Marija Strajnic is an artist born in Belgrade (Serbia). I guess you can say that fate brought me upon her work. Having studied photography in school, I say this with careful consideration that she is truly become one of my favorite photographers. Her images exude romance, wonder, and honesty. Marija works as a freelancer in the fields of photography, architecture and design. Marija is interested in metaphorical visual narratives as well as emotional exaggerations.
Last week, I had the opportunity to ask Marija Strajnic, one of the most incredible contemporary photographers of our generation about her history and process in creating her truthful, raw, and alluringly breathtaking images.
What is your history with photography? Did you study professionally, or was it more instinctive and a natural hobby for you?
I am an architect by profession and this was a starting point for me as a photographer. I was constantly trying to run away from architectural precision, concreteness and firmness into something little more hyperbolic and metaphoric. Then after some time I realized how much my initial profession guided my photographic aesthetics: if there wasn’t for architecture I guess I wouldn’t be able to demystify all those poetic atmospheres that are relocating me from the reality that is surrounding me. Also I wouldn’t be paying that much attention to details, which are I think the essence of any feeling I am trying to bring out on the surface as a photographer.
What type of camera do you use and do you edit your photos?
I use mainly analogue cameras and my favorites are Pentax MX and LeicaFlex, but I don’t mind shooting with any other camera that’s in my hands. Some of my favorite photos I’ve taken with the worst cameras. I do edit them a little, by cropping, and by adjusting colors where needed.
In your opinion, what makes a successful photographer?
I guess a successful photographer is the one who is able to both live from it and stay true to it, whatever that truth may be.
Do you always travel with a camera with you?
Oh yes I do.
On your website, you have separate categories focused on a certain theme (i.e. going away forever, ghost landscape etc) do those ideas come together after you have taken the photographs, or is it a conscience action to take photographs that fit into a certain category?
Sometimes I do design these series in my mind before I take the photos, but this is rarely the case. What I usually do is take photos of everything around me that moves me in some way, literally anything; bird flying in the sky, tongue inside of a kiss, portrait of a friend, wind in someone’s hair… I store them in my computer and I observe all the motifs that are in there, let them contemplate inside of me for some time. Then, finally, I arrange them on my website inside different photo narratives that are revealing something that individual photographs initially didn’t. These narratives tend to provoke certain feelings, disclose some sort of truth about the world, or tell an intimate story left for observer’s own interpretation. These flowing sequences of images are my biggest love.
Can you take us through a day in the life of Marija Strajnic, from morning to evening?
At the moment my life is different kinds of 1.Work 2. Work and 3. Work, from morning to evening, which I am enjoying and am very grateful for, but I also hope it will pause a little after I finally hit the seaside in August.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I see myself still wandering around the world but with the mind settled down. Also I see a beach house somewhere in there… And a net swing… And people I love. And a dog.
Images courtesy of Marija Strajnic. You can visit her website here.
