Day 346: First Friday Feature: Olaia Macías

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Sep 4

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For quite some time I have been following Olaia on Instagram and again and again I am surprised and captivated by her beautiful work. With vibrant colors and beautiful stories, she has a way of telling the world a tale from her wonderful perspective. Continue reading below to hear all about her and her work.

1. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

My name is Olaia, I am draftswoman by profession and a nature lover in all senses. I am mother, I have two daughters, and I try to transmit to them the things that I am passionate about.

2. What go you started in photography?

I have always been curious about painting, writing, and the natural world. I bought my first compact digital camera and discovered that I could photograph insects with it. Over the years I changed the macro lens for stories. And now basically what I do is show my environment and tell stories.

3. Describe your workflow, what is unique about your process?

I don't have a unique work process. I take two types of photos, landscape photos, which are not usually planned, I take advantage of them when I travel, go to see the sunrise or make a trip to the mountains and on the other hand the photos that tell stories. I have a little book where I draw my sketches and when I see that the weather is favorable or I find a place that I like I take this kind of photo. Sometimes it also happens that a place inspires me to take a photograph.

4. What do you enjoy most about creating an image?

I like everything. I like having ideas that I want to do and I enjoy imagining how to do them. There are times when you can't think of anything else until you've managed to capture what's in your head. In landscape photography, trying to capture what is in front of my eyes is a challenge that I also love.

5. What accomplishment in your photography do you feel the proudest of?

There is nothing I am particularly proud of. I have a lot to improve and I try to do it every day. But I like that with the time I've been taking pictures, now it's looking more like what I have in my head and how it ends up being the picture I take. (although there are times when it doesn't happen).

6. What camera equipment do you use?

I have a canon 7d mark II; and lens a canon 28 f1,8 - sigma 35 f 1,4 - canon 50 f1,4 - canon 100 f1,8 and the one I use most is a tokina 11-16.

7. Is there a certain theme you try to express in your work? Why do you feel a need to share that? What do you hope people will take away from your images?

For me it has become a necessity and a way of expressing myself. I am not a talkative person and I communicate more easily through my photographs. In my work, above all, I would like to be able to transmit sensations. It does not have to be a positive feeling, I mean, there are times when we feel anguish, sadness, melancholy .... and it is also good to feel them.

8. Where do you find inspiration?

I love cinema, classic paintings, engravings, mythology and of course, other photographers. Now on the internet you can find a lot of inspiring images.

9. Out of your images, which is your personal favorite and why?

I don't have a special favorite, there are many that I like, especially for the way they make me feel, or what I felt at the time of taking the picture. Each photo carries a part of me.

10. What is the biggest piece of advice you have ever been given? What advice would you give your younger self, the you who has just started creating?

I don't remember one in particular, I've always been given good advice. But what I have learned over the years and what I would tell my younger self is to always enjoy what I do and not give up because things don't work out. I have learned more from my mistakes than from my successes. Learning to know yourself is a complicated thing, but you always have to fight for the things that make you happy.