Summer Vacations Captured in B&W: An Interview With Laia Sabaté

Spanish photographer Laia Sabaté tested our black and white films Lady Grey B&W 400 ISO and Berlin Kino B&W 400 ISO for the first time during her recent trip to Kenya. Check out her photos!

Hi Laia, could you introduce yourself to the readers of our Online Magazine?

Hello! I am Laia, I’m 30 and I’m a photographer who lives between Barcelona and my hometown Tarragona.

Tell us about your photographic background. When did you start taking photos?

Well, I started about 15 years ago. My father has always had many cameras at home (he bought his first camera while doing military service to capture everywhere he lived) and I simply imitated what he did; portray the daily life of our family.

In an undeniable digital era you shoot mainly on film. Why this choice?

I guess I started taking pictures in analogue so to take pictures of my day to day it is very difficult for me to use the digital camera because I think it conditions the way I shoot (because I see the photos that I am taking immediately and that makes me correct the errors, resulting in photos less real and spontaneous.)

These wonderful photos were taken with the Berlin Kino B&W 400 ISO and Lady Grey B&W 400 ISO Films. What are the features that you like the most of these films?

First of all, I really liked getting out of my comfort zone with the theme of the use of color (very characteristic in my images.) So shooting in black and white has been quite a challenge. But I love the results: the contrasts, the lights, the shadows...

Which camera did you use for these photos?

I used my beloved Contax t3 and a Cosina CS-2.

Did the type of film influence the choice of the subjects? Where did you shoot the images?

Well, the truth is, no. I tried to shoot the same way I always do. And most of the images were taken in Lamu, a very small island in Kenya where I was this year for 20 days!

The subjects of your photos are often nature and intimate portraits. What is your relation with nature and how do you manage to make your subjects trust you?

In my images I try to capture the beauty of simple and real things. Nature seems very photogenic and inspires me a lot to take pictures.

What photo equipment do you take with you on your travels?

Only my analogue cameras (Contax T3 + Cosina CS-2 + Pentax 67 + Instant Camera) and lots, and lots, and lots of rolls! I hate carrying a digital camera while travelling because of it's heavy weight!

Do you have any interesting projects or collaborations planned?

I am happy as I am and wish to continue working as I’m doing now, involved in various projects related to advertising campaigns, taking photos and doing art direction. And of course taking pictures of my everyday life! And I have been working on a small publication for a long time that I want to publish someday. This is my biggest goal for now!

Follow Laila on her Instagram Profile to see all her photos.

written by melissaperitore on 2022-08-22 #gear #people #places #summer #black-and-white #monochrome #spain #b-w #kenya #lady-grey-b-w-iso-400 #berlin-kino-b-w-iso-400 #laila-sabate