URBAN COLLECTIVE
Anastasia Melidis
Interesting……… as I would always say my cameras and android phone, however on close introspection I would never give up on the love and support of those people who made my journey into photography an unforgettable one.
- Answer to: What's something in this world that you could never give up.
Questions asked: Apart from photography, what is your other life? How long have you been doing this?
How did you find your photography feet? How long have you been doing this? Do you have other photographers you love? Why? What attracts you to the street and street portraiture? Anything else you would like to add about yourself?
As an 11 year old my fondest memory occurred when my best friend asked, “what do you want for your birthday”. I aptly replied, “a camera”. Although my earliest memories where of innocence with a new toy, I loved taking pictures with that camera and never looked back
My first camera was a Kodak instamatic film camera 110. With its proportionate format, I enjoyed taking those family happy snaps as a child. It was until I reached my twenties did I take the medium serious enough to purchase my first Pentax K1000 camera and enrolled in a part-time course in B/W film developing. I was hooked and like that 11-year-old child, I knew I had a connection with the art of photography.
Years later, in the late 90’s whilst working as an Accountant during the day, I studied at night for 4 years the diploma of photography at Sydney S.I.T in Ultimo. I lead a double life some would say. I thought of that period of my life as a building block for my temperance and patience albeit perseverance today.
I worked in travel photography overseas as well as weddings in Sydney in the early naughties’. During my return to Sydney, I would catch the train each day into town wondering why am I still working in an office in front of that computer analyzing data. What the ….? Another lightbulb moment occurred when I turned to phonography on my trips into the city. My boredom was prevalent on those trips so I made use of my android phone along with a few apps, took street photography into a space I enjoyed. While I love the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Dorethea Lange, phonography provided the spark I needed to re-connect with the medium again. Studying the old masters, their use of light and film, I wanted to re-create their style for our modern times.
My bias towards B/W photography is prevalent in most of my work however when I hit the streets and drawn to that somewhat distant flame of colour, I decide “yes” this is best as is.
I am drawn to the unknown, to the people of cities that frequent them. Whether the desolate or beauty of humanity, being in the midst of that tragedy or celebration, this is life. It is all intuition, instinct and perhaps a little planning. A moment in time I can bravely concur and when light, subject and story teller align at that particular moment, I have captured that image you can look and reflect for a while and perhaps see your own story in my images.