By Michel Romaggi in collaboration with the author Hadi Malijani
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 22^nd of May 2024

'Melancholy I'

Dear Hadi, can you introduce yourself and tell us what photography represents in your life.  Is it a job or a hobby?

I was born in 1989 in Shiraz, near the Zagros mountain range in Iran. I am a self-taught photographer. I started photography when I was 18 years old. I shoot in one of the most stressful places on earth, and this has put many limitations on me and my work. I wish that one day the whole world will be filled with love, peace and freedom. Photography is my main profession, but I am still learning. In addition to conceptual photography and creative editing, I also do wedding photography. 

'Melancholy'

Concerning the series 'Melancholy', can you share some secrets about your workflow?

To make this series, I first photographed and collected the details in the photos according to a list I already made. I locked up myself in my house, all on my own for a month to work on the details and to farther develop the idea, completely in focus on my work. I really can’t go back to normal life until the collection of photos was finished. I literally lived with and in the photos. To create a work, it may take a lot of time between idea, its development, execution and finalization.

'Melancholy II'

For each photo, I make a basic checklist of the details, such as the shape of the sky and the ground, and details such as trees, people, birds, or any detail I think should be in my photo. I take photos carefully and patiently and save them in my archives. I mostly use daylight, a mobile photography Xiaomi  T11 pro, a Sony Alpha a7R IV,20, 35 and 85 mm lenses.

You have to be patient, bold and creative in the composition of images.

• I create the earth, the sky and the horizon, this make the world I need to realize my ideas.
• After drawing the environment and the frame, I have to start adding details, pay attention to the texture of the ground, as well as the direction of the light.
• I separate the subjects in the photos selected in my archive, from the original background so that I can better perform in combination with the original photo and other photo details.
• I use the mode change in Photoshop to combine.
• I add light and shadow, adjust the direction of the light and add areas that receive more light and directions that receive less light to the photo like a painting.  I do this in separate layers so that I can adjust the level later and change it if needed. This addition of light and shadows gives depth to the photo and has a great effect on its beauty, so I pay special attention to the light in all stages.
• I add photo details including characters such as humans and trees with their shadows to the image in separate layers for each character. Then I make all layers into one master layer.
• I import it into Camera Raw.
• I always make the colours myself and do not use colour presets and effects.

I want to be the creator of the light and colour of my world.

'Melancholy III'

All your images seem to come out straight of a dream. What is you inspiration source?

Photography has a great impact on my life. It has always been a way to explore my inner and outer world. My ideas erupt like a fountain in just an instant. Listening to silence helps me with these imaginings.

I always read about different schools of art and about social and psychology. Philosophy and the world of physics are very enjoyable for me and I am always curious about the world around me. Of course, all of these can influence my artistic inspiration. Travelling in nature and looking deeply around me can be a good source of ideas.

Sometimes, while reading books on philosophy or psychology, or poems, etc., I come to a theory or a story, and this creates a picture.
For example, I was reading Sigmund Freud’s book when I came to the theory of free association. I went to my little brother’s room and took a pencil, an eraser and a pencil sharpener. At that moment, I drew everything that came to my mind on paper, which made me make this picture exactly from that sketch.

And I called this photo Free Association.

'Free Association'

Almost all my photos have their own story. I started making this series called 'Melancholy' on request of the famous Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner.
This collection is about his trip to the Grand Canyon, which led to the creation of the series.

Thanks a lot for the precious information you shared with us, Hadi!