CONTENTS

DAWNDRA BUDD 10 SILVIA SALATA 66

CARMELITA IEZZI 28 NICHOLAS BELL 77

RALPH GRÄF 46 MIRA NEDYALKOVA 92

THE RISE OF 59
PHOTOGRAPHY
By John Glynn

BACKSTAGE

CHRIS KOVACS Publisher: Adore Noir Publishing

Editor
Online: adorenoir.com
SANDRA DJAK KOVACS
Executive Editor Email: admin@adorenoir.com
Adore Noir Magazine
TIM ANDERSON 1202 West Pender Street
Editor at Large PO Box 17514
Vancouver, BC
V6E 2S8
LESLIE HILTS
Adore Noir online magazine is published bimonthly.
Editor at Large
All images are © copyright of their respective artists and may not be
copied or distributed. All rights reserved.

JOHN GLYNN
Contributor ISSN 1925-5160
 Editor’s Notes
We are pleased to present you with this issue of solitude and reflection find a home for, per-
Adore Noir magazine. haps, those of us who are weary and need a
few moments of respite.
Our featured photographers are ready to excite
your senses and plant seeds of wonder into a Ralph Gräf’s Traveller is the viewer in each of
few moments of your day. After perusing the his photographs. He is identifiable clearly via
photos you will be left with questions and find his hat, suitcase and umbrella, he is going plac-
yourself looking back and forth between some es, perhaps taking notes or perhaps just enjoy-
of your favourties, wanting to know more ing where he has come to.
about the subjects looking back at you.
Silvia Salata’s feature photos are of a train
You may want to begin with John Glynn’s ar- route in Italy where we are privy to the silent
ticle, The Rise of Photography, where he tells moments passengers take for themselves when
us about the start of the camera and the steps they are moving between one place to the next.
through which technology has moved to bring
us where we are today. Or you might want to Through the fog, Nicholas Bell, moves into
delve straight into the oasis of photos we have magical landscapes where a raven reposes and
for you in this issue. the shape of a woman reflects at the edge of a
sea. We are transported by each of the images
Mira Nedyalkova’s self-portraits display, as to somewhere kinder and softer.
she says, “pain as beauty and erotica as a psy-
chological way of life.” Her photos intrigue So...Dim the lights, go to your favorite place,
and leave the viewer dizzy with awe. sit back, relax and enjoy!

Dawndra Budd’s images do the same, her Sandra Djak Kovacs

women peek from behind brambles, sleep in
bathtubs and stare back at you asking: Are you
ready?

Carmelita Iezzi’s raindrops on a window,

waves on the ocean and specks of light trans-
port one to a different time and space where
 ON THE COVER

DAWNDRA BUDD
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 FEATURED
DAWNDRA BUDD

“I love photographing women and making up a story around an image

or a series of images––typically something dark.”

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 CREATIVE PORTRAITS Interview with Dawndra Budd

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you AN: Please tell us about your work and what
from? inspired you to pursue portrait photography.

DB: I’m Dawndra. I grew up in Washington DB: Stories and the people behind them inspire
State and I graduated from the Evergreen me. Often times I look back at my work and
State College in Olympia. After a few years realize it’s like a diary of my life in a way. All
of traveling and moving around, I landed in of the portraits in this particular series were
Seattle. I have been living in Seattle for the last inspired by strong women with a story to tell.
eleven years and I truly love it. However, in this case it was my story. My
mother had passed away and I wanted to do
AN: How did you get into photography? simple, quiet images, that felt lonely, while
also trying to find beauty in that loneliness.
DB: In my first semester of college I took a It’s odd; I’ve been called a self-portrait
black and white photography class––I was photographer, although I am never in any of
mesmerized at how magical it was! When I my work. I am secretly jealous of self-portrait
look back at those photographs I have to laugh, artists because they always have a model on
just a little bit––I was instantly hooked for life. hand, especially when that sky is perfectly

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moody and cloudy. I love photographing in my life.

women and making up a story around an image
or a series of images––typically something AN: What or who are your influences?
dark. I’m also drawn to fashion photography
and I tend to choose timeless costumes and DB: I love admiring other photographers
faces. works. Lately, I am completely and totally
enthralled by Alain Laboile––his work is
AN: What would you say separates a good stunning, I also love Diane Arbus.
portrait from a great portrait?
Next to my desk I have various rock-and-
DB: I would say the feeling or a mood that roll photography books. I also have books by
over takes you when looking at a portrait, how Sarah Moon and Cindy Sherman. I have Shots
long you want to look at it and what questions magazine, Black and White magazine and
may arise. Some people are drawn more to Adore Noir magazine, of course.
certain portraits than others, of course, and
that’s the fun part. I think a portrait with a lack Francesca Woodman blows my mind––I love
of emotion is more of a snapshot, it has a lot to her documentary. I also saw the Vivian Maier
do with the eyes and the environment. Don’t exhibit a few years ago, which was amazing.
get me wrong; snapshots are a necessary evil

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Music is also very inspiring to me, I collect with that lately. But now that fall is here and
records and there is always music blasting in things are slowing down I have begun to brew
my house. I find the work of David Lynch and up some ideas, so I will be buying some new
Jim Jarmusch to be visually inspiring as well. dresses and props. I’ll have some new work
soon. I can feel the itch.
AN: How do you capture and process your
images? AN: What is your final say?

DB: I use a Nikon D700 and process DB: Stay true to your heart. Don’t worry
everything in Photoshop CS6. I do have a what everyone else is doing and just stay on
Holga and various Polaroid cameras as well–– your own path. Don’t rush yourself, good art
although I admit, shamefully, that I don’t use takes time and thought. Do it in some form
them as often as I would like. every day. Surround yourself with art and
positive people. I believe we all have it in us
AN: Do you have any projects currently in the somewhere. ♥
works?
See more at: photographsbydawndra.com
DB: Summer is my busy season for family https://www.facebook.com/pages/
portraits and weddings. I’ve been so busy Photography-by-Dawndra/151522661590498

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 FEATURED
CARMELITA IEZZI

“The light which builds an image and the idea that comes from the
unconscious are the basis of all my photographic projects.”
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 A DREAMLIKE VISION Interview with Carmelita Iezzi

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you fine art photography. I was fourteen years old
from? when I became serious about photography and
I bought my first 35mm analogue camera.
CI: My name is Carmelita Iezzi, I am a
professional photographer and graphic Over the years I have attended courses with
designer from Italy. I am currently working as international photographers who have helped
a freelancer with my specialty being fine art me to better understand my vision and focus on
and conceptual photography. my creative potential.

My work has been exhibited in personal and AN: Please tell us about your work and what
collective exhibitions worldwide, some of my inspires you.
pictures have been awarded and published in
fine art books. CI: I’ve always been fascinated by art, painting
and poetry. The light which builds an image
AN: How did you get into photography? and the idea that comes from the unconscious
are the basis of all my photographic projects.
CI: My artistic skills developed quite early. Often what drives my images, is the desire
Since childhood I have been fascinated with to express an emotion, a certain mood. I’m

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inspired by simple things, nature, emotion, CI: When I began photographing I was
the human element and last but not least, my fascinated by the artist Mario Giacomelli, I
dreams. love the tones he produces with his use of
whites and deep blacks, I can relate to the
I love strong contrast, I like to convey a quiet emotional poetry that transpires from his
stillness of emotion with a connection to my photographs.
natural surroundings; this creates a reality
found only in my imagination. My images Another photographer that I love is Tina
represent the thin line that separates the real Modotti. She is one of the pioneers for
world from the dream world. My works have women in photography, her images are
been described as imaginative, surrealistic and full of humanity and contrasts which I find
dreamlike. fascinating.

AN: What or who are your influences? Currently, my inspiration is purely personal
and comes from small everyday things, like,

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emotions relating to family, dreams, my CI: My digital cameras are Leica and Nikon.
cultural background, my love for painting, I prefer natural light and I really like to use
poetry, books and travel. multiple exposures to create fantastic stories
with real things.
Every photographic project was born from a
need to tell a part of myself to others in the With the advent of digital I began the use of
form of images. post-processing techniques that enabled me
to emphasize the tones in black and white,
AN: How do you capture and process your making them much more contrasted and
images? dramatic. I work almost in the same way
as when I worked in the darkroom, I would

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superimpose two negatives using the sandwich CI: I’m currently focusing my attention on
technique, which in the digital world involves the landscape and the human figure. I am
overlaying texture to create surreal situations. I working on a project dedicated to my son
print my images on professional papers such as and to the world of fairy tales. Another recent
Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta or Canson Fine project is devoted to the female figure and
Art. its relationship with nature, where natural
elements blend with human elements to create
AN: Do you have any projects currently in the surreal and dreamlike visions that are painted
works? with light.

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AN: What is your final say? See more at: carmelitaiezzi.com

CI: Believe in yourself and focus on the ideas

and work that you create for yourself. Nothing
is easy, but if you truly believe in something
sooner or later you’ll be able to obtain it.

My motto in life is: “Never stop dreaming

because dreams are realized in reality.” ♥

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 FEATURED
RALPH GRÄF

“The fact that my old-fashioned, elegantly clothed traveller often

finds himself somehow out of place in his surroundings creates
suspense and sometimes a funny aspect.”
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 TRAVELLER Interview with Ralph Gräf

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you AN: How did you get into photography?
from?
RG: Photography has excited me since my
RG: I was born in a small town in the south of childhood, I got my first basic camera when I
Germany and spent most of my life in Munich. was eight years old. I always enjoyed viewing
In fall 2006, my scientific career as a cell biol- photography portfolios and exhibitions.
ogist brought me to Potsdam, which is close to
Berlin. I have experimented in various photographic

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genres since moving to Potsdam, I owe it to travelling with friends when we found an old
my friends from the “Photo Gallery Potsdam” brown suitcase amongst some other trash in
(http://fotogalerie-potsdam.de), for giving me the street. The old suitcase combined with this
a creative and stimulating environment, which “end of time” feeling of the partially aban-
fuelled my ideas on new photographic projects. doned village (where we found the suitcase)
fuelled my imagination of the figure, a nostal-
AN: Please tell us about your Traveller series. gic traveller in time.

RG: I began this project in March 2010. I was I started the series with settings in the context

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of travel and traffic. Yet, soon I broadened the point of the scene. The individual images of
scope of the term ”travel“ to being on the way the series are in no consecutive sequence, each
to unusual places or perhaps even travelling image tells its own story and evokes different
to the past. The fact that my old-fashioned, emotions.
elegantly clothed traveller often finds him-
self somehow out of place in his surroundings Originally the Traveller was a colour photogra-
creates suspense and sometimes a funny as- phy project, however, I felt that several scenes
pect. Even in cases where he appears only as a work better in black and white. This holds
small person, the traveller is always the focal especially true for some scenes shot around

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abandoned places from the former German RG: The figure (traveller) mainly represents
Democratic Republic (GDR). The GDR has the recurring eye-catcher, who serves as the
thankfully been history for the last twenty-five connecting element between the individual
years, but yet there are still abandoned plac- photos. To fulfill this task he required a high
es like old factories and military barracks that recognition value. Thus I have chosen the nos-
served a function in this vanished state. talgic figure of a man with a suit, hat, suitcase
and umbrella. For the sake of convenience,
AN: What does the figure in your images rep- the actor is myself, since this model is always
resent? available. Maybe the figure of the traveller

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is also in commemoration of my father who paintings and photos that I’ve seen in exhi-
passed away shortly before I started the series bitions or the Internet. It’s difficult to state
and from whom I inherited the hat. names of other artists who have inspired me
since there are many, but some of my fa-
AN: What are your influences? vourite photographers are Gregory Crewd-
son, Nadav Kander, Josef Hoflehner, An-
RG: Influences come from many sides, dreas Gursky, Richard Tuschman and Peter
sometimes from movies, music videos, and Lovigin, just to name a few.
imaginative books and, of course, from

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AN: How do you capture and process your im- medium format cameras. I also use Fomapan
ages? films, which I process with old-fashioned Ro-
dinal developer. I like to use these highly un-
RG: For the Traveller series all pictures were derrated cameras as homage to the people who
taken using a programmable self-timer. I use have produced these fine, fully mechanical
various cameras for my projects but I take cameras under difficult circumstances.
most pictures with a full frame DSLR. When it
comes to black and white however, I still enjoy The analogue photos are scanned and cleaned
using my old Pentacon Six, Kiev and Lubitel from dust and scratches in Photoshop. For my

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digital photographs I usually perform some the works?

contrast enhancement and other retouching in
Photoshop. I like to use filters (mostly by NIK RG: If I find suitable settings I will work on
software) to create a dreamy, surreal mood. I the Traveller series. However, I spend more
believe that processing should support the ex- time on my project titled Vacancy, which is
pression of the picture while helping to medi- about the beauty of emptiness and decay. I am
ate the intended mood to the viewer. also working on another series called With A
Holga Through Brandenburg where I portray
AN: Do you have any projects currently in the character and the oddities of Brandenburg

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(the part of Germany, where I live now) with a piece of photographic art. ♥
Holga camera on grainy black and white film.
See more at: http://graef-fotografie.de
AN: What is your final say?

RG: You don’t need expensive equipment to

create exciting photos. It is you who is creat-
ing the photo and not the camera. Try to follow
your own intuition to create an individual

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 THE RISE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
By John Glynn

I
f you are reading this piece, then, it is and accused of advocating sorcery.
quite likely that photography fascinates
and excites you. In the summer of 1827, Nicephore Niepce,
a French man, produced the very first pho-
In a period when technical growth is taken tograph. A highly scientific individual,
for granted, when the lifespan of a smart- Niepce used various chemicals and a cam-
phone is measured in months rather than era obscura to record an indistinct image,
years, it is difficult for some to appreciate deciding to call this process heliography, a
the history associated with the camera and Greek term meaning, of the sun. Louis Da-
all its glorious possibilities. guerre, a man who frequently used a cam-
era obscura as a tool when looking to add
The term photography is a word of Greek some perspective to his paintings, admired

“After Niepce’s death, Daguerre felt compelled to do his

research partner justice, so he continued to research, a
fact that found him soon reducing exposure time to thirty
minutes”

origin and was originally used by Sir the work of Niepce. In the year 1829, after
John F.W. Herschel in 1839. Herschel, a conjuring up some ideas on how to develop
renowned scientist, described it as a process photography, Daguerre approached Niepce
of recording images by actively engaging and propositioned him with the idea of
light and associated radiation. However, forming a joint venture.

A
before photography was firmly established,
people used an instrument called the cam- s Niepce passed away four years
era obscura to process pictures. Derived later, the enterprise was short in
from the Latin for dark room, this method duration but immense in historical
dates back to the thirteenth to fourteenth impact. After Niepce’s death, Daguerre felt
centuries, and was a concept that involved compelled to do his research partner jus-
the use of optical laws. As light crept in tice, so he continued to research, a fact that
through a tiny hole, an image materialized resulted in reducing exposure time to thirty
on the surface. Notably, the obscure process minutes. Four years later, much to his de-
itself was so revolutionary that it frightened light, Daguerre created a chemical process
many people, and Giovanni Battista, one of that he aptly named the Daguerreotype, a
its main promoters, was actually arrested method that quickly ensured exposure times
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 THE RISE OF PHOTOGRAPHY / JOHN GLYNN

were now condensed to a few seconds. Kodak camera with the slogan, “You push

I
the button and we do the rest” was launched
n 1884, through George Eastman and in 1889. The brainchild of the product was
the introduction of flexible film, the the aforementioned Eastman, and this was
dream of producing multiple images the one product that most definitely estab-
on light-sensitized paper quickly became a lished the art form on a global, mass mar-
reality, and in 1888 the launch of the box ketable scale.
camera changed the world of photography.
In the same year, Edward Muybridge, mo- With this worldwide appeal, a new gener-
tion photography’s protagonist and pioneer, ation of photographically enthused souls
used twenty-four cameras to capture images emerged, people intent on moving away
of a horse galloping, with each shot being from the pictorial approach and its rather
triggered by the snapping of a trip-wire lo- pliable focus. These people now desired a
cated on the course. Upon hearing of Muy- less influenced, largely individualistic style,

“Leica allowed photographers to travel where they

wished and take photos in an unobtrusive fashion,
and with this development came very real careers and
passionate hobbies.”

bridge’s sheer innovation, the University something that soon became known as
of Pennsylvania commissioned him to con- “straight” photography.
duct in depth research involving animal and
human photography, and in 1887, a report For the first time on a truly all encompass-
titled Animal Locomotion was published. ing level, photography was now seen as
Still regarded as one of the most significant a nonverbal tool capable of transcending
studies ever conducted in the sphere of pho- any barriers caused by language or cultural
tography, it contained over twenty thousand beliefs.

A
images, and stimulated by this, Muybridge
pressed forward with studies, eventually s photography grew in prominence,
launching the zoopraxiscope, a mechanism, 1925 saw the dawning of modern
which contributed significantly to cinematic photojournalism. The German in-
photography. spired emergence saw the invention of the
Leica, the very first 35 mm camera. The
The 1880s was arguably the most notable Leica was designed to produce profession-
decade in the history of photography, espe- al looking photos without the need for big
cially when you recognize the fact the first lights and tripods, it allowed photographers
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to travel where they wished and take photos 35 was the popular choice amongst the pho-
in an unobtrusive fashion, and with this de- tographical community, largely because of
velopment came very real careers and pas- the possibilities presented by the wide-an-
sionate hobbies. In addition, the rise of the gled lens. However, the late 80s saw a grad-
Leica brought another conception of sorts; ual change within the land of photojournal-
the photojournalism magazine, a refreshing, ism, a rather colourful change. Computer
artistic outlet that provided an alternative to technology was now being used to scan
photo album styled offerings. For the first film directly into the design, and by the end
time, remarkably enough, editors and pho- of the 1990s, digital photography captured
tographers began collaborating to produce the minds of people across the globe. It was
a genuine story, one that was complimented faster and more economical, it provided a
by the matrimony of pictures and words. cheaper alternative to a generation obsessed

H
by turnover.
enry Luce, the genius behind Time
and Fortune magazines, was in- In an age of instant Twitter feeds, it is easy
trigued by the concept of pho-

“From your next-door neighbor to Barack Obama, mobile

photography apps, especially Instagram, have captured the
imagination on an international scale.”

tojournalism. In November 1936, after to forget that many of the historic moments
cautious deliberation, he launched Life, a we often reflect upon were captured by the
general interest magazine merging mean- brilliance of still photography, old school
ingful writing and contemporary photos. brilliance.

W
During the devastation of World War II,
without doubt, Life was at the forefront of ith the mention of technological
reporting and providing US citizens with advancements come the focus
the most spectacular pictures possible. This on modern day photography,
was an era of sheet film, an era where, after and particularly the rise of mobile phone
each exposure, a photographer had to slide photography. Much to the dismay of some
a holder in the back of the camera. While ‘real’ photographers, from the aforemen-
the bellows-style focusing could prove rath- tioned snapshots to silky ad campaigns, mo-
er awkward, the outstanding quality nega- bile phone photography has evolved quick-
tive provided due rewards for the more pa- ly, in less than a decade. For many, the
tient photographer. phone camera is their best camera, and per-
haps, for some, it is their only camera. An
By the time of the next momentous, glob- electrical limb of sorts, many ‘cannot sur-
al-reaching conflict, the Vietnam War, the vive’ without it, the phone is as vital as the
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air they breathe. Mobile photography, also an eye, a person can share a snap of their
known as iphoneography, is all about cap- ‘devilish’ chocolate cake through Facebook,
turing those astonishing scenes: a streaker Twitter, Flickr and Tumblr. From your next-
at a sporting event; a Lady Gaga inspired door neighbor to Barack Obama, mobile
fashion enthusiast on their way to work; or, photography apps, especially Instagram,
perhaps, the face of a man just rescued from have captured the imagination on an inter-
a burning building. national scale.

Instagram, as we all know, has enjoyed un- The significance of portable photography
paralleled success, with close to 100 million apps means the art form is constantly being
users who now include some of the world’s evaluated and condemned, but where does
most prominent photojournalists. Instagram the suggestion of ‘real’ photography stem
has not just impacted the photographic in- from? At the end of the day, a beautiful,
dustry of this decade, it has shaped it. meaningful photo can indeed be a deeply

S
individual, even mercurial affair. A com-
oftware engineers Kevin Systrom and mon misconception involves mobile photos
Michel Krieger, Instagram’s innova- being no more than snapshots of every-
tors, launched the app four years ago. day life, people posting photos of their cat
In less than ten weeks, remarkably, Insta- wearing a beanie to Facebook, but so many
gram attracted over one million users. In people are doing so much more.
many ways, consumers knew the app was
destined for greatness, however, the thought A huge acknowledgement must be paid to
of capturing the hearts of countless users social platforms, because photography now
and billions of images must have seemed a has a purpose for so many people. From a
foreign concept to Systrom and Krieger. man breakdancing in a spacesuit to a truly
beautiful sunset, people have started tak-
Along with the previously mentioned ing more aesthetic photos that appeal to,
mega-app, there are hundreds available and compel, complete strangers in different
to help convert an average photo into an continents. Just take a minute to admire the
amazing photo. In an age of expensive tech- talent showcased on an online forum like
nology, these apps cost next to nothing. iphoneart.com, then, perhaps, any skepti-
This is an age where people are constantly cism will be dispelled. ♥
on the move, and mobile photography apps
like Photoshop allow you to ‘sculpt’ your
ideal image as you sit on the subway or sip John Glynn is a writer and lecturer current-
a latte at a local coffee shop. For some, mo- ly working in Dubai. He can be reached on
bile photography liberates them, allowing Twitter @Irishdawg1916
a person to embrace the creative desire that
dwells within.

Apps like Instagram have made sharing

photos utterly simplistic; in the blink of
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SILVIA SALATA

“Judging a photo is very difficult, it is like trying to judge the feelings

of others. I believe that there cannot be only objective criteria for the
evaluation of an image.”

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 TICKETS Interview with Silvia Salata

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you AN: Please tell us about your series Tickets.
from?
SS: Tickets is the name of my photographic
SS: My name is Silvia Salata, I’m an Italian project. This portfolio was made during a trip
photographer. I was born in Venice, and still in Sicily along a narrow railway gauge, the
reside here. Circumetnea, it dates back to 1895 and con-
nects Catania with Ripone. The photographs
AN: How did you get into photography? were taken inside the “littorina”, a particular
type of engine that went to replace the nine-
SS: I earned the diploma of Master of Arts and teenth century steam engines.
the subsequent certificate of Improvement and
Professional Skills at the State Institute of Art AN: What were some of the challenges you
in Venice. After five years of study, I graduated faced while producing this series?
from the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice and
specialized in photography. I approached the SS: Rain would be the biggest challenge. At
art of photography back in the 1990s, timidly, first I had planned a photo tour in which I
but with such passion––photography then be- would document all the Sicilian villages and
came my own expressive language. its inhabitants, where the tram would have

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stopped, but the heavy rain, which is rare in has captured my curiosity the most, and that is
Sicily, forced me to remain inside. But chance the man, but from an anthropological and cul-
gave me the opportunity to meet some Sicilian tural point of view.
commuters who usually travelled that route,
some of them on their way to work, others Therefore, my journey is an introspective one,
travelling from one county to another––they the pursuit of the man.
were the ones who inspired my captures. I even
included the tram conductor, he welcomed me Those who travel without encountering the
into his cabin with sympathy and kindness. other, do not travel, they just move around.

AN: If you could travel to any place in the AN: What are your influences?
world, where would it be and what would you
photograph? SS: My schooling and educational path was
crucial. Ten years of schooling in the arts has
SS: There’s really no one particular place in helped me to learn how to observe the world
the world I would go to. Every place I have from multiple points of view. I was greatly
visited during my travels has always presented influenced by the professor of photography at
me with important lessons. All my life I have the Academy of Fine Arts––he taught me a lot,
been interested in many subjects, but only one both culturally and educationally.

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One thing I found very influential was his les- AN: Do you have any projects currently in the
son on portfolios and how they should be a works?
coherent set of images created by expressing a
central idea. This is accomplished by address- SS: Yes, I’ve been working for more than a
ing what the subject is, and how the subject year on a photographic project that is related to
will contribute to the central idea to produce a books, its titled Ali Baba’s Cave.
photographic story.
AN: What is your final say?
AN: How do you capture and process your im-
ages? SS: I’ll take this opportunity for a little reflec-
tion. Judging a photo is very difficult, it is like
SS: I learned photography using analogue cam- trying to judge the feelings of others. I believe
eras and dark room printing, but I have since that there cannot be only objective criteria for
switched to digital photography. I still incorpo- the evaluation of an image. The crop, the light,
rate the same techniques I learned by spending the composition and the technique are all im-
hours in the photo lab for my current work, portant, but the picture cannot be reduced to
only now I use photo-editing programs. I think that. The photo also conveys emotion; there
the influence of analogue photography is still is a subtle line that connects the eye, the mind
evident in my work. and the heart of the photographer.

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Henri Cartier-Bresson was quite right when he See more at: http://silviasalata.weebly.com
said “It is an illusion that photos are made with
the camera… they are made with the eye, heart
and head.” ♥

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 FEATURED
NICHOLAS BELL

“On most foggy mornings I will be out on one of the local lakes in a
kayak with my camera.”

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 A MOMENT’S PEACE Interview with Nicholas Bell

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you ting up with my photography obsession and
from? introverted personality. She is also willing to
model for me in some pretty bad weather con-
NB: I am a self taught photographer special- ditions.
izing in fine art work. I began pursing pho-
tography obsessively in 2004. I was born in On most foggy mornings I will be out on one
Michigan, raised in Florida and since 2007 of the local lakes in a kayak with my camera.
have lived in Knoxville, Tennessee where I am Much of the rest of my time is spent on the
working full time in photography. Before I be- business side of photography. On a great day
came a photographer I spent most of my work- this is printing, packaging and shipping.
ing life moving from one occupation to the
next trying to find something that would hold AN: How did you get into photography?
my interest for more than a few years.
NB: The first real memorable experience I had
I have an incredible fiancé, who for several with photography was when I was in Germa-
years has been exceptionally gracious in put- ny in the late 1980s. I was in the army at the

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time and I carried with me one of those plastic anything from a picture that I’d taken, and it
throw away cameras. One morning I snapped made a real impression on me. Photography for
a picture of some tanks as they were moving me was kind of a hobby from this point on but
through a dense fog. When the film was devel- nothing I took seriously or did very often.
oped and I saw the image I remember instead
of just seeing something in the picture, I felt Several years later my mother became very ill
something, it felt dramatic and powerful. and passed away. For reasons I don’t under-
stand, I found myself in an odd state of search-
This was certainly the first time I’d ever felt ing. I just wanted to walk alone in the woods

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every day. After too much time of this I started What started as a distraction from life has
to feel very unproductive, so I thought that if evolved into my life’s work and passion.
I carried a camera with me, maybe it would
make more sense for me to be out there. So I AN: Please tell us about your work?
did, and I started taking pictures of whatev-
er inspired me. Over time, as the images im- NB: My work has a lot to do with time and
proved my thoughts became more focused, and my perception of how time passes. I love the
my reasons for wanting to be in the woods be- feeling of intense focus and how it seems to
gan to change. slow time and make everything else melt away.

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The scenes that I photograph are ones that in- portant to me as compared to the overall atmo-
spire me to slow down and connect in this way. sphere. I spend most of my time photographing
These are usually rare and fleeting moments in nature because I enjoy the solitude and it’s
that I find intensely peaceful or mysterious. where I feel the most connected and creative.

As far as subject matter, I like to convey mood I keep compositions simple. I want the viewer
in my work so I always consider this to be to be able to feel immersed in the image and
the primary subject. Whether it’s a horse, a not overwhelmed or distracted with too many
sailboat, or a tree in the picture, isn’t that im- elements.

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AN: If you could photograph anything, any- music more than anything else. I certainly
where in the world, where and what would it spent a lot of time studying the work of master
be? photographers in the beginning and still occa-
sionally do, but when I’m out photographing I
NB: Winter scenes in Norway. always listen to music. This is part of my pro-
cess and has been for years. When I’m working
AN: What or who are your influences? I don’t think about anyone else’s work, in-
stead I let the music inspire me. I think it helps
NB: I think today my work is influenced by set the mood for me and see things maybe

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more poetically. become what I envisioned. The most common

adjustments I make are to contrast, sharpness
AN: How do you capture and process your im- and luminosity.
ages?
I don’t labor too much with editing, usually I
NB: I use a digital camera and edit with very know within the first few minutes if it can be
basic software. What I do in post-processing what I envisioned, if not, then I know that I got
is very specific to each image. It really just it wrong in camera and I toss it.
depends on how much adjusting they need to

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AN: Do you have any projects currently in the exciting, there’s nothing better than finding
works? something unexpected around the next corner.

NB: Nothing specific. I don’t work in series or AN: What is your final say?
projects very often. I think that I’m too easily
distracted for that. I like to keep things very NB: My advice to young photographers would
organic and the searching aspect is something be to keep things simple and just practice. I re-
I’ve always enjoyed. For me, not knowing member reading far too much in the beginning
what I’m going to photograph keeps things about all the technical aspects of photography

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and getting completely discouraged. I was con- In my opinion there is no substitute for practi-
vinced that I would need several thousands of cal learning, so once you have a basic working
dollars in equipment, five workshops plus a knowledge of your equipment, get out there
$200 tripod if I was ever going to get good pic- and start practicing. That’s when the real
tures…nonsense. Some of the most successful learning starts. ♥
photographers use very basic equipment, some
of its even old. See more at: nicholasbellphotography.com

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 FEATURED
MIRA NEDYALKOVA

“In my images I use pain as beauty and erotica as a psychological

way of life.”
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 SHADOW SOULS Interview with Mira Nedyalkova

AN: Please introduce yourself. Where are you the main part of the process of creating images
from? I work in Photoshop. The truth is, I do not at-
tach great importance to the photographic tech-
MN: I am Bulgarian and live in Sofia. I have nique, but I do with the post processing, there-
been painting since childhood and I have stud- fore I do not define myself as a photographer,
ied at the Art Academy as a window-dresser. although I do make art photography.
At the moment I work for an Italian company
that deals with European projects. AN: Please tell us about your work and what
drew you into self-portraiture?
AN: How did you get into photography?
MN: Even though I was at one time a model, I
MN: I have always loved photography as art, was never really satisfied, I could not express
but I started with drawing and I was also was a myself in those images, but I felt that photog-
model. I began to photograph in 2007, I basi- raphy as art could have a very powerful voice
cally replaced drawing with photography. Both for me. Later in my life I gave up modeling
arts for me are very similar and interrelated, and became a model for myself. In my work I
actually I stayed true to painting because for am the photographer, the model, the stylist and

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the makeup artist. This whole process definite- or may not be.
ly challenges and satisfies me, currently half of
my work is self-portraiture and my friend is the AN: What or who are your influences?
model in the other half.
MN: I am greatly influenced by the Austrian
AN: What emotions would you like your view- painters Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. An-
ers to experience while viewing your work? alyzing their works gave me an opportunity to
know myself. I also love the work of photog-
MN: In my images I use pain as beauty and rapher Jan Saudek. He opened my eyes to the
erotica as a psychological way of life. I ex- beauty that lay inside and for the happiness we
press myself, and my intimate life in my pho- can know if we learn to accept the pain, the
tographs. When viewing my photographs you joy, the beauty and the imperfections of life as
will find beauty, life, sorrow, eroticism and a whole.
pain. I like to fuse all this into a single image,
I believe this is a way of understanding life, AN: Do you have any projects currently in the
accepting it and perhaps loving it for what it is, works?

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MN: I have many projects in my mind, some MN: Photography is not a thought, it is an in-
are a bit old and not realized for various rea- stinct, a connection with light, an emotion. ♥
sons, while others are new and maybe not clear
yet. Sometimes new ideas are replaced with See more at: http://mira-mirabiliaimages.
others, I prefer to do things spontaneously. tumblr.com

AN: What is your final say?

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