I was bored on a Monday, and then every day... | Ali Sahba
I was bored on a monday, and then every day...
series by Ali Sahba
"I am Ali Sahba, Hamburg based “Visual Thinker”. I call myself that because my works are floating mainly between Photography, Videography, Graphic Design and 3D CGI. I am currently studying film and motion design."
When and how did your journey as a photographer begin?
To be honest I can not really say when I started photography because it’s a process which takes a lot of time and I've started photography even before I knew what I was doing. So I can say I started photography as a kid, my father had this camcorder and I have played with the camera very often. Obviously, I had no idea about photography at that time but it helped me to get familiar with this medium.
What camera(s) do you prefer to use?
I prefer the best camera available haha, no, I don’t really have preferences when it comes to cameras. I have worked with Canon cameras, I have worked with Nikon's and my first DSLR was Pentax, but I have switched to Sony alpha 7 series about three years ago. I would like to work with cameras that are not so massive and heavy because moving around with big cameras make me slow and it takes me lots of energy. I mainly shoot with my Sony Alpha 7 II and a really compact 35mm Zeiss lens which allows me to move around very easily.
Could you describe a bit about the type of photography you pursue?
I am still constantly trying new things and I do not like to limit myself in one or two genres or styles. But I enjoy creating minimalistic images, I would like to take clean and structured images and tell my story in an abstract and sometimes colourful way, I guess that has something to do with my graphic design background. I do not like throw every information at the viewer, I would love the viewer to have their interpretations and create their own stories in my photos.
What inspired you to pursue photography?
As I mentioned before, because I’ve started photography very soon I didn’t have a clear definition of what photography really is and for what purposes it could be used.
But I guess the camera itself and the technology behind it has inspired me very much. I loved the idea to capture a moment, a thing and the best part was to print the photo and just look at it weeks later, it was fascinating to me.
What is your greatest source of inspiration?
I get most of my inspirations from my urban environment. Whenever I go outside, riding the train, go shopping and pretty much the very basic tasks we do every day. Even staying in a line to order a burger or whatever could sometimes be inspiring. I also get inspired by new technologies. I love to shoot digital, I love to try new things and I also get inspired by the amazing people out there on the internet who are sharing their work with other people whether it is on Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Behance or 500px I follow tons of good artists which inspire me every day.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Minimal, colourful, surprising, strange yet familiar and subtle I guess.
What is the most significant project you have worked on? Where did you find inspiration to pursue it?
My last photo series “I was bored on a Monday, and then every day." was lots of fun. It was a whole new experience for me, it was sure lots of work but it helped me to understand my own language. I got my inspiration for that series from my everyday life and the environment which in I am living.
Are there any photography projects you are currently pursuing or would like to pursue?
Yes, I have some future projects which I am currently planning. But one thing for sure I know is that I would like to continue my last project and explore it a little bit more.
What general process do you undergo to produce your work?
I am a very organised person. I plan everything in details before my shootings. But I also love to make spontaneous changes in the plan when I am on the location. Because sometimes you could not know everything about one place before going there, so It is very important to me to come up with new ideas when I am on the location.
After every shoot, I bring the photos in Lightroom and go through them one by one and rate the good ones. Then I process the photos and make the final retouching in Photoshop. I use Photoshop to make little changes in my almost every photo. I love using photoshop because it helps me to create exactly what I have in my mind and what I really imagine. Using Photoshop is not about showing off how good your skills in post-production is, it is only about telling my story in the right way and the right aesthetic.