Images Everywhere — An Interview With Madalina Chilici

Madalina Chilici's photographs are an eclectic mix — her images intersects fashion, lifestyle, street, conceptual, and art. She draws inspiration from a lot of things and that is quite evident in her work. The way she mixes things up and not wanting to be boxed in a single genre are just a few examples. Not only that, Madalina's relationship with film photography is also another reason to follow her work. Read on to find out more about this energetic self-confessed “emotional gangsta” from Romania in this interview.

Hello, Madalina. Welcome to the Lomography Online Magazine!How did you get started on your photographic journey?

Holla! Glad to have this interview with you! I started this journey 10 years ago, when we were in high school. One Sunday, we went to the flea market in our hometown. There we found a treasure — an eight-euro shift. This breakthrough was enough to motivate me to go to fairs on Sunday to save my cameras and give them life with film.

How would you define photography?

I madly and deeply love photography. Photography is a visual treat and is also intensely emotional.

What's your favorite thing about it?

The fact that I can capture people and places on film. I can take a piece of the "world" home with me everywhere I go.

Let's go to your film photographs. We sense different moods from your shots. Does emotion play a part in your work?

I'm an emotional gangsta. In my works, I try to focus more on what I have in front of the lens, often forgetting about the device settings. I think that's how mixed emotions take place in my photos.

We love how you can switch from portraits to street and then to other styles like fashion and lifestyle. Were you aiming for variety in your images?

I'm a source of inspiration for me and for other people's works. This makes me juggle things and be creative with everything I have around me and let me down.

How would you describe your photographic style?

I love capturing pure and real moments. I love imperfections when it comes to my film work. I have no limit, I explore all styles of photography, even though street photography makes my heart and my eyes shine.

Why do you still shoot on film? What makes you stay with it?

Shooting film is more real and intimate for me. It's like a ritual — the act of loading film, the material, the sound, the development solutions, and then the final result that is always a surprise. This surprise makes me curious and loyal to the analogue photograph. Photographing on film, we're staring at the screens we're immersed in most of the day, and that helps me focus on the act of taking photos itself.

Who or what encouraged you to take photographs?

The energy and motion of the streets, where I participate in the scene and are connected with the environment. The same can be said about friends who encourage me and old equipment I find in my home or at fairs.

Any favorite film/camera setup? Please share them with our readers.

I love trying new films, expired films and making experiments with film rolls like double exposure. One of my favorite B&W film is Kosmo Foto Mono 100. I love shooting with expired color films like Fuji Superia Reala, Kodak Gold, Kodak Portra.

How does a perfect day look like for Madalina Chilici?

A perfect day for me is waking up after a good sleep, looking at the sky, eating my veggies, smoking my cigs, and then going out to explore the streets and the city through my lens. On the streets I can enjoy all that chance and change. A perfect day for me is when I find balance in my mind, body, and soul.

Lastly, what's next for you?

My plan is to move to Barcelona this summer, exploring, searching, skating and maybe to collaborate more with Lomography. I am just focusing on exploring, discovering and growing.

We would like to thank Madalina for letting us feature her images on the Magazine. If you're interested in her work, you may head over to her website, and Instagram for more.

written by cheeo on 2018-07-27 #people #film #interview #artist #talent #feature #madalina-chilici