post processing to my analog images, I take rolls to a photo lab and then scan the prints. Now I have a film scanner, so I’ll be scanning my films from now on.



14. What are some of your favourite films, books and musicians?

Last film I saw and love it was “Christiane F”. I don’t read that much, but I love Bukowski, Juan Emar and love Patty Smith’s “Just Kids”. My favourite music is grunge and 90’s rock and alternative.



15. What has been your biggest achievement so far with your photography?

Well, feels nice to get people’s attention, when someone tell me he/she likes my pictures or someone share it in a magazine or blog, like this one :)



16. Do you think it’s hard to be original in photography? How do you keep your ideas original and fresh?

I think it’s hard, but not impossible, and you know, there’re people who are born to make things different. I’m not thinking all the time “Gosh! I must be original!” I don’t overthink the ideas of my photographs.



17. Which photographer do you think I should interview next and why?

There’s a lovely film photography project in flickr, 200diasconpeli...



I think there’s an interesting girl behind it.

18. What is your favourite photo taken by another photographer? (Link and describe why)

www.theclashblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/simonon-LC.png
I was very obsessed about this image of Paul Simonon shot by Pennie Smith.

19. What is your favourite photo you have taken? (Link and describe why)

I really don’t know.



22. If you could photograph any person alive or dead who would it be and why?

I would portray some of the musicians I love, “Famous people are just more interesting”.



24. Give us the skinny, what's the next project you've got coming up?

My projects aren’t very planned… I just have a lots of ideas on my mind…



25. Which actor would play you in the film of your life?

Asia Argento.



26. What did you want to grow up to be when you were a kid?

I wanted to be a veterinary, I studied that, but I didn't finish it. And I wanted to be an artist or an actress or a model too.



THANK YOU CELESTE!!!!!

YOU ROCK! See more of Celeste's work here!