Lisa Renée's photostream

My main concentration is the Portrait. The body, the face, eyes, limbs and hair, all account for a visual language which to me cannot be described unless through a photograph. Mere words cannot explain intense themes such as confusion, grief, happiness, loneliness, despair, love, anger, acceptance, liberation... I seek out people and moments and take photographs and make pictures all in the hopes of expressing a mere one hundredth of what is possibly felt. At times, I must be admit, situations are completely falsified -- the sitter is but an actor, the environment: a visual pleasure - together they seem in perfect harmony and I cannot pass the opportunity to capture the colours, the light and the face as I see them through the ground glass.

I take photographs of people within their own environments such as bedrooms, kitchens, yards, basements, etc -- anywhere that either attracts me visually, or anywhere in which the sitter feels comfortable or feels at home. The environments in which the sitters are photographed are as important to me as the sitters themselves. What draws me to make a photograph is the very combination of sitter and environment, and always considering colour, and light. All of these elements are key to my photography and are reoccurring components on which I rely on fervently, and very much enjoy working with.

I work mainly with film. For years now, I have been working with medium-format 120 film, which is approximate three times the size of conventional 35mm film. It capture great detail, and one must use quite a large camera in order to photograph. The camera I use is completely analogue, therefore it requires me to measure the light, and place the camera on a tripod -- I don't work quickly, and most times I make a mess of things. However, the experience of working with an old camera, and most especially working with film is one like none other.

There is a profound level of tangibility that I feel is completely lacking when working with digital cameras, and pictures are never quite captured in the same way or with the same essence or quality.

Even though I use film only for my main work, I do enjoy experimenting with digital cameras. I experiment mainly with light and motion and long exposures, and this gives me great freedom and room to play.