Dana Stirling
‘Every photo is an opportunity for something and I see them all as important steps in my journey.’
Really glad to feature an interview with Dana Stirling.
I discovered her work in Noice Magazine and I remember being really impressed by how she manages to create emotions through her still life photos.
For Travelling Light Club, she is sharing her photographic journey, what inspires her and the favourite photos in her portfolio.
Pink Balloons, Doylestown, PA (US)
Dana Stirling © All Rights Reserved.
Vincent Dupont-Blackshaw: How did you get into photography?
Dana Stirling: I originally started taking photos with a small digital camera back in high school. I used to take it almost everywhere and take photos of my friends. I used to also play around with, taking photos around our home trying to be “artistic”.
When I met my new husband, he was at the time doing his BA in photography. I haven’t told him about my interest in photography because I thought it was just a hobby and nothing more. He was the one who saw some of my images and told me that I had a great eye for photography. He encouraged me to take photography seriously and move forward with it - which is what I did.
He taught me some of the basic concepts and I started taking photos with a small DSLR. I started school eventually and the rest is pretty much history. My undergraduate program really opened my eyes to what photography is and in a way also opened my eye to the fact that I might actually have a real talent for it.
I did find out later from my father that we had a few connections to photography in our family. We had a camera shop in London and both my father and grandfather dabbled in photography and black & white darkroom.
V.D.B.: In a world where everyone is taking pictures all the time, do you remember the first time you felt like a photographer?
D.S.: That is a good question, but honestly I don’t think I have that one moment of “Ah Ha!” you know? I think for me it was a really long process of discovering art. It took me a lot of time to consider myself a photographer and even longer to say I am an artist because I never felt that these titles really matched who I am as a person.
I think everyone is a photographer in a way - it is what you make with it or how you make it more than a hobby that can set you apart from others in my opinion. The camera is just the tool we all use - the end result and how you feel about it is what is most important.
For me, I still get excited when I take a photo that I love. Every photo is an opportunity for something and I see them all as important steps in my journey.
Outgrown, Weedsport, NY (US)
Dana Stirling © All Rights Reserved.
V.D.B.: Is there a photographer whose work you particularly appreciate?
D.S.: When I was back in my second year of BA, we started moving away from Black and White and moved towards colour photography. I was taking photos of my home at the time and felt like I was missing something. My professor showed me a book called “Domestic Scandals” by artist Takashi Yasumura and I don’t think I’ve even thought of photography the same since. The book inspired me to look at still life in a new way. He was able to tell a full story of his family and home only with still life and something just clicked for me. I fell in love with still life and color photography and have done it ever since.
V.D.B.: Is there a photo of this particular photographer that you wish you had taken yourself?
D.S.: Probably the whole project! But in particular the photo of the pink stapler or the photo of the cake inside the cabinet. I am not sure why but those photos in particular just spark a feeling of longing, sadness, humour and love all at once. They are so “simple” but they provoke such a great emotional response that I am inspired by everyday.
V.D.B.: How do you define your work?
D.S.: Sad but beautiful. I think people sometimes shy away from their own sadness especially in today’s social media frenzy we live in. We try to show our best life and present ourselves as successful and put together. I tried for many years to hide it myself which only led to my emotions being bottled up and it really affected me till it actually stopped me from taking photos. For me, my work always had an undertone of sadness but it was always accompanied by a beauty that I think is a great harmony.
V.D.B.: What equipment do you use?
D.S.: I mainly use my Mamyia RZ 67 camera and I exclusively use Ektar 100 film for many years now.
V.D.B.: What is the most curious story behind your photograph?
D.S.: I think the one photo that I can think of is the Pink Mirror. I was taken after my grandfather passed and my grandmother was going to live with us, so we had to clear their apartment and sell it. Their apartment was empty so quickly that when I was able to go to say goodbye there was almost nothing left.
In my Aunt’s room, which is painted pink, was a bubble wrapped object. I opened it to find a part of the vanity mirror. The middle mirror was missing and the table was already taken out. I wanted to document it so I placed it onto this stool. It suddenly looked like a table again, and got its glory back even if only for a short time. It almost looks like it is supposed to look like it, but its missing many of its part which was in a way a metaphor for how I felt.
Mirror, Israel
Dana Stirling © All Rights Reserved.
V.D.B.: What are your three favourite photos in your portfolio?
D.B.: Almost like asking which kid is your favorite.
The first is a photo titled Float which I photographed back in 2013. I loved how the water was covering the grass, creating a limbo between life and death. It was barely floating but it was so magical and the cloud reflection just tied the entire photo together.
The second one would be the toy deer. I photographed it on a day that I felt so low. I don’t really know what made me even pick up a camera let alone to photograph this toy deer, but I first placed it on all 4 legs, but it felt wrong. I tipped it down because that was how I was feeling. Today when I think of this photo, I think it was a self portrait and I just think it was an important photo for me at the time so I really do love it.
The last would be the Pride of Madeira flowers. I took this photo on my first visit to the west coast, and it was after a few really hard years and a hard time I had with photography in general. When I saw this photo in my waist level my heart stopped for a second. I was almost in disbelief that I am taking this photo. After months and months of not photographing I felt like I finally found my spark again and it light a fire under me again.
V.D.B.: What do you want viewers to take away from your work?
D.S.: Maybe that it is okay not to be okay all the time, that we all have our struggles but we can find ways to not necessarily overcome them, but understand them and embrace them for what they are.
V.D.B.: Are you a frequent traveller?
D.S.: I don’t think I would consider myself a traveler per se. I still have a lot of places to see and explore. Me and my husband often go on road trips across the U.S and we try to see as many places as we can. Because both of us photograph in nature often, we use these drives as a way to explore new places and find things that will inspire us to photograph. I don’t think I am a traveler like what we see online often with nature photographers or even travel influencers but I do enjoy these long drives and exploring new places. As an immigrant in the U.S, it is also important for me to try and see as much as possible of this country, but I hope to be able to travel abroad more in the future.
V.D.B.: Any idea of your next trip?
D.S.: I would love to be able to do a coast to coast trip one day. I think there is something in driving across the U.S that can be a great adventure and in a way might even be a homage to all the great photographers who have done it in the past. This country is so diverse and every state is packed with its own history or culture that there are so many things to explore.
Upside Down Smile, Ringtown, PA (US)
Dana Stirling © All Rights Reserved.
V.D.B.: What are you working on at the moment? What is your next project?
D.S.: The two projects I am mainly focused on at the moment are the “why am I sad” project which deals with mental health and my relationship with photography. Why am I sad is really a way for me to document my sadness and understand it while using photography as a visual representation of it. I hope this project can become a book one day if someone ever picks it up for their publishing house.
In addition, I am working on a project that uses vernacular photography from my snapshot archive of a specific couple where I use collage and manipulation to create a new narrative for these anonymous people. This couple is a way for me to explore the notion of photography itself and how we are able to “read” images and their meaning based on the manipulation that the artists makes.
V.D.B.: What else do you do besides photography?
D.S.: I think photography is really my life in every aspect. I am both a photographer but also the editor and co-founder of Float Photo where we share images of artists across the world. I consume photography all the time and it is a big part of who I am.