Interview with… Shelbie Dimond

Photos by Shelbie Dimond

Shelbie Dimond is an eighteen year old aspiring photographer. She is from a small town in south western Michigan. She goes to college for photography in Michigan but soon will be transfering to a school in California. She is beginning to learn digital photography, but her love will always be for analog.

1) When did you start to think about photography?
As a child my life ambition was to either be a photographer for National Geographic or a FedEx co-pilot. Needless to say, I am neither. But there’s always time. I became passionate for photography a little over a year ago.

2) What does it mean photography for you?
As cliche as this sounds, photography is my life. It is my being.

3) Witch kind of photography do you like more?
Between digital and analog- analog. Although I do see the benefits of digital. For me, analog just feels better. It’s more honest.

4) When you take a portrait, what is important for you?
I want the portrait to emit emotion, sometimes so much so that it seems to be emotionless. I want light ,or lack there of, to play a big roll in the portrait as well.

5) Do you think it’s important to follow a school to learn how to shoot?
Yes and no. I think that learning film processing and printing techniques is essential but if you already know your creative style it can be very hard. I know my professor and I didn’t agree on the way I wanted to print more often than not. Don’t get me wrong, I know that he just wanted me to learn how to do it the correct way, and I did learn how to do it, I just wanted my photo to look and feel different. Not necessarily have black-blacks and white-whites.

6) What’s the photo you want to take and you never did?
I don’t like to think of it as I never did, more so that I haven’t taken it yet.

7) What’s your photo-mission?
To document so I never forget. To show the world what it looks like through my eyes. To show beauty in things otherwise overlooked. To notice things unseen.