Interview by Editor Michel Romaggi  in collaboration with the author Anja Diabaté 
Published the 14th of May 2021

'The Peacock'  series

Anja creates quite original portraits. She magnifies very beautiful faces by drowning them in colourful decors.  In this particular one titled 'The Peacock' which is part of an outstanding series,  a magnificent face profile melts into a sea of peacock feathers.
I was triggered to learn more about Anja's source of inspiration and how she succeeds to make these works of art.  Thank you for answering my questions.

 
First of all, where do you get the idea of mixing faces with these varied and colourful decors?
I think it´s a mix of different aspects. But it certainly is also a development process that is constantly evolving.  To start, there is always a concept for every series that I create. By that, I mean carefully considered and worked out motifs that differ from one another but never get lost in the entire series.

The next factor is inspiration. To me, everything is really inspiring and a source of sensory perception.  I can explain it as another world. If you see it and allow it, it is filled with infinite things. Full of colours and shapes, light and shadow, soft and hard, happiness and sadness.

As an example: umber, gold, the blue hour, gentle rays of light, affect, contrasts, the shadow of a chair, the drops of water on the freshly washed tomato, the sea, a conversation, a view, the word, march to a different drummer, reflections in a glass of water, art, lines, the surface of a stone, the smell of earth, music in all its forms, eyes, a dream, nature, animals, crying, purple, bright startling light, experiences, colour between the fingertips, the taste of a fruit, the movement of an octopus, coral red, a book, walking barefoot, cold and warm, dancing, painting, the shape of a leaf, laughing, feeling …

 It also is about intuition.  I always try to trust mine. Then my feelings are the compass that guides me. This allows my creativity to develop. 

 
How do you choose the faces?
My two sons can be seen in my images. They are my faces. It is a unique collaboration for which I am very grateful.

'The Leopards'

To fully answer this question: for me, every face is beautiful and every face has or can show a deep charisma if the person allows it.  It is my job to convey deep feelings to the outside world.
I will choose a face according to - whether it fits into my overall concept or - whether I have the feeling that I can create real images of the soul from that person.
It takes a lot of effort to develop and photograph an artistic series, so I have to be very confident.

 
How do you decide the decorative environment you choose?
I select the decorative environment on one hand while I am developing the concept and on the other hand while editing the image. So there are always two steps.

The development of a concept means first of a specific topic.  I will take the peacock series as an example.
I make sketches of the set, poses, and expressions.

This part begins with a large number of questions:

* how would I like to show the merger of human and animal in an artistic framework,
* how does this animal behave, what colours and shapes do I find in its plumage,

* how does this animal feel, what posture does it have,

* how do I find the right expression for my model what supports the image statement, * how can I paint the peacock aesthetically on the face,

* how much time do I give myself to paint the make-up,

* how can I create my own peacock, which colours I use, what can I use later in image processing, for example, gold reflections or sequins, do the sequins fit or are they in the overall composition possibly disturbing,

* how do I create the eye so that it gets artistic support to look,

* how exactly should the background look like,

* how do I create an expressive, unique and touching image,

* how do I create new motifs in the same series?

When I´m working on a concept, I also clearly see the series in my mind. That´s a huge advantage and so incredibly exciting for me. Nevertheless, I need to give space to the unexpected during the concept phase and also during the shoot. This creates wonderful opportunities that are a total enrichment.

Then the practical implementation begins. Where do I get hundreds of peacock feathers, how do I attach them so that an appealing background is created, which colours do I need for the make-up, which brushes, special accessories, how are the neck and chest made up, different backgrounds?

I really enjoy it.  I try to build up as much as possible in the set. For the peacock series, I got the fabric of mosquito nets because they have very small openings and I put every single peacock feather into them so that a large peacock wheel was created. I attached that to my black background. After photographing the series, I removed the background and draped it around the model. A few images were taken like this, for example, this one. I really like it a lot.

The second step is image editing. To start, I need a special feeling, a certain atmosphere, otherwise, it doesn't work.  It has to be an absolutely coherent and creative moment for me.  I can say that I usually need about four hours for one picture and I don´t even notice it.  This creative process is pure enjoyment for me so that I forget time and space.  During the image processing, I give the image a further artistic touch, such as details, shapes, colours, light, shadows, and brilliance.  Only when I am completely convinced of the overall composition, my work goes public.

Thus, a series that has already been photographed ultimately emerges over a long period of time. Sometimes I edit images from series that I took a few years ago. I need a feeling of deep intimacy for every image to get involved and to create something artistic.

How do you make them technically? Which camera and which lenses do you use?
What lighting did you use for this one in particular?
I always work with my Canon 5DSR but I would love to have a Hasselblad and hopefully that won´t take too long.  In the peacock series, I used two lenses, a 24-70mm and a 100mm Macro.  I'm working exclusively with natural light and have a golden reflector.

I used the macro lens for this motif. I changed my lenses during the shoot so I´ve used both once.  I really didn´t have to make a lot of technical efforts for this series.

To end this interview, dear Anja … can you tell us something about yourself and your photography practice?I'm living in Hamburg, Germany with my family and work as an artist.  I love to work artistically and that´s where I found my passion.  Not only does it make me feel good, but it also nourishes my soul. Furthermore, I allow myself to be free in my art and take the time with my art and to take the time it needs to create something new.

It was an honour for me to answer your questions and I want to thank you warmly, Michel. 
Also big thanks to Yvette and to the 1x community for this opportunity!