INTERVIEW

Jane: So how did you first get into photography?

Erozica: I had a boyfriend that was a photographer, and it was interesting because he was pretty experimental and creative. That's basically how I got into it. I then went to University for many years, and when I moved back to Toronto and she moved out on her own, that's when I came back into it. It was kind of a journey; coming back home after a big transition, and finding myself again. Photography was my creative outlet.

Jane: What are the main differences between the digital format that many of todays' photographers are using, and the film photography from "back in the day"?

Erozica: It's just different techniques. There are some purists that believe that film offers a better picture, but to me it doesn't matter. Today, you can get digital cameras that are utterly phenomenal, and the fact that you can take a digital picture, put it into Photoshop, and create totally different results really appeals to many photographers. Film, you can create some effects in the darkroom with either color or black and white, but you're quite limited with what you can do to change the image. Myself, I would never go back to film, because once you've got your digital camera, your computer and your software, that's all you need. It's also much more cost-effective than film; if you don't like an image, you just delete it!

Jane: How long have you been involved with photography?

Erozica: Photographing seriously, for about four years now.

Jane: You mentioned earlier that you attended University for many years before getting into photography seriously; what did you study while you were there?

Erozica: I did a BA in Psychology, and Sociology combined, and a Masters' degree in Religious Studies. I was also a dancer for many years, and was really into performing arts. I also had my own business, in holistic interior design.

Jane: Have you done much traveling for your work, or is your work mostly local?

Erozica: I've done mostly local work, although I have traveled to different parts of Europe and South America. Since I've been in Toronto, what I've mostly been doing is spoken word events, and the off-shoots of their events, photography for online publications, things like that. There's an energy in performing arts that I love.

Jane: Are there any special projects that you're currently working on, or that you have worked?

Erozica: Well, I've been working on a book, and it's been in the works for years. It's a slow process which is fine by me, because I want to get the right people into the project. It's a book where I'm blending poetry with photographs. I'm basically sending certain photographs to different poets, and they will produce a piece based on the photograph. The book will be almost like a coffee table book, but also something that couples can read together, because it will be somewhat along the lines of erotic poetry, sensual poetry.

Jane: Where do you see yourself a few years down the road?

Erozica: Well, it's interesting that you ask...I'm in school right now, I'm in teachers' college, and I can see myself working with youth somehow with photography, inspiring them somehow. I can also see myself, because I'm so comfortable shooting events, and musicians, performers, I can see myself just continuing along those lines. Getting to know people in the community, being community-based, I love that, and that's really important to me.

Jane: What is more rewarding to you, is it using your creativity during the actual shoot, or is it the end result and getting the feedback and appreciation for your work?

Erozica: That's a really good question, because I'm thinking of shoots I've done in the past where I've taken a picture that I've loved, but that was absolutely useless to the model. For example, when doing a shoot for a hairdresser there was a moment where the models hair was a bit of a mess, but the way her hair was, the way the shadows fell on her face, and the stare she had in her eyes...to me the shot was just about chaos. But of course the hairdresser couldn't use that photo for her portfolio! Ultimately, if I'm shooting for someone though, they have to be happy with the results...but I'm usually lucky enough to satisfy my client, and also get shots that I love for myself.

Jane: Describe the subject matter of your photographs and your unique style of photography for those who haven't seen the work within your impressive portfolio.

Erozica: My forte is people. Capturing expression, emotion and the uniqueness of who a person is.

Jane: How much of taking a great photograph is mechanical (the right facial expressions and the appropriate body posture that one can summon from training), physical (possessing that right symmetrical facial features that naturally appeal to people's aesthetic senses), and/or a state of mind (thinking of the appropriate thoughts, images, feelings and/or memories that elicit the perfect countenance)?

Erozica: I think a great photograph constitutes all of these things as well as how comfortable a person feels with me during a shoot. Even a well seasoned model relaxes more into the camera when we have rapport and connection during a shoot.

Jane: What techniques or tactics do you employ to relax the models that you work with and get them within the right frame of mind that ultimately brings out the best results?

Erozica: I like to meet with whoever I am shooting and talk about all sorts of things, from brainstorming ideas of image and what they'd like the results of the shoot to be, to what they love to do or think about to what makes them laugh, excites them, motivates them.

Jane: What camera are you using these days?

Erozica: I use a canon digital slr. I have a few different lenses I may use depending upon the circumstances or what I feel will get the shot I want.

Jane: What photography software would I find installed in your computer if I searched?

Erozica: Photoshop CS

Jane: Mac or PC?

Erozica: MAC

Jane: Do you prefer the classical black & white photos that conceal imperfections and are imbued with more artistic flair and intensity, or coloured photos that provide you with more variety and are imbued with vividness, brilliancy and vibrancy?

Erozica: I love both! Each one has inherent wonderful qualities.

Do you prefer the artificial & controlled setting of a photography studio that includes post-production, or the natural light of the sun and fixed settings of nature & the city?

Erozica: I am definitely a lover of natural light. I shoot mostly on location, whether that is inside or outside. You'll find me out in the elements from the first signs of spring until the first snowfall. Its fun and experimental to try out different settings inside a studio and work with post-production to gain marketable results but overall, I prefer to shoot outdoors in existing surroundings, using nature and the sometimes surprising locations here in Toronto.

Jane: My no limit credit card slips out of my pocket and magically appears in your hands as I finish this interview with you; what would be the exorbitant location that you would set up for your ideal photo shoot before I find out that it's missing?!!! [I know in real life you would have returned my credit card!]

Erozica: Um...I think I'd find myself in Hawaii in an exclusive spa. But right after that I'd love to go to South America, from the marketplace of La Paz to the beaches of Brazil to the streets of Bogota to the rain forests of Guyana.

Jane: Who are some of the models, creative people and corporations that you would love to work with if given the chance, and what are the landmarks and picturesque sceneries that you would like to photograph?

Erozica: I'd love to shoot Madonna, Stevie Wonder and a few of the great soul and r&b artists. I'd love to shoot them in their homes or familiar surroundings.

Jane: What experience do you savour the most: the creative process behind producing a photo that begins with an idea your mind's eye and involves the collaboration with models & landscapes, or the admiration that people show when they see the finished product?

Erozica: I definitely savour the creative process. It is what generates the inspiration for me to produce the sort of finished product that people respond positively to.

Jane: Are there any other parts of the entertainment industry that you want to exploit right now such as a Director of Photography/Cinematographer for films?

Erozica: I'd love to be a part of Clement Virgo's next film as I absolutely loved the lighting, among many other things, in his last one. Learning about all the aspects of photography never stops in its experimentation and creativity so working with a director with Virgo's integrity would be amazing.

Jane: I've noticed that a lot of photographers are increasingly becoming managers of models. Are you apart of this emerging trend within the industry and what do you think of it?

Erozica: No no no! I just want to make nice pictures!! That field of media and fashion does not interest me at all in terms of becoming involved in managing models. I love to work with them and create amazing photos but after that, they're on their own!

Jane: Do you think photographers need managers nowadays just like models do, or given all of the mediums and communication social/business networks out there such as myspace.com, onemodelplace.com et cetera, photographers are more than capable of representing and effectively marketing themselves?

Erozica: I think it depends upon which way a photographer wants to go. Meeting people who would like me to work with them in a shoot through word of mouth marketing works for me. In fact, I love to think that the last shoot I just did came about from someone else who loved working with me and loved the results of the shoot and even felt inspired by the shoot.

Jane: What sort of advice would give new photographers out there reading your interview on how what creative processes they could go through that helps spawn original ideas and gain a new perspective on the project?

Erozica: Take your camera and shoot. Try out different settings, different lighting, different poses, different people or things to shoot. Its a process, not something that you read a book about then know what its about. Photography is an experience.

Jane: William Faulkner is quoted as saying "The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life". When your art moves again through the eyes of people a hundred years from now, what will they say?

Erozica: I would hope they would say, she loved what she did and it showed in her smile, her energy, her work and her love of people.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Click the thumbnail to see a bigger image.