edited by silvia conde (silvia.conde@positive-magazine.com)
photos by iciar j. carrasco
Iciar J. Carrasco (Madrid, 1988) is a freelance photographer who is not only looking for her own style, but actually finding it. When I first saw her collection of images, her beautiful portraits quickly caught my eye. And I have recently fallen in love with the diary of her time in Berlin, a delicate project full of little everyday-life details. As you will notice, all of her photos have been taken with analog cameras, a style that makes her feel more comfortable and suggests feelings that are unachievable otherwise. I had the chance to talk to her about that and more questions around photography.
What do you do in life?
I’m a Design & Art Direction student, currently working on my portfolio at Miami Ad School. Also, I’m a freelance photographer.
When was the first time you hold a camera in your hands?
My first camera was a Polaroid and it was a birthday gift. I got it when I was about 6 years old and couldn’t stop using it. I took thousands of pictures of absolutely everything: I arranged dumb compositions with toys, asked my family to pose, and photographed them.
Then at 9 I got a compact Olympus that I always took with me everywhere. I still use it sometimes on the beach or places where my favourite one could get damaged. After that I started using digital compact ones until I got really interested in photography when i was 15.
What do you like the most about photography?
I love that, depending on the light, textures, etc… it can tell very different stories. It is also my way of capturing an aesthetic or composition or moment that I like.
All your photos I’ve seen are analog, why are you so interested in film?
Yes, thay’re all analog. I only use film cameras because that’s the style I feel more comfortable with and it adds some feeling that digital cameras, I believe, lack. Also, when using a film camera, you have to reflect more about the shot, since you only have so many pictures. So I feel like the whole process is more thought out. And I don’t really miss the instantaneous part of digital cameras -I don’t need to document my life 24h a day-.
Which do you think is the role of this kind of photography nowadays?
I think it’s growing. Each day I find more and more people that prefer film over digital quality, because it transmits in a different way or even because there’s a nostalgic fever for vintage style pictures.
Apart from the ones you have already mentioned, which other cameras do you have? Is there any interesting story about any of them you would like to share?
I have two compact cameras that I only use sometimes, a Nikon and an Olympus. Also, I have a Lomolito (one of the best presents I ever got, since it’s a very mysterious camera -it’s supposed to be disposable but you can actually reload it- and pictures come out really funny and with very vivid colors). I own an Agfamatic, a Contaflex and a Fujifilm Instax, as well, that has been the substitute for my old Polaroid.
The camera I use the most, though, is a Reflex, Canon 300 EOS. It was my dad’s but he never really used it. He only let me use it sometimes and in his presence, to make sure I was not going to mess it up. Once I started taking photo lessons it automatically became mine.
Many of your photos show your everyday life. What else inspires you?
When it comes to objects, I get inspired by very random and simple things that mean something to me. It can be because of their appereance, their material, their design. Or, when it comes to people, i get inspired by the relationship with that person and try to portray it.
Your photos also include many places you’ve been to. Do you enjoy travelling? What else do you like to do in your free time?
It is one of my favourite things to do. I absolutely love going somewhere else and getting lost in a completely different surrounding. Discovering new places, new cultures. I also love cinema, and try to go any time I’m not working or when I’m going out for a coffee or a wine. But one of the things I like to do the most when I have some spare time is cooking.
Could you mention three references you would like to share?
Sofia Coppola has always been a great reference for me. I love the way she captures moments, aesthetics and youth, she has a soft and naïve touch that I admire. I also look up to Juergen Teller’s way of mixing colors, and tones, and his capacity to always surprise you. And the Spanish Video Producing company, CANADA, which always uses soft pastel tones and sweet images.
I know lately you’ve been to Berlin, could you tell us which are your future plans?
I’ll be living in Madrid for the next 8 months until the end of September, when I’ll be done with my masters. After that, I don’t really have any fixed plans. I’d like to go abroad and work in a very different environment. Yesterday I opened a map and pointed to the places I would like to do it. Beijing, Seoul, Berlin, Montevideo or Sarajevo are the cities that appeal me the most to “try my luck”. And, obviously, to keep learning in the fields of Design, Art Direction and Photography. Develop my style more and get a lot of practice.
Flickr: Iciar J. Carrasco
Cargo: Iciar J. Carrasco
