by Yvette Depaepe 

Natalia Baras fully enjoys the possibilities of digital photography to create her own imaginary world in many genres.  She masters photomontages adding her own vision but always based on images she took. Let's discover more about her and her work in this fine interview.

“The great city”

 
Briefly tell us about yourself, your hobbies and other jobs, Natalia
I live in Madrid, Spain. My relationship with Art started at the School of Fine Arts in Salamanca.  I studied sculpture, painting and drawing. After eight years I attended for a painting studio and got to do some exhibitions.
I am a photographer for 7 years now. When I discovered photography I stopped painting. My first camera was an analogue Olympus OM1. Then I bought a digital compact on and finally got my SLR, a Nikon D80.  Currently I'm still using it together with a Nikon D 700 and several objectives. All my works is based on photography, design and editing.
 

“autumn”

“Paintings”

 
How has your history and life experiences affected your photography ?
Which are your most important experiences that has influenced your art ?
Undoubtedly my previous artistic experiences led me to photography. In the beginning I captured family moments, travel photography, cityscapes, people before evolving to my current style.  .... evolved to my current style, assembly, provided from a photo that generates me idea. Although sometimes the idea is prior to the photo: shooting to get an image that I have in my head. I can not remember a special experience that has influenced my photography.  It is the set of experiences that make up my life.

What first attracted you to photography?
The idea of photographing important moments for their beauty, their personal significance, their impact .... to share them with others or just save them as part of my story and processing in different ways  - what was remarkable for me at that time.
 

“Alternatives.”

“at your pace”

Describe your overall photographic vision.
I like composites mainly because it allows me to "create" the image I have in mind. It is very satisfying to me when I get the picture I want and even much more when the viewers understand and appreciate what I want to convey.

Why are you so attracted to creatively edited images?
Because it allows me to add something of my own instead of just registering  what I see. I can edit an original but beautiful image and transform it in the imaginary, different from the world where it was taken.

“Futuro”

“Horizontal”

What is most important to you, the history behind an image or technical perfection?
What matters is the story behind the photo, which was the reason I took it. But technical perfection also is necessary, even essential to achieve and convey that story to others so that it get the attention of the viewers.

“Dance”

“Dancing”

 
What is usually your relationship with your subject beyond being an observer?
Actually, it is difficult to define, because it is very different for each photograph. Rather than an observer, I consider myself a performer of what I see.  What I intend is to convey my idea of what I've seen, may it be a landscape, a person, a flower or something else.
 

“hidden”

“Line and Shadow”

What is your most important advice to a beginner in creatively edited photography and how do you get started?
Photography is my passion.  My first advice is not to let anything interfere. Know your camera and before doing the job, imagine how you the result.  Think about your camera settings as diaphragm, speed, focus, and pay special attention to the composition so that you reach your target.

Who are your favourite photographers and more importantly, how has your appreciation of their work affected how you approach your own photography?
There are many photographers that I like, but my favourite is Pierre Gonnord.  Though I have little time for 1x, I really like the work of Gilbert Claes, Jacqueline Hammer and Victoria Ivanova.  But there are many more that I found very interesting.  However, I don't think they influenced my work.  They were inspiring and contributed to some of my ideas.

Are there any specific directions that you would like to take your photography in the future or any specific goals that you wish to achieve?
I really like what I'm doing, and I want to continue to increase my skills. My great ambition is to get that unique PHOTO allowing me to get an exceptional recognition.

Describe your favourite photograph taken by you and why it is special to you?
 

“the output”

This photo called “the output” is special to me, for my personal approach with the people I photographed at the time I took it.  I love the variety of interpretations that it allows: who pulls whom?  Is it the adult who pulls the child or the child who pulls the adult? Does the child want to teach something to the adult? Does the child want to take the adult closer into his world? Does the adult want to keep the innocence of the child to regain his own childhood? Each person can interprets this photo in his own way.

Is there anything else you wish to add and what do you think about 1X as a home base for your work?Photography opened many doors to my creativity.  That's very important to me.  It allows  me to express feelings or thoughts in an easy way in my daily activities without altering my my family life.

1x is a great place for photographers, the best I know, serious and committed to quality. It is an excellent place where I can show my work, get feedback and improve constantly my photography.

“the sun”

"The Apple”

“Family flamingos”