Snapshot 69: Going Orange

From the new snapshot: "Orange"

All photos by Joana Kritiotis.

Suddenly all I saw was orange! I want to tell you here about my absolute passion for photography and playing with my mostly non-professional modelsâ¦and why suddenly almost all shoots were orange.

My photography is about portraits. About portraits and people. I'm looking for faces who want to share their stories with me and people who are brave enough to "let themselves go" with me to see what can happen artistically and photographically. The plan is: there is no concrete plan! With my camera, I just want to capture that one moment of truth in the facial expression and then present it as a true reflection of the person themselves. Because many people don't see themselves in this way. Many people think that professional photography is only for professional models, magazines, fashion, advertising, celebrities and "beautiful people".

"But I'm really bad at it. Totally unphotogenic.", I often hear as a warning just before a photo shoot. I don't believe that. That makes no sense at all, because every person has something unique to offer, both in terms of their character and their expression. That's the beauty in every portrait. My aim with every person I photograph is to tease that out and reveal it. It only takes a fraction of a second...a click.

A dominant warm color can become the perfect anchor point as a thought in the process of a creative idea for such a portrait. That's exactly what happened in my head. We had already decided on the theme for this snapshot issue a year ago: Orange. As soon as the word orange was in the room, I could see it visually, recognize it everywhere and perceive it very strongly. I took this as a creative incentive to make several series. Since then, everything with this color has automatically been mentally noted: The cloudy sky just before the sun disappears. The bright buoys in the water on every beach and in the small harbor. Oranges, mandarins, peaches and cactus fruits that can be seen on the side of every road. Calendula flowers, nasturtiums and every little flower in the gardens that was unknown to me suddenly became important and interesting. I usually look for the elements in nature or in my surroundings. I am suddenly delighted when an insect has this color on the inside of its wings as it flies by. I think about how crazy it would be if a pool or a bathtub was full of orange or carrot juice and where I could get a hundred or so cones. Can you borrow something like that for a day? Small or large (rather not so realistic) ideas: Color has haunted me and still does.

But it doesn't have to be something unusual and extremely crazy... It can also be a classic studio paper background or a foil that influences the play of light with the flashes. I picked up some sticky notes in the right color and also found some seasonal fruit on a quick visit to the farmer. It happened to be papaya time and these didn't disappoint in terms of color.

A transparent plastic plate in the same color also "crossed my path" one day - of course it had to be taken from the bulky waste. In this "brainstorming" frenzy, many ideas became clearer at some point and I collected more and more things that I wanted to use in my orange shoots.

The photo studio is like a creative arcade with your favorite toys. It's easy to play, try things out and take risks. Even if the first clicks seem static at first and sometimes even unsure because everything is new, the body and soul thaw quickly. At the same time, the technology and lights are tested, the shutter speed and aperture are set, the focus is set, the memory card is checked again to make sure it's in the camera, the music is turned up and the volume is set to a good level for dancing. A warm-up is always important for every dancer and photographer. A few minutes later, the connection is made and a wonderful creative chaos ensues. The favorite songs are now sung along. Sometimes almost as if you were at a live concert. Everything is in motion. Even the positions to get the right perspective and the desired detail become more and more skewed and crooked (and I mean that literally!). After a while, we lie flat on the floor or crawl sideways (and methodically) under tables or hang upside down on chairs. The back, thighs and arms get a real photo endurance workout in this job. I've often stood high up on a ladder or a very narrow wall, even though I wouldn't actually be able to due to my fear of heights. Feet and clothes are held by some other people to save their lives. This person is often my partner Chris, who often assists me. He has to move lamp tripods and props at the same time or pull a carpet and background a little further to the right, to the left or to the front. Just press the shutter release and the camera does it - as if the photo fairy is working her magic - it's not that simple. We had arranged to meet for two hours at the series with the wonderful Marilena (she is also a successful comedian and actress in Cyprus). We ended up shooting until late after midnight, when the third battery actually gave up and all the memory cards were full.

more info and more works by the artist:

Joana Kritiotis

More articles in the blog