JENRIKS24hphoetry

Our first featured photographer with the newly launched design is Catalan, named Marta and editor of the quite famous photoblog www.marta.com. We’re glad she answered our questions!

Who are you?

I’m still learning that ;) I’m Marta Barceló. I am Catalan, born and raised in Catalonia (Spain) and went to university in Germany, living 7 years in the Mannheim-Heidelberg area. I always wanted to go into the arts so photography is really a passion. I have my degree in Computer Science so I am making up for lost time! I do have a degree in Piano too but it’s not really the design type of art I love doing now. I also love raising my three children and being able to take pictures of them and all their moods and faces. I can work from home so I get to be with my kids all I want. I do get to do photography and design for work like advertisements but not as much as I’d like.

How did you get interested in photography?

I guess I’ve been surrounded by cameras my whole life. Even my grandmother who is now 91 still takes her old film compact camera with her everywhere. My dad was the one taking the pictures when I was little. I wasn’t very happy about having to pose for pictures though. I still don’t. It turns out I needed to be on the other side of the camera. Now both my mom and dad run around with cameras all the time. I guess it’s in the family :). When I was about 8 or 9 I got my first compact camera as a gift. It was a Kodak that I carried with me whenever I went on school trips. I remember most pictures being blurry but I still have them all in a box. It wasn’t until much later though, around 1998, that I got my first SLR camera, a Nikon F70. That’s when I got hooked.

Are you somehow a trained photographer or rather an autodidact?

Completely autodidact although I wouldn’t mind taking some classes. My little brother Marc studied it and he did answer my questions in the beginning so I didn’t start completely cold. But I like figuring it out on my own and I know I still have a ways to go.

Analog or digital?

Digital, without a doubt. It gives me the freedom to shoot and see right away as many shots as I want. For some it might take “the magic” away, but not for me. Analog is a black box and I would have a hard time switching back. I shot exclusively film and slides for 6 years and then 2003 I slowly switched to digital. First I used a Sony compact camera that frustrated me a lot because of its lack of response (focus and speed) which prompted me to get the D70, my first digital SRL. That was a dream come true! Being able to take as many shots as I wanted without feeling bad was what I needed. At the time I was taking a lot of pictures of my baby girls and believe me, analog would’ve been expensive! Then the camera started failing on me on a US trip (exposure problem with the green blinking light, apparently a defect that one series of the D70 had). The camera died for good right at Niagara Falls! I wasn’t happy about that, believe me. Once I got back home I got it fixed but I didn’t trust it again. So I went straight to the D200, my current camera, because I figured a better model would let me avoid another vacation photography nightmare!

Black and white or color?

Both have their place but if I had to choose it would be color. I do appreciate B&W photography but for myself I would rather work with colors. I just feel better with it.

3 photographers you adore.

Since I’m still learning I try not to focus on any one photographer so I can learn many new styles. You could say I’m a fan of photos and not of photographers. Even some of the regular photographers I watch have pictures I don’t like and some photographers whose stuff I never liked might suddenly have a shot I think is amazing!

What would be the motive of your dreams?

Children portrait photography is one of my favorites so I guess I do have my motive right at home. It’s also good that the children are so used to the camera that they act totally natural around it. Posing a child usually doesn’t work. I also love landscape photography although I find it really hard to capture it sometimes, like the Grand Canyon. I’m really impressed when I see landscape pictures that capture the magnificence of the place. I also can’t resist sunsets and waterfalls. Another thing I really like is taking pictures at junk yards. One of the places I still remember being lots of fun was the Huckberry Gas Station on US Route 66. Too bad it was during my analog times and I couldn’t take as many pictures as I would’ve liked to. Another one I loved was the Miracle of America Museum in Polson, Montana: old abandoned cars, weird metal structures, overall a very photogenic place.

What inspires you the most when you are taking photos?

I take pictures of pretty much everything and all the time. I guess I’m taking photos in my head even if I don’t have the camera with me. I keep looking for motives and framing scenes with my eyes. I really love photography so it doesn’t take me much to get inspired!

Do you have a special ambition with your photography?

I have used my pictures for ads, posters, roll-ups and postcards to market work stuff. The pictures were published in international magazines and that was already something I am really proud of! But I guess I really still want more from the art world. For instance, I would love to get good enough to show my work at an exhibition and maybe publish a book, calendars or something like that. At the moment I’m enjoying being a photoblogger :)

Marta, thank you very much for answering our questions! We are very happy to have you here as our 15th guest photographer!

Thank you for having me here. It was my pleasure! Keep up the good work guys!