Words From The Girls Behind The Lens: Isabella Dias

Cliché question first - how did you get started with photography? 

I got started with photography because a couple of my best friends from high school loved to take pictures (mainly with their phones) so that they could post on their instagram, and of course they also wanted me to join them, so they convinced me to create an instagram only to post photographic work instead of bad quality selfies. At first, I was just doing it because I wanted to have more things in common with my friends, but after awhile it started to become a huge passion for me, and everywhere I went I found myself searching for things I could photograph! It was the first time that I sensed my photographic eye, and this transformation- from seeing things normally to seeing them in a total different and much more magical light- was what made me be sure that I wanted to become a photographer. Which is why I`m very grateful to my friends for having had introduced me to the photography world, even if they didn`t mean it.

You seem to incorporate a lot of Nature elements such as flowers in work. How much does Nature inspire/influence your photographs? 

Yes, I do! Sometimes I have to control myself to not put plants in every single one of my photos. Nature inspires me completely, it and colors are the main things that make my creativity flow and grown. Even when there aren`t any plants in one of my photos, there`s a huge chance that they still inspired me to create it, through their beautiful and strong colors and through the sensation of home and peace that they bring me. Besides loving how aesthetically beautiful it is, nature is huge in my works because I`m from Brazil, and I have grown up seeing hundreds of plants every day, everywhere I went. Plants were always part of my home landscape, and I can`t ever take them away from my mind and heart, just like I can`t do with home. Nature is a comfortable space for me, that gives me the strength to create work that is out of my comfort zone.

What do you look for when photographing someone? Is there a specific face shape or eye color that you are most attracted to? 

Honestly, I`m not sure. I do know that finding someone attractive has a lot to do with the beauty standards that have been imposed on us, which is why I always try to photograph people that are very different from what we are taught is the “perfect way to look”. I want to portray people that aren`t usually portrayed on the media, and are always put in the background. I can`t explain this (but I`m always trying to understand how it works) but there are people that simply inspire me and make my mind to suddenly be filled with countless ideas. There are a lot of faces that inspire me so much, but they don`t follow a specific face shape or eye colour rule; honestly, I just love people and the different ways they choose to portray themselves to the world.

What photographers have inspired you and your work? 

 My favorites of all time are Nadine Ijiwere and Tim Walker for sure. But I also love Hana Mendel, Txema Yeste, Zee Nunes, Niko Wu and Alexandra Von Fuerst (I`m probably forgetting about a lot of my favorites, because I have so many!!!)

Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years? 

In 5 years I would like to have already had the recognition in the photography world that I believe I deserve. I also hope to have a stable career as a photographer, being paid with money instead of only exposure. I also want to have started my acting career in both theater and film, and to have already received my degree in psychology! I also hope to be very happy and content with my work and to be able to live closer to the people I love and to feel more at home in the US. In 5 years I would like to see myself as someone that creates unique artistic work in photography, theater, and film. And hopefully, I will also have finished the book I`m currently writing!