Irony by Marta Gonzalez
On a hot summers day, this past August, it was refreshing to sit in the Starbucks cafe across the street and chat with Marta Gonzalez.
Marta is the overall winner of the 2018 IPS photo exhibition for her photograph “Irony”.
Qn: Tell me a little about yourself and how you started on this photography journey.
Marta: I was born in Madrid. Photography is something that has interested me since childhood. I started with film and when I was in university, I had my own dark room and went for photography classes.
Qn: Congratulations on winning best picture in the 2018 IPS photo exhibition. How did you capture the shot?
Marta: It all came as a surprise. I had recently moved here from Belgium, feeling a little lost. Then the Leica shop did a treasure hunt. They lend you a Leica camera for the weekend, since I’d never used a Leica before, I thought it would be fun. I was given a list of things to photograph. I got a little frustrated on the treasure hunt because I didn’t get the photo that I wanted. I didn’t know the city so I just walked aimlessly. While looking for the other ten things on my list, I saw this poor guy in a wheel chair with a big war chariot and horses behind him, with stairs ahead, he couldn’t move – completely blocked. It was a moment!
Qn: What genre of photography suits you best?
Marta: People. I love people. I am shooting a project in Ward 8 and I get a thrill from taking pictures of people on the street because you never know what you will encounter or how it will turn out. I want to capture the soul of a person in each photograph, a meaningful moment in their lives.
Whenever I’m doing something with the camera, no matter what it is, I love it.
Qn: You recently had an exhibition in Belgium. Could you share what is was about?
Marta: “Europeans” – that was the title. I took a series of portraits of European Union staff, from all the member states. I was interested in what it means to be uprooted. How they experienced being expatriates, leaving family for a life in another country. I also wanted to know how multicultural families raise children while juggling two or more nationalities at the same time. It was a representation of staff at all levels of the organization. I wanted to show XXI century Europeans who cohabit in the one place: the capital of the European Union. My project idea was accepted and at the end we had an exhibition in the Berlaymont headquarters of the Commission.
Qn: Which photographers inspire you?
Marta: There are many photographers who inspire me, depending on what I am working at the time but I’m still finding myself. For this last project I was influenced by Richard Avedon and perhaps Henri Cartier-Bresson, with all the distance that separates me from these great photographers, obviously.
Qn: Black and white or color?
Marta: Both but mostly black and white. I shoot color if it adds something to the subject.
Qn: Any quirks in your photography pursuits?
Marta: Photography is subjective, you never know whether you’ve done a good job or not. As a result I’m never sure of myself, I’m never happy with my work – I second-guess myself. It’s a constant battle and yet because of that I find it even more intriguing.
Well, Marta it was nice chatting, congratulations again and I wish you the best with all your upcoming projects.
