Teresa Freitas Interview
What sort of imagery are you most naturally drawn to take photos of?
I like to capture familiar motifs and then subvert them into something less tangible, making it more cinematic. I’ll be drawn by different things in different places — depends on my mood, the light, the colours, the moment, the timing.
Your photos are almost comparable to impressionist paintings, is this intentional?
It is not intentional – but it is most welcomed. This is something that happened naturally as I discovered my taste for editing and the results I achieved through that process. It was always someone else that pointed out the painterly quality in my photographs at first, which I deeply appreciated.
The exposure on all of your photos is so unique and uniform. it seems like almost everything in frame has the same exposure, as if everything is flattened. How closely do you pay attention to the exposure of your photos and is there any unique formula to it?
I’m not a technical photographer, but that awareness was developed when I was shooting film in college. I don’t think there is a unique formula, I just have a certain disposition for a certain luminosity in each tone that I try to achieve, but it will always depend on what caught my attention and what is being photographed.
In your photography, are you looking more to capture a certain moment or capture a location in a certain way?
My photography is intuitive, and not analytical. I don’t go out shooting with fixed ideas or plans (unless for brand collaborations of course). I shoot whatever my eyes are drawn to. The edit however is intentional and technical, so that “certain way” comes afterwards.
Do you see the world in Pastels?
No, but I imagine it.
What’s your favorite thing about the beach?
The sea – I like to be in the water as much time as possible!
Any good stories behind one of your photos?
Every image will have a personal story behind it – for me, they can be *good*, but not necessarily for someone else. I usually prefer that images are detached from personal stories, and let the viewer explore their own experience when they look at my images.
When was the last time you did something outside of your comfort zone?
I try to step outside my comfort zone for every new collaboration I have, testing a new creative approach. The last one was my work with Sonos, earlier this month, with a funky cinemagraph.
Do you go there more often to just enjoy a day at the beach or to take photographs?
I definitely enjoy more days at the beach than taking photographs of it
