Isabella Bubola is a photographer, illustrator and graphic designer from Pula (Croatia). In 2015 Isabella graduated from the Academy of applied arts in Rijeka (Croatia). Her photography is strongly inspired by dreams, colors and the surreal.
Thanks, Isabella Bubola, for accepting our invitation. Please read on…
Could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Isabella Bubola and I’m a photographer, illustrator and graphic designer from Pula (Croatia). I majored in applied arts in 2015 from the Academy of applied arts in Rijeka, focusing on applied graphics. I am a daydreamer with a strong feeling of wanderlust whenever comes summer.
How did Photography happen to Isabella?
I’ve always been a kind of archiver, I wanted to preserve things, memories, and feelings. It started with drawings and diaries, all carefully dated, and that clearly led to my fascination with photography. I purchased my first digital camera at the age of 11; it was a lightweight toy-like camera without a screen, but it was everything I needed to document my life. I didn’t have any plans, nor was I thinking much about photography – I just kept on shooting and enjoying every moment of it. Looking back, I can see how practicing with a toy camera was also a good way to develop my skills. I had to calculate the approximate distance from the subject and discover compositions and lighting by trial and error.
How would you define your style of Portrait Photography?
I think of it as emotionally strong. It invites you to be curious.
Such grace and elegance in your portraits. Few words, please?
What I think resonates with people most about my work is the sense of calmness. That comes from another side of my personality that is most visible in the way I express myself visually because I’m a rather friendly, loud and talkative personality. I also like to make people feel comfortable in front of my camera when I’m taking their photo – I need them to feel they can express themselves freely and without judgment. That’s when the magic happens and that’s why there is grace and elegance – because the person in front of the lens felt equally confident and vulnerable.
How do you make those scintillating moments with dreamlike tones?
By carefully choosing the light and the mood I want to portray. Since I work in colour, light plays a huge role in the colours and the overall mood of each image.
What is the best compliment you received so far?
It’s incredibly honouring when someone tells you that they have started photography because of your work. That makes me really proud and I consider it the best compliment. I also must admit that I was included in a group exhibition that had Peter Lindbergh (one of my favourite photographers) on the jury. He was so kind complimenting my self-portrait photographs that were exhibited on that occasion.
Who are you when no one is looking at you?
A lazy cat covered in heaps of fluffy blankets (but that’s who I am even when someone’s looking).
Which photographers have inspired you?
As I have mentioned above, Peter Lindbergh has always been an inspiration, as well as Tim Walker and Francesca Woodman. I am also inspired by the photographer Elizaveta Porodina and David Uzuchukwu, whom I had the pleasure to meet and photograph last summer. I think all of them capture a unique sense of intimacy with their subjects. Even when you are taking self-portraits, it’s a challenge for the artist to take a photo that is intimate, as well as for the beholder to feel that intimacy.
What camera do you use the majority of the time?
It’s a Canon EOS 600d, with a convenient screen that can be flipped, so it’s a good choice for self-portraiture.
Favourite music?
I love a lot of different music, from hip-hop to rock, but I’m mostly in the mood for a trip-hop. I’ve had the opportunity to see Massive Attack and Morcheeba perform live twice, and I hope I’ll get the chance to see Portishead and Lorde too. Currently, I have XX’s ”Intro” on repeat!
Apart from photography, tell me about your hobbies and interests?
Reading, writing, working out, spending time in nature, with my cats, and with friends. Traveling whenever I can. I also spend at least half an hour every day drawing, be it quick sketches of people I see on the bus, comics or finishing some pieces. Luckily, I have friends who draw as well – so as soon as spring comes, we like to find a cosy spot and chill together while drawing.
Any final thoughts for our readers?
There is always a better version of yourself that you can become.
You can find Isabella Bubola on the Web:
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted Isabella Bubola. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
