Tea Shafie is the super-tasty artist responsible of my latest release photography. She is based in Stockholm, Sweden and her work is striking, to say the less. Each of her photographs is a complete story that flirts with experimentation but demonstrates loyalty to technique as well. Her work is a reminder of how amazing and provocative life can be if it’s seen with the right amount of sensitivity.
Let me introduce her with this Maple-syrup-flavored interview I prepared.
hZ: How did you discover photography?
TS: I can’t remember exactly when I fell in love with photography or when I had my first camera. It’s always been around in a way. I think my father’s interest for photography infected me at an early age. I use to photograph a lot when I was younger, only film of course. My mum has told stories of a very small version of me running around in the woods with disposable cameras taking pictures of everything and nothing. I do remember once when I was around ten and extremely fascinated by the sun (I still am I guess). I tried photographing the sun… That didn’t go too well.
hZ: Digital or film? Why?
TS: I do a lot of digital stuff, but I have to say film. There’s just something about film… a certain rawness. I also really like the imperfections or defects that result from using old cameras or expired film. It’s like an experiment and a surprise every time a film roll is developed. And a self-made rule that I have is that I never post-process my analog photos
hZ: What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?
TS: I don’t really eat breakfast, I usually just have a cup of coffee in the morning. Not a big cereal-fan when I think of it, but when I was little I used to love the cereals that turned the milk into chocolate milk.
hZ: How do you recognize a moment that worths photographing?
TS: I like surprising myself so I try to photograph moments that surprise me, both physically and emotionally. In terms of people portraits, I’m intrigued by people’s everyday life. The personal and private, the intimate, the unusual things we don’t really notice at first glance but really reveals a lot about someone. That’s why I only photograph people closest to me. Those who trust me and can relax with me and my camera around. With that said, I don’t think or plan too much when I shoot. The spontaneous is the best ingredient.
hZ: How does it feel to live in a place in which daylight can last from 18 hours a day on mid-summer to 6 hours on winter? Is this reflected somehow in your photography?
TS: Yes, I live in Stockholm but I actually come from Umeå, a town pretty far up north and it’s even darker there during the winter (and lighter during the summer when the sun almost doesn’t set at all). But I do think it’s worse in Stockholm since there’s barely any snow during the winter to lighten up the city. Very dark and depressing mood and maybe that somehow reflects in my photos. Also, there’s barely any natural light to play with during these dark periods so I generally tend to photograph less.
hZ: Do you think your photography changes while traveling?
TS: I do take a bit different photos when I travel. The tourist in me is in charge then. But I do take more pictures of hotel-rooms or bathrooms than plain nature or city pictures. To be completely honest I try not to take my camera with me at all when I travel, especially if I’m on vacation. For me it’s more difficult to live in a moment and fully enjoy it when I have my camera with me… kinda hard to describe.. I guess that could be because I feel I have to capture moments instead of living them. That can be very stressful.
hZ: How does Flickr integrate in your workflow?
TS: Oh I’m not sure how to answer this one. It doesn’t really integrate that much in my workflow, it’s more just a forum for showing my photos and getting feedback. I like posting photos there and I really like reading comments or messages that people send to me. But there are times when I hate flickr as well. It can be abit stressful when I feel creatively dead inside, haven’t produced or posted anything there for a while and then people start asking if everything is OK. I guess I should try see it from the bright side though; it’s a way to keep me productive and on-stream.
hZ: How do you overcome unproductive periods of creativity?
TS: I can’t overcome them, they overcome me and it sucks big time! I can’t do anything about those periods, can’t force myself to produce things so what I do instead is I leave it. It might go weeks or months when I don’t touch any camera at all. That’s until I get hit by some kind of inspiration and that usually comes from other peoples creativity. Or just people and their lives. We all live interesting and fascinating lives and that can be very inspiring to me.
hZ: What advice would you give to novice photographers?
TS: Jeez, I don’t know.. I still feel like a novice myself. The day I stop feeling like a beginner is probably the day I will stop photographing. I always try to keep the curious mind alive, the drive to try new things and surprise myself. That doesn’t just apply to photography, it’s more like my perspective on life. I guess that could my advice to others as well.
Now stop reading and start admiring her work at her website teashafie.com or in her Flickr photostream.
