Emma Louise

PHOTO . April 1st, 2013

Interview of Emma Louise – photographer born in Portland, Oregon, in summer of 1990.

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Where are you right now ?

Sitting on a tiny floral couch in my studio apartment. Soft morning light is glowing through the window and onto my skin. Coffee cup in hand.

What is your equipement ? and why these cameras ?

I use a clunky old Minolta SRT-200 (mainly for sentimental reasons), but have just recently upgraded to an Olympus OM-1. I like manual film cameras because I have a lot of control over light and focus. Also, I need a camera that understands my color sense.

Can you tell us more about your trips and how you got to these amazing lookouts ? [see images below]

I always feel restless and crave to see new places. I like road trips and adventures and am constantly searching for things to inspire me. You can rent out old fire-lookout towers that are no longer in use from the National forestry website. It’s awesome because they are in really remote places, away from any fluorescent city lights. I have never seen the stars any brighter than when I slept in those lookouts.

How is it to live in Portland ? Is it a good city for photographers ?

Portland is great. I like it because it is really close to so many beautiful places. You can hop in a car and be at the ocean or the mountains in just a few hours. There is also a really great community in the city, everybody seems to know one another. Most of my friends are artists or musicians, which is something that is really inspiring to be surrounded by.

Where do you prefer to walk ?

Forests, beaches, caves. I like walking at nighttime, beneath moonlight.

Do you have specific projects at the moment or for the future ?

I mainly take photos as a sort of record for myself. It is a way for me to capture memories and people and beautiful light. I do a lot of drawing and painting as well, so I would say that is my main focus. At some point I want to publish a book as a collection of my photos and drawings and little poems.