Running on Instinct — An Interview With Nina Erdeljanovic

Instinct plays a big role in the work of photographer Nina Erdeljanovic. The young street shooter has already found a voice in this noisy and fast-paced world — one that is rooted in film photography. Join us as we get to know the artist behind these monochrome street snaps born out of the thirst for more analogue adventures.

Hi, Nina! Welcome to the Magazine. What do you do and how did you get started with film photography?

Hey Lomography! I am really honored to be chosen for this interview, thanks for having me. I’m a twenty-year-old student living in Belgrade, Serbia. It all started roughly two years ago when I found my grandpa’s old camera along with a bunch of photographs and negatives that caught my attention and I decided to start exploring and seeing deeper into the film photography world.

How would you define photography? What's your favorite thing about it?

To me, photography is a way of expressing my emotions as well as getting to know myself and the way I experience and feel certain things through my shots. That’s exactly what I love the most about photography — it helps me to get to know myself.

What do you look for in a scene before you hit the shutter?

This is a tough question because most of the time I don’t look for anything specific — it’s just a mix of emotions and inner instincts that hopefully fall into a perfect place at a perfect time.

What goes on in your mind when you see your photographs after processing?

As I look at the photographs after processing, I connect with the thoughts and emotions that I had while capturing them and I am able to experience the same scenes I already experienced in the past.

We love how your different photographs have vastly different effects. Your street shots have this feeling of anonymity. Your portraits of other people have this feeling of comfort and confidence while your self-portraits bring different moods to the table. What were you going for in those shots? What do you aspire to capture?

Well, thank you for the compliments, because that is exactly what I aspire to capture. It is all about emotions — a lot of them are brought and put into those shots, hence those visually different feelings and moods.

Another thing we love about your work is your subtle way of incorporating natural light and shadows in your shots. Is this a particular style you were going for?

That is the style I usually go for, since most of the time I strive towards natural light and shadows.

What's your favorite area of photography? Why?

It’s probably street photography. It gives me the greatest possibility to capture spontaneous beauty and honesty.

How would you describe the current state of the film photography industry and community? What are your predictions for it?

[The] internet film community gave me an incredibly significant exchange of experience, information, and inspiration. I see everything old is becoming new again which is, hopefully, going to bring some values back. In this case, those values are an essential part for the development of photography.

If you had to shoot with just one camera and film, what would it be?

I don’t think that the value of my shots depends on the camera I use. In my opinion, the artistic moment and inner instincts make a good photograph. I would be satisfied with my first Canon FTB and any Kodak film.

Any projects in the works? Please, share them with our readers.

I haven’t had any major projects yet, but I hope I will be able to share some in the near future.

Lastly, what does a perfect day look like for Nina Erdeljanovic?

At the moment, that would be far away from the city noise with my camera and pockets loaded with rolls of film.

We would like to express our gratitude to Nina for letting us feature her images in the Magazine. If you're interested in her work, you may follow her on Instagram for more.

written by cheeo on 2018-10-23 #culture #people #interview #artist #feature #nina-erdeljanovic