Interview Sarah Cunningham
Photography is an outlet for those of us who see things differently.
Name: Sarah Cunningham
Hometown: Central Point, Oregon
Style of photography: If I could pin it down to one style, I’d probably be a lot more successful! I do like surprising myself with new angles and perspectives. I love color. I love cross processing film, and I love candid people photos; maybe those are some styles that pop up often. I also very much love Lomography and the usual “rules” that go along with it.
Type of camera(s): All film. Mostly a variety of 35mm cameras, which would include “toy” cameras, as well as a touch of 120mm and a couple of SLR’s that I lucked myself into getting.
Website: www.aphotomemoir.blogspot.com
What gives you inspiration?
Visiting new places; bright colors; nature; my friends and fellow photographers; being close to water sources; cloudy days with great lighting; Fall and all its clichés; children’s books, being cared for by others. Inspiration comes in many different forms and is not a strict or rigid thing. Sometimes the same walk can be taken a million times without inspiring any great photos, but on the right day, in the right mood, with the right people, one of the greatest rolls of your life can be shot. You just have to be constantly open to it and ready for it to happen at any moment.
What are your influences?
Art of any kind, especially live music; poetry and literature; other photographers and lomographers; people who do what they like, when they want to, without being self-conscious; people who don’t stop and think about whether or not this is the right moment to be taking a photo. Strangers can be huge influences as they are teachers of a sort of unfiltered manner; they don’t always know they are influencing you, or maybe you are the one who doesn’t realize. Anyone who I have taken a photo of, considered taking a photo of, or wished I’d taken a photo of has influenced me in some way.
Why did you choose these photos?
Basically I tried to pick photos that I am most proud of. Happy accidents are part of why I love photography, especially film photography and the lomography style, and especially when it comes to double exposing rolls of film; however, these photos were all chosen based on original intention, and the fact that what I saw in my head was caught on the film, and the feeling I got in that moment of creation was then felt again upon seeing the result. Photography’s power lies in its ability to recreate. I see so many beautiful photos, and I think “oh, these are moments I want to be living in!” And to some that could appear to be a conflict with living in the moment, but to me it’s the ultimate in the moment experience, to see a photograph that effects your body, mind and mood all at once, that truly makes you feel good. There are photos that I see that make me forget any other moment will ever exist. If I could make a few people feel that way with my photographs, that would be the great compliment I could ever receive, and then will I know that I am truly making art.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography is an outlet for those of us who see things differently, who see the overlooked. More importantly it’s a way for us to share that perspective with others.
Photos:
Copyright reserved by Sarah Cunningham
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