Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Ribeiro-Austrich.
Natasha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Miami, FL and was always a pretty creative child. I started collecting analog cameras when I was 12, my first camera was a Canon AE-1, and it all kinda grew from there. I fell in love with photography, and cataloging moments and then decided I wanted to study, and eventually devote my life to film. I moved to Los Angeles about a year ago and I’ve been a working photographer since!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely been a confusing journey to get to where I am today. I think the biggest thing personally was getting to the point where I really believed in my work regardless of public opinion. As a relatively introverted human being it was already hard enough stepping out of my comfort zone to reach out to creatives I’ve never met before in hopes of possibly collaborating.
The next issue I faced was having to share my work. Once I felt comfortable sharing my work I then became obsessed with feedback. I started to take public opinion personally and started valuing my work with how well people were reacting to it. I soon realized it was affecting my creative process because I then started creating with the intent of validation rather than creating off my own inspiration.
I know the conversation about social media’s mental effects is becoming more widespread but Instagram as a medium is changing the way people create art. More and more artists, myself included, are falling to the trend of creating art people want to see. It’s important to analyze art we need to create versus art we seem to create when it’s all for popularity. It is important to not lose touch with yourself and your creative spirit to social media.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a photographer specializing in film. I know that film kinda has this pretentious connotation to it, but I like to use film for the process. Using film forces you to slow down and pay a little more attention to every frame because you only get so many. I owe my aesthetic as well as my patience to analog film.
I try to use my camera to share my own personal take on the female gaze and make it a point to connect with as many female creatives as I can. I try to use my work to help women share their interpretations of themselves and the world through the photos that we create together. The female form is a common theme in my work because I try to give women the opportunity to reclaim expression of themselves.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future is to grow with my art! I want to figure out what message I want to convey with my work and start to apply what I’ve learned visually with a larger meaning.
Some (completely random) themes I hope to further explore with my photos in the upcoming months are the human form in nature, our relationship with empty spaces, and the small moments of solitude we get in our day to day experience.
As far as upcoming projects go, I have two coffee table books that I’m working on! One is exploring women through the color red. Red is my favorite color and has meant so much to me throughout my life. Red is also a passionate, powerful, intense and loving color much like a woman. And the other is a book of photographs of classic cars around Southern California.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nrafilms.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/natribaus/
Image Credit:
Natasha Ribeiro-Austrich
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