We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christine Mace a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

As a social documentary photographer, who happens to be disabled I’ve got a unique way of doing things. I shoot from my lap and most of the time, about ninety-eight percent, I’m shooting blind. That means I don’t use the viewfinder or the LCD screen on the back of my camera to capture those moments like a typical photographer would do.

My disability makes it physically impossible for me to raise the camera to eye level and work the shutter in the typical way. So, I’ve got this distinctive vantage point when I’m capturing these moments, and I think it adds a fresh perspective to my work that sets me apart from other photographers.

(story)

Christine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After I graduated from grad school in 2012, I was given the opportunity to work on a documentary called Dior and I. It was during this project that I really delved into how a story could be beautifully conveyed through the lens of a camera. After, working on the documentary, I decided to try my hand at photography, and that’s when I found my voice behind the lens of a camera.

I fell in love with capturing images, especially using Fujifilm’s X100 series fixed lens cameras. There’s something about a fixed lens camera that I find perfect for catching those genuine, unfiltered moments. With a fixed lens, you’re more attuned to your surroundings and the distance from your subjects, which lets me capture those moments from just the right perspective. It’s all about preserving those raw and authentic moments.

I approach my work with patience and dedication, letting the story unfold naturally in front of me, without trying to control the narrative. It’s about capturing those raw, unmanipulated moments that tell their own unique stories.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

As a social documentary photographer, the goal of all my work is all about understanding how people connect or disconnect with one another. It’s deeply personal because it stems from my experiences as a disabled individual, often feeling overlooked and judged. I choose to humanize people and capture those genuine moments. I hope my work sparks conversations about real-life experiences, tolerance, and how our society functions.

My photography is driven by intuition and a desire to explore different cultures, environments, and socioeconomic issues. I see the camera as a way to give a voice to the people, places, and moments I encounter, making them relatable to the viewer. Every day, I document the changes happening around us, observing how people interact, adapt, and blend their cultures with their daily lives in today’s world. I focus on the moments that often go unnoticed but are there if you take the time to look.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Growing up, all I ever wanted was to be an artist. Creativity flowed naturally through me—drawing, painting, working with clay, you name it. As I ventured into photography professionally, submitting my work to competitions and exhibitions was initially daunting. Over time, however, I grew more confident in seeing myself as an artist. My photography gained recognition in competitions and was selected for group exhibitions across the country and internationally.

The moment I truly felt like a legitimate artist was when I would overhear people—curators, collectors, and other artists—at exhibitions discussing my work. Hearing what others took away from my captures was an eye-opener. Not only did I find my work impactful, but others also discovered meaning in it. For me, there’s nothing more rewarding as an artist than someone connecting so deeply with one of my pieces that they decide to purchase it and hang it in their home. This past September marked a significant milestone in my artistic career with my first solo exhibition. It was overwhelming, daunting, and extremely rewarding to see the breadth of work the curators chose to showcase from my career thus far.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinemace.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinemace/

Image Credits
Christine Mace