Photos by Manuela Costa Lima
Manuela Costa Lima was born in 1983, in sao paulo, Brazil.
She lived 3 years in a farm from 15 to 18. at 16 She found out that she liked to study with her crazy physics teatcher. She lived in new zealand for 6 months when she was 17. She started her studies on architecture at 18. She stopped with architecture to study cinema for one year, when she was 19. She met Alfredo, her boyfriend, at 20. She didn’t use to like her photographs, she always got upset about that, but that she was quite a stimulus. Alfredo and Manuela are still together. She read the book invisible cities, from italo Calvino when she was 21, since than she started to search for the invisible cities through photography. She’s still studying architecture and takes photos as much as she can. next year she’ll be an architect.
1) When did you start to think about photography?
about 10 years ago, when i was a teenager and photographed my travels, my friends and my life in general, well maybe i couldn’t say i was really thinking about it, but surely it was the begining of a great passion. when i was 18 i started my studies on architecture and this led me to another thing, maybe looking to it more seriously, but that’s other story.
2) What does it mean photography for you?
once i read a quote from andre bazin that really impressed me : “the photograph allows us to admire in reproduction something that our eyes alone could not taught us to love”. that’s photography to me, looking through the lens of a camera really makes me see things in a different way.
3) Witch kind of photography do you like more?
for a long time, since i started my studies on architecture, the street photography was my favorite. somehow i forgot all the great time i had photographing friends and more personal things. it was serious work from a serious 18 years old girl. now i’m rediscovering the great fun it can be too, and i’m trying to bring some humor to my photography taken outdoors. i still love to get lost in the city and find curious and beautiful things, is just that my eyes have changed a bit since then – i don’t take myself so serious anymore, the photography can’t be taken so serious eather.
4) When you take a portrait, what is important for you?
I hardly take portraits. to me they’re the most difficult kind of photography to take. for being good they need to be true, and to be true we need a special interaction between the photagrapher and the person to be portraited. it’s not just intimancy, it’s magic. like the portrait cartier bresson made from giacometti, to me it is the most amazing portrait ever done. cartier bresson just loved giacometti, and than he made this perfect image that reflects the soul of his great friend.
5) Do you think it’s important to follow a school to learn how to shoot?
Definitely not. i believe so hard that photography is good when reflets the person’s own world that i see much more importance in getting to know who you are, what you like, what you want, than learning good techniques or references.
6) What’s the photo you want to take and you never did?
Sometimes i get really frustrated. i just see a perfect photograph and there’s no camera with me. photography is the moment, that precious moment and if i come back three minutes later there will be a completely different situation.
7) What’s your photo-mission?
That’s a hard question. i don’t know, i’d rather just keep going, living my life and let photography walk with it’s own legs. i really have no idea where i’m going to.
