Interview Feature with Dara Scully



Tell us a little about yourself. (where did you grow up, what you do, hobbies/interests)
If you want to know all of those things, you must meet with me! However, I can tell you one thing: I'm a elephant tamer- (at least in my imagination!)

When did you start taking photographs? Do you remember the first photograph you took?
I'm not sure, really. Maybe three years ago; but, I took very amateur pictures at the time. I started "seriously" shooting almost two years ago. The first shoot is actually one of my favourites.

Do you find that your shoots take a lot of pre-planning before a final image is created? Or do you create more based on impulse?
I think a lot about the pictures. I have a notebook for ideas and I draw out the scenes, take notes about the clothes, body language, colours... But sometimes the idea comes when I'm taking the pictures. It isn't usual, but it happens.

How long does it usually take you to put together a setting or scene?
Depends. Sometimes a couple days, sometimes a couple months. If i create something with my hands (the paper-plane, for example) I usually spend a lot of time constructing it- but when I use animals in the photographs, the process is simple.

Do you have a favorite photograph that you've shot? Which one is it, and why is it your most-liked?
I adore this one: (seen above)- I was sleeping and my little elephant woke me up with his trunk. He had found a flare on the forest and he wanted to show me. It was a really nice moment and i had to take a picture of it!

How often do you shoot?
I would like to shoot once a week, but sometimes it's impossible. I'm a forest-girl and I study in a city without a forest, so, I only can shoot when I go home, once a month. But during holidays I can shoot a lot: two or three days a week.

Who are your favorite artists/photographers?
From Flickr, i adore Aëla Labbé's work. There is on her pictures an oneiric atmosphere, like a dream or a wonderful movie. I see a story behind the bodies and colours.
And as for famous photographers- I like Francesca Woodman, David Hamilton, Ryan McGinley, Helmut Newton...

What do you find yourself doing in your spare time?
I'm in my own world most of the time. A comfortable and beautiful world, very different from reality. And in this world I usualy draw, write or read a lot of books, and when the sun is in the sky, I go out with Lola (my bicycle) to the fields around my home.

If you got to create your own planet, what would it look like?
It would be a very small planet. Just a house and a little forest on the garden. And it would float a few feet over the floor, so you could come down to earth with a rope ladder.


You can view more of Dara's work on her website, blog or flickr

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