estelle hanania photography interview
Welcome to the wonderfully strange world of French shutterbug Estelle Hanania.
After finding ourselves squinting closely at her pictures of legs wandering along the beach (without an accompanying torso) and scarecrow-like winter solstice creatures that roam the European countryside, we simply had to reach out to Ms Estelle Hanania and find out what makes the French shutterbug tick. Scroll down to check out a handful of her pics, plus our little chinwag.
What is your name and how old are you? Estelle Hanania. I’m 36-years-old.
Where were you born and where do you live now? I was born in Paris, raised in in a town called Noisy le Sec, and now live in Versailles.
How does where you live affect your photography? It doesn’t really affect my photography; it affects my mood and helps me to be more focused than when I used to live in Paris.
When did you first know you wanted to be a photographer? It’s a blurry moment which started when I was in high school, maybe even earlier. I knew imagery would play an important part in my life, but I didn’t exactly how. Slowly but surely, it took over.
What kind of subjects interest you the most? I love real subjects which contains a theatrical dimension.
Is there a running theme to the work you create, or do you just make whatever comes to mind? I photograph a lot costumes, masks, puppets and fashion-related images.
What advice can you offer on finding your personal style or aesthetic? Get inspired, but don’t copy. It’s a trap to copy someone aesthetic, a dead end that will lead nowhere except in directions that aren’t yours.
What is the strangest thing or thought that has inspired a photo? The young ventriloquist Seth and his dolls I photographed in Kansas.
What other photographers do you love? Many, many different ones, from contemporaries, such as Camille Vivier, and a lot of my friends’ photography work. I also can never get tired of photographers like Jouko Lethola, Tom Wood and Jock Sturges.
What do you enjoy doing when not taking photos? Editing them!
Where can we see more of your work? On my website, or through my book publisher, Shelter Press.