Featured Photographer + Interview: Vivienne B Photography
Q: How did you become a photographer?
A: I became a photographer in 2003 watching a documentary on Mario Testino. I was fascinated by how Mario could capture real intimacy that is hidden in each person, as if these people had made a selfie alone. The camera may as well not exist. This impressed me very much, and from that moment I realized that photography is what I want to do in my life.
Q: I'm so intrigued by your use of unusual fruits, vegetables and fauna. What's their significance in your work?
A: Often the elements in my photographs belong to my past. Memories of my childhood. But in reality it is much more complex than that. When I create a set, I am inspired by the basic emotion of the moment. I take a picture from the endless frames that make up the great films of my past, present and future, and transport them into the real world. Based on what I choose, and place in the model elements. The magical thing is that as long as I do not snap under the eyes, on my PC, I haven't absolutely full control of what it is becoming through my own fingers.
Q: Your work is very visually interesting - what new things do you try to grow as an artist?
A: This is a crucial question for me. I would say that I attend refresher courses, as usually the professionals do. I would say that I attend the photographic salons and lectures, but it is absolutely not the case. I am an "asocial" person in this sense. I struggle to develop authentic emotion, if they are constantly bathed in social space, and I'm not a person that to be herself must know what are the new trends. Surely many of the industry will not be in agreement about what I'm saying, but I'm comfortable with that. I grow as an artist in the same proportion that a person evolves in every day life. They are never the same. The circumstances of my present life are more than enough to create material to be here in a few years. The difficult thing is to observe them well, these emotions, and be able to channel them in reality. It is not so immediate.
Q: What media inspires your work - art, movies, literature?
A: Baroque, Neoclassicism, Pre-Raphaelite in ART. Tim Burton, historical plays, and epic and cinematic adaptations of classic books in CINEMA. In LITERATURE, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights.
Q: How do you work with your models to create the beautiful shapes seen in your work?
A: It is very simple actually. Once I have established the mood of the set, the model moves as if it were an actress and plays the character. This happens most of the times. Other times, she is simply herself and I capture its essence.
To see more of Vivienne B's gorgeous work, please visit her website or follow along on both Facebook and Instagram (@_vivienneb_photography). Enjoy!
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Cecile Blackmore is a writer from Brisbane, Australia. She writes and edits at The Creative Issue and hoards vintage clothing – follow her adventures on Instagram at @saintcecile.