Sarah McLean

"Taken all over the world, my photographs investigate the concept of travel through their focus on 'intermediate spaces'. Often seeking out the more mundane aspects of life and the built environment, I seek to explore the contrast between presence and absence which is fundamental to the act of travelling" (Taken from Sarah's website)

Sarah Mclean is a London based photographer who can find beauty in anything she comes across. An old shard of mirror, a dirty hob, a simple table and chairs - all looked at in a new, interesting light through the lens of Sarah's collection of film cameras. A sort-of 'anti-tourist', when abroad, Sarah appears to stray away from the usual suspects, and photograph the places and sights that others over see. Take a whole afternoon to browse through her photographs, as you will find yourself completely absorbed in her view of the world

What got you into photography? I still don't know how it happened, exactly, but I believe it sort of started when my boyfriend of the time gave me an Exakta SLR for Christmas in 2004 and then suddenly took off when I bought myself a light-weight Canon SLR the following year.

Which of your own photographs is your favourite? An impossible question!

Who are your favourite photographers? Burtynsky, Eggleston, David Lynch, Taryn Simon, Thomas Demand, Lillian Wilkie, Helena Kvarnström. The people who, years ago, took the black and white pictures you now find for sale at flea markets. The kids who flood flickr with the minutae of their worlds.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in South East London, about twenty minutes from where I live now.

What were you like as a child? I would only eat eggs, but was completely allergic to them. I liked to climb trees and boss my brother around. I suffered from chronic shyness.

What, or who inspires you? Large empty spaces, bright light, travel, the internet, patterns, all the incredibly talented people I know who make photographs, paintings, who write and whose brains are always fizzing with ideas.

Who or what would you most like to photograph? I'm planning a trip to Russia this summer, I'm hoping to find some wonderful things there.

What cameras do you use? I mainly use a Pentax Super ME, Canon EOS 30, Olympus Trip, disposables. I only really shoot 35mm film.

What music do you listen to? At the moment I'm listening to tune-yards, Owen Pallett, Nico Muhly, Pass Out by Tinie Tempah and In Utero by Nirvana.

What are your favourite blogs? I read a load of livejournals and twitter and not so many blogs. But I swing by myfunnyeye.blogspot.com, whorobbedthewoods.tumblr.com, hiyababes.blogspot.com and codeforsomething.com daily.

What are your ambitions with regards to your photography? Just to be better. I don't have any illusions about making a living from photographs - who would buy them? who would buy enough of them?! I like looking at my photographs more than anyone else I know, so I don't expect to be a great public 'success'. I just hope that I continue to enjoy the whole process, and keep finding things that inspire me to take more.

Sarah's website
Sarah's flickr

Isadora Filkovic

Isadora Filković is a Brazilian nomad currently living in Melbourne, Australia. As a photographer, she feels naturally drawn to nature, sunlight, playfulness and beautiful colours. 'Photography is based on the idea of capturing light from the environment and I like experimenting with that concept in my work. To photograph is to fill a blank space with light, darkness and all the shades of grey or colour in between; the rest is an exercise for the imagination. It is to turn the ephemeral into eternity and to simply fathom that is already extraordinary. ' (Words by Isadora)

What got you into photography? My dad is the one to blame. When I was still too young to do anything with myself, I would play around with his old 35mm Yashica (or Olympus - can't remember), photographing everything and everyone in sight. That included my grandma and my sister, myself, our turtles, my bedroom and even the Barbie dolls we had. I still have all the negatives and they are hilarious.

Which of your own photographs is your favourite? I'm afraid I can't answer that. Each of them contain their own beauty and little dilemmas.

Who are your favourite photographers? I am more of an old school fan, so Alfred Stieglitz, Eugène Atget, Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier Bresson will always be my idols. They worked within the walls of sublimity.

What are your ambitions with regards to your photography? As most photographers, I wish to one day live through my photography. That could be as simple as having my own shop or as dreamy as being invited to photograph for art, fashion and cultural magazines etc., while traveling to far places, revealing secret landscapes and unique genealogies through images that speak for themselves.

Who is your favourite author? I am currently working on a thesis for my Masters in Creative Writing, so literature is a great part of my life. I must say Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, for he wrote my favourite book of all time. I also wish to be a character in one of Henry James' or Albert Camus' novels, or a city in Ítalo Calvino's book 'Invisible Cities'. And when it comes to poetry, Robert Burns' poems are the most beautiful collection of verses one can read.

Who or what would you most like to photograph? Magical landscapes surrounded by strangeness. Natural sets such as forrests, meadows and their inhabitants, beaches and their sandy cliffs, mountains and caves. One of my childhood dreams was to explore Scotland. I can't think of a place more full of wonderment than the Highlands.

What were you like as a child? I was a secretive gazelle who would spend hours writing on her journal, dreaming of having a pet, singing high pitch trying to break mom's crystal glasses and daydreaming of fantastic possibilities.

What, or who inspires you? Every single particle of dust can turn into inspiration. There's a fine line between what is inside and outside any creature and I believe what I create comes from a dough made of imagination, memory and insanity.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A ballerina. An astronaut. A singer. An anthropologist. A philosopher. A filmmaker. A writer. A dot. A tree. And of course, a photographer. I still want to be all these things.

What music do you listen to? The girls: Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Aimee Mann, Emiliana Torrini, Regina Spektor, Camille, Céu, Hanne Hukkelberg, Ane Brun, Alela Diane, Rachael Yamagata, Martha Wainwright, Bjork, Cat Power, Patti Smith, Feist and Janis Joplin. The boys: Tom Jobim, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Alexi Murdoch, Ray LaMontagne, Bon Iver, Aqualung, Iron & Wine, William Fitzsimmons, Jason Lytle, Andrew Bird, Devendra Banhart and José Teles de Menezes - he is incredibly talented! The bands: Moriarty, Belle and Sebastian, Beirut, Those Dancing Days, Grizzly Bear, Los Hermanos, Sigur Rós and She & Him. The classics: The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Sonic Youth and Nirvana.The Jazz crowd: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan.

Where did you grow up? I spent most of my childhood where I was born, in São Paulo - Brazil. An immense post-modern city inhabited by the most peculiar characters. There is not one thing you can't do, eat, drink, hear or see there, it is a city rich with beauty and the absurd.

What cameras do you use? I mainly use a Fuji FinePix S2000HD, which has been quite reliable. But soon I will spend some time back home and resuscitate my Nikon FM2. It's the most perfect camera one could dream of.

Isadora's Blog: http://fantastiquememoiresfromtheouterspace.blogspot.com/

Isadora's Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/isadorasphotobooth/

Helen Kirkbright

Helen Kirkbright is a Manchester based photographer, with a great eye for details that others would normally not notice. Be that unusual characters on the street, an old graffited drinks machine, or an interesting signpost. She is also currently currently working on a series of fashion photography. When browsing Helen's photographs, one is transported across the world and almost feels like they have visited the places she captures on film.

What got you into photography? My parents have a big box of old family photos and I used to sit for hours looking through it. Some were from when I was a child so they brought back memories but most of them were from before I was born. I liked the way you could learn about people you had never met but also I loved being able to see people through new eyes and see what they were like before I met them. For example who my mum was before she was 'my mum'.

Which of your own photographs is your favourite? Hmmm, that is a hard one but I would say this one (above)

What were you like as a child? You would have to ask my mum really but she would probably say I talked a lot and I was a fussy eater! I had a lot of tantrums too, mainly about not wanting to go into British Home Stores.

Who are your favourite photographers? I really like cinematic style pictures so I love photographers like Jeff Wall and Phillip Lorca Di Corcia

What cameras do you use? For digital work I use my Nikon D300 but I still love my old film camera which is an Olympus OM II.

What are your ambitions with regards to your photography? I would just like to be able to earn a living from photography and to continue to produce work that I like. In the short term I would like to get more work published in magazines etc and a few more exhibitions. In the long term I would like to travel more.

Who or what would you most like to photograph? At the moment I am dying to go to America. I'd love to just hang around for a few months taking pictures.

Who is your favourite author? I read a lot so its another tough one but at the moment I would say Hanif Kureishi and Graham Greene.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I used to tie a ribbon on a stick and pretend I was a rhythmic dancer. I soon realised this wasn't a viable career option.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in a place called Bury in north Manchester.

What, or who inspires you? Enthusiastic people. I really like learning about things from people who are really obsessed with them. I also really to hear about people who take a risk to do what they love. Photographically I am really inspired by films. I love films like The Shining, Lost in Translation and more recently A Single Man purely because you could pause them at any moment and there would be an amazing photography on screen.

What are your favourite blogs? Kisses and Crossstitches and Fanciful Photography obviously. I'm also a bit of a Facehunter addict. My absolute favourite is 'It's Nice That' though which features all different kinds of artists.

What music do you listen to? Bowie, Iggy Pop, Belle & Sebastian, Bob Dylan, Broken Social Scene, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Hole, The Cure, Electrelane, Kings of Convenience, Whitest Boy Alive, Chopin, Rachmaninov, Hall & Oates, Lou Reed, Velevet Underground, Panda Bear, Prince, Radiohead, Kate Bush, Rolling Stones, Stereolab, The Walkmen, White Shoes & The Couples Company, Womack & Womack, Buzzcocks...... lots more but that will do for now!

Helen's blog

Juliette Steen

Juliette Steen lives in New South Wales, Australia and takes hauntingly beautiful photographs, that will stay with you, long after you have gazed at them. Juliette's photographs are all deeply personal, which translates into the time spent perfecting them. You can tell that these pictures mean something to her.

Who or what would you most like to photograph? I want to go snowy woods in winter overseas somewhere and take photos in the dark of a girl with pallid skin and wavy, brown hair that runs down her back. I want to build a cubby with fairy lights and white sheets and fluffy pillows and lie within it and take photos of my love. I want to swim in the waves of the sea and photograph the rolling waves and a long figure rolling along with them.

Who is your favourite author? Michael Ondaatje is incredible. His words are like reading a lullaby.

What are your ambitions with regards to your photography? I used to think I would be able to make a living through photography, but I've come to realise this modern world is a harsh one, particularly for art and photography, and to be honest I don't think my work would sell. It's too personal, too different to each other almost to the point where I don't think people can properly relate, and I hate being forced to take photos of things which I don't feel personally connected to. Photography is a large part of my identity and being and always will be, but I don't think it will ever be my career.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in a small, coastal town called Byron Bay, in Australia. I've been here since I was five and even though I adore it and its beauty, I can't wait to leave this place and go to uni in the city.

Which of your own photographs is your favourite? This is a really hard question for me. I often don't like a lot of my photos, but I never delete them because I know that sooner or later, I will look at them with a whole different perspective and they will grow on me. If I have to be specific (as specific as I can), I'd have to the my favourite photographs are the ones deeply personal to me, like those of my boyfriend, or my family, or friends, or a place special to me, and my time with all of them. I love looking at these photos and reliving emotions and the memories that come with them. I think that's the reason I take photos.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I don't really know. Probably tall, confident, brave, loving and pretty.

What were you like as a child? I was a very shy child. I went through a lot of things a child wouldn't and probably shouldn't go through and so I was often confused and awfully contemplative for a child. I was happy and had friends but I often went into a world of my own, making cubby houses, pretending I was a fairy, and playing with my soft toys by myself.

Who are your favourite photographers? My favourite photographers are often the ones who don't even know how amazing they are. I have discovered my most treasured photographers through flickr and blogger. Here's a few: tamara lichtenstein, adele reed, nirrimi hakanson, annette pehrsson, jasmine rubio, rachel duffy, benajmin alexander huseby, ana kras, lina scheynius, and ellen rogers.

What got you into photography? I think the main thing that got me into photography was my mother. My mother is an artist and so growing up I was always surrounded by creative elements; the smell of oil paints, seeing my own face in paintings, letting her draw or photograph me - essentially me being my mother's muse. So when I was 15 and was able to choose electives for school, I was immediately drawn to phototgraphy and art. Since then, I've loved photography to pieces.

What are your favourite blogs? tree castles, the hymn for the cigarettes, restless hearts, kisses and cross stitches, death wears diamond jewellery, boys who blush, and so many more.

What, or who inspires you? afternoon light, winter, old houses, darkness, a soft bed, a sparkle in someone's eyes, my lovely boyfriend, love, warmth, sun in my eyes, dishevelled hair, him sleeping, bon iver, frankie magazine's 'the photo album', his glowing skin, lazy days, my mother, and vintage tins.

What music do you listen to? It varies greatly depending on my mood. If I feel inspired or need inspiration I will listen to Bon Iver, if I'm happy I will listen to Metric, Foals, Phoenix or Cut Copy, if I feel adoration I will listen to Death Cab For Cutie or Number One Gun, if I feel filthy or over-excited I will listen to ke$ha (please don't tell anyone), and if I'm dispirited I will listen to Animal Collective. I haven't listened to Animal Collective for a long time, this is a good sign.

What cameras do you use? For digital photos, I use a Nikon D60 and for film I use a Zenit-B, a Nikon F60 and my polaroid camera.

Juliette's flickr

To read Juliette's blog, please email her at juliette.steen@hotmail.com, requesting a link

Emily Dahl

Emily Dahl is a Stockholm based freelance photographer. Her beautiful photographs usually feature herself, her friends, or breathtaking local scenery. Emily plays around with editing and light to spectacular results. Gathering inspiration from everything around her, Emily manages to make every image visually different from the last, whilst still carrying her distinct style throughout her work. Visit Emily's blog (a better descripton would be "online portfolio") and enter a world of the "pretty, ugly or absurd things in [her] everyday life".

What got you into photography?

I actually started studying photography by a fluke. I was sixteen and had to pick an extra-curricular activity at school. After trying out dance (not my thing, apparently) and art (I wanted to create the masterpiece of our time, they wanted me to draw fruit) I was put in the photography group, where a sought-after spot had just opened up. I immediately understood that this, photography, was the creative medium I had been looking and longing for all my life.

Which of your own photographs is your favourite?

I couldn’t really say, I tend to like something one day and dislike it the next. But I think most people who depend on their own talent and creativity go through that from time to time.

Who are your favourite photographers?

Ellen von Unwerth, Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman, Camilla Åkrans, Steven Meisel, Horst P. Horst and Yelena Yemchuk , to mention some. ;)

What were you like as a child?

I was everywhere, climbing on the bookshelves or swinging from the curtains. I talked or sang incessantly and the only way to calm me down was to let me watch my My Little Pony videos or give me a pen and something to draw on, then I could be quiet for hours.

What cameras do you use?

I use a Canon eos 400D and it’s my baby. I’m planning on buying a Lomo camera this spring though, unless I get one for my birthday.

What, or who inspires you?

My friends and my boyfriend inspire me, of course. I’m happy to be surrounded my energetic, kind and creative people. Visually I’m inspired by 40’s and 50’s aesthetics, music, literature and fashion. Few things excite me like a good editorial.

Who or what would you most like to photograph?

I dream of shooting an editorial for Vogue on Fårö, a small Swedish island which is like no other place in the world. The light there is so special and surreal.

What music do you listen to?

Mostly rockabilly, northern soul and Swedish hip hop, but I love Lily Allen and Vampire Weekend too for example. I was a real indie kid growing up, so Belle and Sebastian will always own a part of my heart.

What are your favorite blogs?

I don’t read a lot of blogs, but the ones I do read are: ilovepocket.blogspot.com, hello-tiger.blogspot.com, audreyhepburncomplex.tumblr.com, hannahandlandon.blogspot.com/ and rodeo.net/niotillfem/

Emily's blog

Emily's flickr

Hannah Kristina Metz

Hannah Kristina Metz is a New York based photographer, artist and online vintage-store entrepreneur. Prefering to use film over digital, Hannah's work has a raw, unaltered edge to it that is a breathe of fresh air after all the edited photography around at the moment. Subject matter includes husband and photography-partner-in-crime, Landon; forests, naked people and glimpses of their antique-furniture-and-bric-a-brac-cluttered apartment. Not to mention photo after photo documenting Hannah's enviable vintage collection. Take a look into Hannah's world and you'll never want to come back.

Which of your own photographs is your favourite?
http://hannahkristinametz.com/files/gimgs/4_series101.jpg
it was a beautiful morning, warm, cozy and lazy.

 Who are your favourite photographers? Ellen Rogers is magic, David Hamilton has some
pretty dreamy images and I love my buddies Aimee Brodeur and Ali Scarpulla.

 What are your ambitions with regards to your photography? I'm happy to just continue as is!
I don't really have any ambitions other than producing a massive collection of photos
and stories to someday regale my grandchildren with.

Where did you grow up? I grew up in Ottawa, Canada. I couldn't wait to move away but now I
regard it rather fondly and always look forward to visits (especially in spring and fall).

 What were you like as a child? I spent a lot of time playing "make believe" and choreographing
dance numbers. Rather average I imagine, but hopelessly romantic. I brought the complete works
of Shakespeareto school in fourth grade and read from it no doubt clueless of
what I was reading - it just sounded nice.

What, or who inspires you? When I was younger I surrounded myself with my mums art history
books and I find myself always going back to them when I'm at a loss with my own creative
endeavors. I'll always have a place in my heart for the victorian and edwardian artists. I
have to add also, at risk of sounding completely cheesy,
that Landon is endlessly inspirational to me.

Who or what would you most like to photograph? Hmm,
I'm happy with my present cast of characters to photograph.

What cameras do you use? My favourite is our Pentax k1000 followedby the Yashica T4 and
Rollei 35. We have an ever expanding collection of cameras many of which we've yet to try
(inluding a Nishika 3d camera) I hope to remedy this shortly!

What did you want to be when you grew up? I fancied growing up to be a singer (crushed when I realized
people no longer sang like Snow White nor did they desire to hear me sing like her),actress
(crushed when I could not project my voice and couldn't contain laughter at inappropriate
times), ballerina (crushed when my teacher told me my hips were not made for dance),
fashion designer (crushed when I couldn't figure out zippers and maths), missionary
(crushed when I didn't want to talk about jesus but rather act like him
instead, much to the chagrin of my missions school)
now I'd like to find a way to be paid to travel
the world and continue as my own boss!

Hannah's photography website
Hannah and Landan's photography website
Hannah and Landan's blog
Hannah's flickr