Today we’d like to introduce you to Sofia Panizo.
Sofia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My admiration for photography had only become prevalent to me quite recently. I moved to Savannah, anticipating studying Film and television. As much as I do appreciate the industry, I had to conjure up some courage to realize it was just missing the mark for me. Personally, I want to be occupied in something that has a sort of sweetness to it, and I found that I kept wanting to supply that need through painting, writing, and even learning an additional language. Given that I was invested in the visual arts and cinematography, my father gifted me with a few abandoned cameras that were living in our storage unit. At this point, I was only familiar with the Polaroid and disposable cameras I played with around 2015. I am very grateful for that. My dear friend Evin Holley (the best) taught me how to use these cameras and work with analog film. Film photography was like one of those previous distractions, and now it’s a craft that occupies my daily perspective. I changed my major and attention in general towards photographing and film development. I believe I have always been adamant about composition and the everyday beauty, so arranging life through a viewfinder became supplemental for me. My work exhibits the intimate life that surrounds me. I capture anything worth documenting, worth remembering, and worth making permanently tangible. There is an art in memory and all the individual perspectives having to do with that. I feel grateful to have become familiar with something so enriching and observational. Taking pictures has unveiled many unexpected lessons for me. I’ve learned so much about myself and how to experience this world. I am in the early phases of my practice, but am looking forward to experiencing more to do with this lovely perspective I’ve encountered so far.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The more confusing part of this journey was realizing that I would even consider myself artistic to begin with. Previous to what I do now, I felt an expectation to study something regarding medicine or business, but I could barely give that much thought. I struggled to envision myself eagerly going to school for anything up until my last year of high school. To realize so later on that this creative path was an option felt like a huge risk for some reason. I have definitely experienced obstacles after arriving in Savannah, and I think it’s valuable to. I’ve always been quite reserved, and with that comes the challenge of understanding how to communicate. All the years I had lived without utilizing visual communication were also an underlying struggle. I’ve found my type of language now, and I would say I grasped onto that very quickly.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a photographer who’s attracted to authenticity. My work consists of personal documentation and fashion-oriented portraiture. I strive for expressions and gestures that can be empathized with. Most often, I click the shutter when people are unaware of it, so I can achieve a sense of inattentiveness within my subjects. I find this kind of casualness emotive and naturally beautiful. I’m fortunate to have an amazing group of friends who equally cherish our shared memories that are worth permanence.
I get along well with analog film, especially during developing and editing. I really admire working with color; it’s a process I fairly resonate with. My goal is to emulate the colors from life as we live it. The colors and exposures that film provides make this near reality a bit more magical. Creating something as perfect as it can be to my standards is very gratifying. I could put several hours of scanning and editing into one image; it’s a time-consuming process, but one that I find meditative and rewarding. Photography is spoken through many mediums, and as I get further into this practice, the more mediums I feed into. Currently, I am interested in darkroom and inkjet printing because they extend the process a bit more. I love taking my time with things. I’m one of those people who likes to abandon their work and rediscover it months later just to feel more love for it all over again. In addition, bookmaking is a craft I am still trying to grasp. With this, I’ve been able to implement personal writings and photographic imagery into one complementary form. Printing and bookmaking allow me to play with presentation and sequencing within my photographic archive. I am constantly adding to this archive; eventually, I will have a glorious, large body of work that is just the depiction of my life seen through my camera lens.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Learning how to measure control is something I have consistently encountered, specifically pertaining to my work ethic and even my mentality at large. I’ve been working on shifting my energy towards where it would be beneficial to me. Words are a powerful thing, and actions can be even more moving. It’s only natural to feel protective of what we produce, especially since my work is so closely tied to my identity. I’ve discovered that territoriality is not much fun. The challenges I’ve been faced with have allowed me to understand the severity behind intention, and that purity is irreplicable. I’m still finding balance throughout my priorities and investing my attention into them. Nowadays, obstacles can feel like achievements. This all has to do with a sort of control over perspective.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sofiapanizo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spacebunification/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-panizo/
