Misma Andrews

Interview of  Misma Andrews – photographer born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1981.

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Where are you right now?

Actually i’m trying to write this at work in the middle of a busy saturday night shift (i work in an independent film-store in the heart of aro valley) so yikes – you’ll have to forgive me if my answers are a little distracted…it’s taken me literally half an hour just to get this one sentence typed – but it’s my only chance to write for the next few days!

Tell us the background of this picture [see above]

It was taken one night when my boyfriend’s brother was visiting from australia, we made a picnic dinner and a thermos of tea and bused to the only beach i know of in wellington where you can have a fire and not get in trouble… our fire was nothing compared to the magnificent fire these drunken boys were having though!! they had gathered up nearly all the wood on the beach and looked quite prehistoric sitting in their cave! which is why i called it cave of forgotten dreams.

What’s your equipement ?

Well i have quite a few cameras that i use – my favourites are an old zenit and a medium format reflekta, they both have a wonderfully nostalgic quality about their pictures, but both are pretty tricky in terms of simple things like focusing. then i have a reasonably fancy nikon with fantastic features like autofocus but something about the pictures never feels quite feel right. i wish i could combine all the things i love about each camera into one super camera just for me.

Can you tell us more about these walks in the nature with your friends ?

Well….we always pack a thermos of tea and yummy food. we pretty much always have to bus somewhere because none of us drive….we laugh and talk and eat and sometimes almost forget why we are out there in the first place. we should do more of these adventures because they are so much fun! …not so much fun as we head into winter though…but i love dressing my friends up and making them characters in my imaginary world.

Do you have a specific intention when you take pictures ?

Not really – i wish i was motivated enough to really take those kinds of photos. sometimes i do – i have an idea and i put a lot of work into executing it – hiring costumes and sourcing props etc, these are the photos that make me the happiest – but mostly my photos are just a combination of places i could get to and things i have in my wardrobe! although i do always have the intention for the pictures to have a kind of timeless melancholic feel.

How did you get into photography ?

I saved up all my spare money a few years ago in an envelope until i had enough to buy a digital camera. i used that for about a year and then thought i might try putting a roll of film through an old film camera. once i did that i basically never picked up the digital again.

Do you have particular photographic tricks ?

I like to do things like soaking the negatives in potions. i also take nearly all my photographs in nature but that’s not really a trick i guess just a pure preference.

How it is to live in New Zealand ?

It’s greatl!! The rest of the world is very far away and a huge endeavor to reach, but apart from that (and perhaps in someways because of it) It’s a really really wonderful place to live. The country is every bit as stunning as people imagine, also i think in general there is a very relaxed feel to live here. I could imagine living in other cities in the world – but i would always want to bring up kids back here.

What are you going to do after having answered this final question ?

I am going to rush home and pack a bag and catch a train and go and stay with my grandmother for a few days.
whew – i can’t believe i managed to finish this before my shift finished!!

Thanks Misma !

+ cargocollective.com/mismaandrews

+ flickr.com/photos/seemoreglass