Women in Street

Female Street Photographers

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Archives for November 2017

A Shadowy Tale of Two Cities

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A talk with street photographer Orietta Gelardin Spinola, for #SheShootsNoir, by Susana Soler

Please tell us a little about you and your background with photography.

I graduated in Graphic Design, but since my teens, when I used to follow and admire my mother’s social photography as well as one of my brother Frank’s photojournalism, I have been very passionate about photography. This passion has but increased ever since. It has increased to such an extent, that in the last few years street photography has become a way of escaping, and of isolating myself from my daily issues. The combination of my profession, my love for people and the stories behind them, or better said, the stories that I imagine. These instinctively and intuitively make me want to search for those compositions with a touch of geometry, light and shadows, which on the other hand also push me to go on and on.

 Where are you from, and where do you live now?

I was born in Madrid, from an American father and an Italian mother. At the moment I am living in Madrid but am constantly going back and forth between here and Rome.

Does your location have an affect on your work?

These two cities inspire me greatly in every other way, and therefore yes, I suppose they do have an affect on my work. They are both amazing locations for street photography, and I find they have the perfect ingredients for my way of looking and capturing my street stories.

In Rome, it goes from a tourist to a typical classy Italian lady; from a decadent building to one that is architecturally rationalist; from a dark and cloudy Mediterranean sky, to an amazing golden afternoon light. It is all there. With Madrid, it is very much the same, and also so full of wonderful, intense and intriguing stories, which I try to convey through my images.

In your photos, light and shadows appear frequently, what inspires you to achieve this aesthetic quality?

I think the two cities where I am based have an outstanding light to play with, so everything comes quite naturally and instinctively. Also I am very attracted to the different unpredictable geometrical and non-geometrical shapes that are formed by light, depending on the time of day when I am on the streets shooting. Whenever I can, I use shadows to add some mystery to the image. Somehow, it will hopefully take the viewer (and myself) somewhere unexpected.

Shadows and silhouettes are an often-attempted subject in street photography, how do you find and see shadows, and how do you make this successful?

Generally speaking, I think the use of shadows and silhouettes can add an extra bonus to the photo. They can say a lot without revealing too much detail. They may also give an overall graphic look to the image, and help emphasize the rest of subjects in the photo. In my personal case, the use of shadows and silhouettes may also very well be kind of an extension of my profession, where I am used to synthesize a message with the least and most effective elements. In my photography, I probably have this same way of feeling and seeing, where I want to show less but hopefully convey more.

You shoot in color, although you do have some photos in black in white. How do you determine which photos you process or shoot in black and white?

Lately I am in a color phase and mood, so my mind intuitively sees the stories I am attracted to in color. However, I sometimes feel that an image may gain strength in black and white. Sincerely, I have no rules on how I determine which photos should be processed in black and white. Here too, I think it is a question of gut feeling, and I am a deep believer in following my instinct.

Are there ways in which being a woman affects your approach to what you do?

Unconsciously, I think my style has adapted to the limitations of being a woman shooting on the streets, so inevitably I think my style is quite feminine. In this case I don’t mind the result, but what I do mind in a way, is that I haven’t specifically decided for it to be that way. But yes, I have probably been driven to it because of those limitations. I am an extrovert and quite impulsive, and am usually not at all scared of getting close to my subjects, but I know that the fact of being a woman, especially in this side of the world, conveys much less respect than if I were a man.

Orietta Gelardin Spinola | Instagram | 

Guest interviewer: Susana Soler

Gisela Szlatoszlavek

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Please tell us a little of your background and how you got into photography.

I’m from Greater Manchester in the UK. I suppose I have been really into street photography for around 5 years. Prior to that, I had never even picked up a camera. I have always seen myself as an artistic type of person, and quickly adapted myself to the genre. I suppose in a way my husband Craig, also a street photographer, gave me the interest to take it up, and thankfully I did. I don’t see us as his and hers (husband and wife) street photographers, as I want to be my own person with my own sense of purpose. We don’t often shoot together, normally going our own way. However, it is nice to share the same passion, and give each other advice. 

Most of your work is either from Blackpool or London, but we don’t see anything from your home town, which is a big city.  Why?

I find Manchester less of an attraction, partly because of its proximity to me, and over the years, it seems to have lost its edginess. The Manchester city centre now has become too commercial for me, while I find Central London and its surrounding areas more quirky, and London is such a vibrant city.

Blackpool just resonates a great personal love. It’s the seaside vibe, great characters, and kiss-me-quick hat style that draw me back there, time and time again again. My inspiration for that traditional seaside street scene perhaps draws from my love of the John Hinde seaside postcards, and the works of Martin Parr. 

With husband and wife photographers, has the subject ever come up about being a woman photographer, or are there anecdotes you could share?

Genuinely, this has happened a few times, we can be out and about and often bump into other photographers. Normally, if we do tend to see someone else with a camera, it’s quite easy to strike up a conversation. Normally male photographers though, and this has happened on a few occasions, tend to direct most of the conversation towards Craig. They ignore me, Craig gets embarrassed and tries to bring me back in to the conversation.  It is annoying, as you want to say “Hey, I’m here,” but to be honest, I tend to just take a few steps back and wander off into the crowd. I would much rather be out there doing what I love. 

I think we stand our ground as female street photographers, and certainly have a good pedigree of historic female street photographers in our collective portfolio. Vivian Maier, Shirley Baker, and Jane Bown to name but a few. I could go on, as the list is endless. 

Tell us about your projects.

My most recent project started out with street portraits and candids, looking for beautiful characters with stories behind the eyes. Every face has a different twinkle or wrinkle. I find I’m often drawn to people who are older, their faces seem to have so much character.  Lately I have refocused and renamed the street portrait series “Dogs and Us Brits,” as I always find that dogs play a big part in everyday street life. So I thought combining the two—street portraits and dogs—would make a great ongoing project for me. Whenever I am out, I always love getting down low to capture moments and expressions from our loyal companions. Many of these dogs have just as much expression as their owners. It’s not always easy to capture the dogs, as they have a habit of being overly inquisitive– my lens has acquired plenty of drool in the process! 

Gisela Szlatoszlavek

@womeninstreet Stories in Milan

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For this edition of @womeninstreet Stories, we meet Fabrizia Ascatigno, find out her street philosophy, and what it is like shooting in Milan. In Part I, Francesca Magnani asks Fabrizia some questions (this was a live broadcast.)  In Part II, we accompany Fabrizia in action near Fondazione Prada.  Taking photos, more conversation, and a stop in a local cafe for some good Italian coffee with dessert. 

 

 

Synchronicity

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 Street photography gallery from @womeninstreet, curated by Tara Wray
 
Julia Coddington
Eleni Ioannidou
Kathleen Bridget Austin
Marie Dailey
Giulia Thinnes
Marisa Popovic
Birka Wiedmaier
Melissa O’Shaughnessy
Monserrat Orallo Alvarez
Orietta Gelardin Spinola
Garyfalia Dimopoulou
Rebecca Weston
Sally Ann Field
Maria Maza
Leslie Granda-Hill
Elisa Tomaselli

Curator: Tara Wray

Regina Lafay Bellamy

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Please tell us a little of your background, and how you got into photography.

It all started with an old hand-me-down Kodak Instamatic my mother gave to me when I was 11 years old. I was addicted immediately. I’d spend any money from chores or birthdays on film and processing, just taking photos of friends and everything around me.

I lived in Southern California until my teens, when I moved to the Vegas area to be with my mom who had remarried. My real father was abusive. When she realized how much I enjoyed taking pictures, she asked if I’d like to join the camera club she was in. She figured if I was going to take so many photographs, I might as well know how to do it right. At 17, I joined The Nevada Camera Club, and bought my first “real” camera, a Pentax K1000. Here I captured my mom in action as she photographed a model for the Nevada Camera Club monthly competition.

I also began modeling, but found I enjoyed taking photos of my model friends even more. Eventually, I took a class in college to learn processing. After a few years of working in photo labs, I began toying with Photoshop, which lead to a career in digital photo editing. 

When did street enter the mix for you?

When I was 22, I was in a car accident which triggered fibromyalgia and depression. It took years for a diagnosis, and I continued to work as much as I could. One day, while working in production and imaging for a large media company, I had a breakdown. I was out of work for weeks on end and back in therapy. When I finally tried to go back to work I just couldn’t cope. I filed for partial disability and got it.

I was able to work freelance for a different publisher, doing the odd photo shoot here and there. But eventually that work dried up and I became even more reclusive. As it turned out, I also had/have generalized anxiety disorder. (A result of my father’s abuse, no doubt.) And it was at an all-time high.

I spent my days doing digital art and chatting with people online. It was easier than going out. And that’s when I met and fell in love with a fellow artist through Facebook, a British sculptor living in the English Riviera. In August of 2009, he insisted I come and stay with him,  and despite my anxiety, I jumped at the chance to do something new with my life.

 

Because things in this part of England are so close together, everything is walking distance. And it isn’t 118 degrees in the summer!  We were outside every day taking in the sites and doing the shopping, etc. No more jumping in a car and driving to a store and then getting lunch in the drive-thru. Naturally, as a photographer, I was visually documenting it all for my friends back home to see. Nick and I married and I became a permanent resident. As time went on, I began to notice I was photographing more and more people in their daily activities. I enjoyed these images so much that I researched the genre, which up until then was unknown to me. I was delighted to see so many styles of street photography, and how popular it had become. From that moment on I couldn’t go outside without observing the people around me, rather than hiding away in my own anxiety ridden bubble. I was actually seeing other people, and sharing a small moment in their stories. Now, even if I don’t have a camera with me, I am tuned in. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to switch it off. 

Do you think there are advantages in being a woman street photographer?

I do feel being a woman street photographer has the advantage of societal trust in the female. Women are thought of as less threatening, whereas a man photographing strangers, especially women or children, will put people on high alert. Don’t get me wrong, I get the odd glaring stare as well, but I would wager it is much less often than I would if I were a man. It’s yet another example of how men and women are stereotyped. It just happens to go in our favor in this aspect. It allows us a bit more freedom in who or what we shoot.

A few years ago I decided to take a more professional approach to my street photography and re-brand myself. I thought about the many women authors who use initials in order to avoid judgement about being female. At first I was reluctant, but eventually I did change to RL Bellamy, rather than Regina Bellamy. It had a nicer ring to it anyway. It’s sad that in this day and age we still have to resort to such games, but I find it does go in my favor. My theory was proven soon after, when I had an exhibition in a local gallery. Another photographer saw the poster for the show and asked the gallery owner who the “guy” was. 

Dogs are a recurring theme in your photography, what can you tell us about that?

All my life I have had dogs as pets. The bond only got stronger as I got older, and at some points in time I’ve had five dogs at once. When I moved to England I was forced to leave my beloved miniature pinscher with my ex-boyfriend. I missed him, and still do, every day. Luckily, England is a dog loving country, and in this area you will find a plethora of dogs everywhere and anywhere you go. Since I no longer had a pup of my own, I found myself photographing other people’s dogs whenever I went out. They are such characters, and they way the interact with the world around them is fun to capture. Some people may  not see the personality in animals, but for me it is just as obvious as it is in humans. Recently we got a puppy. He’s taking up a lot of my time but I am thrilled. I think when I start shooting again, having him with me will be an even bigger advantage to my work. People are absolutely in love with this little guy. They’ll be looking at him, not at what I’m doing. 

Regina Lafay Bellamy | Website |  Instagram |