This week’s Member Moment features work by Nwai Alfa, who takes gritty, dramatic and engaging street photography images. Scroll down to see his pictures and to read the interview!
PL: What got you interested in photography?
NA: During my senior year of highscool, I applied to a few architecture schools and had to submit a portfolio, but did not have a medium I felt confident in to build a portfolio around. I decided to try everything— sketching, painting, woodwork, photography, and a few others. Of all the art forms I tried my hand at, photography felt the most natural, and even though I did not pursue architecture in college, I kept shooting whenever I had free time
PL: What type of camera do you shoot with?
PL: When taking pictures, what are some objects or elements or feelings within a scene that inspire you to take a photo?
NA: I try to document life from an objective point of view. I try not to get too close or too far, and capture what I’ve seen in the moment. I enjoy black and white because it emphasizes the feeling of a memory to me— maybe I won’t be able to remember the color of someone’s shirt or their shoes, but I’ll remember the interactions I’ve had with the people I’ve photographed.
PL: Of the pictures you submitted, can you share an interesting story about one?
NA: The photo of the artist in a studio (along with the portrait) were from 2 weeks I spent in Chiang Mai, Thailand this past August. I was volunteering at a farm nearby and wandered into the Chiang Mai Art Museum and ended up meeting some artists in residency at the museum. For the next 2 weeks, they welcomed me to document their lives and I learned about life in rural Thailand, the life of a young artist, and Buddhism from a variety of Thai and Burmese artists.
PL: What do you enjoy most about digital/film photography and what is challenging about it?
PL: Do you have any goals or ideas of how you want to grow this collection of photographs?
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