Part 2 of SnappedAway In Depth Series with Mikel Berradre. We talk about his inspirations, photography masters and how living in a foreign country has influenced his work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and your photography style to our readers?
My name is Mikel Berradre, I am 30 years old and I have been living in Osaka, Japan, for the last 6 years. I love photography as well as music and film.
How did you get interested in photography? And why did you pick photography as a medium and a form of expression. Why is it right for you?
My interest in photography started at the same time as other artistic expressions like music and film, but in the case of photography it has been an on and off relationship until recently, when I picked up photography again and it has became my main form of expression. What I like the most about photography is this sense of mystery, of only seeing a little frame of the full reality and the freedom it gives the viewer (and the artist) to imagine everything else. I also love photography because I feel a lack of control that is so much obvious for me in photography than in any other art form.
How about your photography style? Can you describe your journey to where you are right now?
About my style I can say is that I like and would love to keep on playing with as many styles as I can, but I still have not reached a point where I can identify a clear style in my photography myself. When I picked up photography again some years ago I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do, basically black and white street photography with an emphasis on textures. But as much as I tried to do it, I never felt really happy with my results, so I started experimenting with other stuff. Sometimes the most interesting thing is not to achieve your goals but to find new goals that you never thought about achieving.
Do you remember your first most inspiring photographer/ photobook/ exhibition in your life? And how about other photography masters?
My main source of inspiration has always been black and white photography. I remember a few years ago I bought one of Daido Moriyama´s books, one small and printed in cheap paper that really blew me away. It wasn´t just the pictures that were amazing, it was also the way they were presented, the lo-fi feeling that emanated. Another book of that same time that really made me want to start taking pictures again is a book called Bibo by another Japanese photographer called Shindo Mariko. I felt in love with the possibilities that mixing street photography with textures and abstractions could bring. However, I think that most of the time what you like the most is not necessarily what has the biggest influence on you or your work. That´s why I think for me the biggest encouragement and in a certain way inspiration too always comes from another photographer and dear friend of mine called Rafa Zubiria, whose work is so different from what I do that always makes me want to keep on trying new things. Is an amazing gift to have a friend or a photography buddy to open up your mind and make you see things from a different perspective.
How do you work? Are you after a specific project or a single frame? Do you come with idea first or the idea finds you when you are shooting? How do you find your project ideas?
I love working on projects, and even when I´m taking pictures without a plan, I´m usually thinking about where can I fit them. Most of the time I only have a tittle or a bunch of ideas in my head for so long until I start shooting. I like the idea of letting ideas ripen in my head before starting a project, or maybe is just laziness, who knows. Most of my inspiration comes from movies and music, especially from song titles. It is amazing how a simple tittle can trigger ideas in your head.
What is your favourite or memorable project/ photo you have worked on. Why? And also what is the project you will share with us?
My favourite project and the one I´d like to share with you is called Blue Bastards, and it is the most special for me in many levels. I started this project a few years ago as a reaction to the frustration of the way my photography was turning out. It also is a reflection of my love/hate relationship with the country that I am living, with Japan. Despite all the anger and negative energy that triggered this project, I think the end result is at times humorous and even sweet.
What do you personally find challenging as a photographer?
The most challenging thing for me is to make sense of what I´m doing and coming to terms with it. Sometimes it takes so long for me to like or simply accept my work that it can be frustrating. This is something that I am still working on.
Do you have your favourite lens? Favourite camera?
Not really. As much as I love photography, I am not very interested in equipment. I own some cheap point and shoot film cameras and recently I started taking pictures with an Iphone. I´ve never felt like I can´t achieve my goals because of a lack of a certain piece of equipment.
What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a person starting as a photographer.
I´m not very good at giving advice but if I had to give one, it would be to take it easy, to build your world slowly, and not being afraid of losing time. Just be sure to be ready when the time comes. If you are like me then the “shoot, shoot and shoot more” advice is probably going to be quite useless. Though no advice is universal, this is one that I´d had loved to be given when I was starting.
If you enjoyed reading this post stay with us for more of Mikel Berradre’s photography. Also you might want to check our introduction to his work here.
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