Silhouette Photography
| Last Updated: August 13, 2014
This showcase series features the photography of Nuno Moreira.
Nuno told us how he got started in photography:
It’s hard to remember the exact moment of starting to use cameras to photograph and express myself. Since a very young age I always had an enormous interest in cinema, drawing and nature. Literature and music also played a big role (and still do) having an enormous impact on the way I relate with the world.
Being an only child and kind of an isolated person by nature these were my main sources of interest and therefore helped me to discover and comprehend my interests. Cinema turned to be my main source of study which I went to learn in university and afterwards to teach in some schools. Literature and writing is of course the starting point for any project, and something I still use as the first approach to anything I do, both before shooting and even sometimes afterwards, to gather thoughts and impressions.
I guess photography turned to be the main choice because it’s something I can do most of the time by myself and have control over the entire process of what I wish to convey. My approach to photography tends to be something of a personal research in itself, so I tend to create sufficient time to read, investigate and trace back emotions on a deep level before actually shooting.
Can you tell us more about this State of Mind series?
The “State of Mind” series resulted in gathering photos taken on various places on the road. This project, unlike any others I did before, came to me in a much surprising way as I was organizing my personal archives. I started noticing that there was a visual pattern in all these pictures from cities and strangers I met while traveling. This most evident pattern was that I was capturing people while they are somehow off-reality, lets say disconnected from what’s around them.
I noticed that I had a vast amount of pictures of people isolated, or in some process of transition but always pretty much stuck in their own personal minds, having what I later started calling “the thinking moments”. When someone is on their own thinking there’s this particular poetic quality about their atmosphere, I was fascinated by that sense of individuality and style and that’s how this series was born and jumped into the construction of a photobook, for I felt this was the right project to see in physical terms, by holding a book in your hands and taking the necessary time to see the details in the photos.
At the present moment I’m writing and working on a new series, which although will be very different from “State of Mind” it will continue the same topic into researching what it mean to be lost in thoughts. It’s always a thrilling experience to initiate a new projects, so I hope to start shooting soon and lets see how that will grow.
What equipment do you use for your photography?
I get asked these kind of technical questions a lot, and although I understand the interest I think that equipment is by far the most uninteresting and important aspect of any work. I mean, when there’s something that needs to be said or expressed the means to do so can be quite irrelevant. Of course I think on how to approach photo projects and what equipment to use but that’s mostly from the point of view of what the “story” will require.
Usually I tend to shoot black and white film. I feel more comfortable and “at home” with black and white images and the process of working with film. I also do a lot of experiences with dim light for that reason I use prime lenses with apertures around f/1.2 ~ f/1.8. For other projects shooting digital is also convenient but I tend to get distracted by the result instead of forcing myself to create and visualize an image I’m not sure how it will turn out. I prefer of course being surprised, I believe that’s what every photographer is looking for… this sense of the medium adding a layer of mystery you were not expecting.
Nuno’s book is available to ship worldwide via nmphotos.org, you can also see a video about the State of Mind book on Vimeo.
Photophique has express permission to publish these images and Nuno Moreira retains full copyright to all photographs featured in this showcase series.
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