From the Archives: Photographer Lina Scheynius
From Oyster #97.
Lina Scheynius' new book is out 26 November (just in time for Christmas!) and we caught up with her before the release. Lina also contributed some words and photographs to Oyster #97:
"I was born 1981 in Vänersborg in Sweden, and I grew up in Trollhättan. I moved away from home at 16. After that I spent most of my time in London, and at the moment I live between London and Paris. I go back to Sweden as often as I can. I think I work best when I keep moving around.
"My parents thought I would break the camera, so I had to wait until they decided I was old enough for them to buy me one. I started on my tenth birthday, in my home, taking pictures of the cake and my feet and my best friend sitting on the toilet — pretty much the same thing I do now.
"I realised that spontaneity is probably the most difficult thing when you work with fashion. There are so many set rules and boundaries in fashion photography, and it's difficult to make something spontaneous with a sense of reality. [With] my personal pictures I just take them when I find them, but when I do a fashion shoot I have to work with some degree of planning. I have to know which people I will work with, when, and where. But that's it — after that I take the day as it comes. I work with natural light, so if there is a cloud over the sun then that will affect the mood of the day and the picture. I work with a small automatic camera that allows me to move around a lot. And I never give more directions than I have to; I like to avoid forcing things.
"My absolute favourite subject is my own life and the people in it. I photograph it and show it like a diary ... I keep my work very close to me. This [selection] is part of my summer 2011 diary series. I make four series a year (spring/ summer/autumn/winter) capturing my life at that time. This summer was spent travelling around Vietnam and Cambodia with my best friend Amanda. It was a holiday first of all, so I guess they are holiday snaps."
Words and Photography: Lina Scheynius
