Interview with Kirstin Dale (aka. Kirstin-xo)



This is Kirstin, a 16-year-old portrait photographer from Spain...

Q: How did you start messing with photography as an art?
Kirstin: As the world of internet blogging and artistic sites like deviantart became popular, I became really interested in looking at the beautiful pictures deviants were posting, it gave me a drive to try it myself. I got my first camera almost 2 years ago and I was determined to capture the world as I saw it. It's a passion that hasn't let go – everything beautiful I see, I want to photograph it. Painters want to paint beautiful things, writers write about them, I photograph them.

Q: What inspires you?
Kirstin: Colours and nature. I will see a forest or a field and feel the need to photograph it, only with a model in it. I love taking pictures of people in forests and long grass – natural portraits are my passion, hence why my portfolio is riddled with them! People inspire me as well, the person I'm photographing always has some sort of magic about them, and I want to show it to the world. I also have very weird dreams that I like to show people through photography. I photograph them to get it out of my head.

Q: You are only 16 and you managed to get on the cover of a magazine in your country, how was that for you?
Kirstin: I was so excited when the magazine approached me! The feeling is unreal and I feel the need to tell everyone I know about my achievements, however small. It really is a great feeling to have worked too hard and to achieve something real from it!



Q: What would be your next step?
Kirstin: I'm concentrating on getting my name out right now, letting people know that I'm here and showing them what I can do. With every photo shoot I progress and learn new things, I would love opportunities to shoot different people and different places.

Q: Do you have anything to say to someone who wants/dreams/thinks to get into photography?
Kirstin: It is not enough to just photograph something. Stand up, stand back, sit down, lie down. Try every possible angle that no one else would think to use. Be individual and photograph things the way YOU see them, not what everyone else wants you to see, some of the best photographers are ones that photograph the simplest things in the oddest angles.

Q: Is there anything else that you want to share?
Kirstin: Find a photographer that is willing to share their knowledge. I could have never got this far without some people always chatting away to me on msn about photography and sharing tips and hints. Also, don't expect to be good at it straight away, it takes time and effort like everything else – even if you have a natural talent for it! Don't give up just keep smiling and keep shooting!



For more of Kirstin visit her deviantART page
http://kirstin-xo.deviantart.com/