Valentina Ilazi
In her own words, Austrian photographer Valentina Ilazi takes us through her artistic journey
I think the moment I realized I wanted to pursue a career in photography/art I knew my first step would be to move to Vienna. It’s a truly beautiful city, how could someone not LOVE Vienna?
Since I was a child there has always been a camera around. Either my dad was filming family movies, or my grandpa was taking pictures. It was fascinating!
I remember begging my dad to give me his camera so I could film my younger sister while she was playing or other relatives at family celebrations, even flowers.
When I was about 10 years old, I wanted to buy a camera with all the money I had saved. Fortunately, my parents chipped in so that I could get my first camera. I remember the day my camera arrived as if it was yesterday.
From then on, my grandpa took me to concerts of the town choir he sang in and little me took photographs of them on stage. Sometimes there were flowers in front of the stage, I loved that because it was something I could incorporate.
As I got older, I started experimenting with my sister Sara. I would tell her how to pose and what to wear.
It was when I started shooting with my close friend Johanna that we both discovered our passion for photography and modeling. It was all we did when we spent time together and still is something we love to do together.
@irisdelys and @ekki_ikke
My style is constantly changing and evolving. A few years ago, my work was very gloomy and I only used cold tones. Today I love experimenting with different colors and overall my photographs are a lot warmer than they used to be. What will never change is my interdisciplinary approach. As a dancer I try to bring some of my knowledge into the posing for example.
Another thing I really appreciate is to keep things simple and natural. I’m a very down to earth person with a strong bond to nature. I guess that’s because I grew up in the countryside. But one thing doesn’t exclude the other I also like to try more extravagant things.
This series was created on a Trip I took with ANIMA (@anima.fabrik).
ANIMA is a collective which brings young artists/art enthusiasts and experienced artists from different art forms together. Dance is the foundation on which all projects are built up on. So was this trip. We visited Carinthia and stayed at Lake Klopein. One day we rented two pedal-boats and enjoyed the sun and the water. This was when these pictures were shot.
To see more of her work, you can visit Valentina’s website or find her on Instagram at @dopedonut.
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