We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danika Green a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Danika, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
At first I was learning on my own, fortunately the schools i’ve attended had really great photography programs and it escalated from then on. I learned from constantly studying artists and wonderful mentors that I looked up to over the years to help me push the boundaries of my work. There was no need to speed up the learning process. Im contempt with everything I’ve done so far. If it wasn’t for years of constant trial and error, I wouldn’t be where I am today with my work.
Other than having the basic knowledge on how to use photography equipment, I believe the one of the most essential skills when photographing would have to be contributing your own creative ideas to your subject and having the ability to photograph in a way that makes your style stand out from everyone else.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’ve been photographing since I was 15 years old. I graduated at FIU with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, Thesis in Photography. My main focus is on social documentation through analog. I photograph bodies of work that explore a closer look into the intimacy of one’s true self and the human body behind closed doors. I capture the familiar nostalgia between those who are close, and amid the presence of personal belongings, revealing the subjects’ authentic behavior in private spaces.
The subject matter of my work are mainly people or objects that have a personal affect/relation to my life.
I believe that being able to capture the characteristics of a person in their most vulnerable state opens a new level of comfort and connection between one another. Im proud to say that I have been able to successfully capture such a delicate subject and mould it into a form of art through photography.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
There are many ways society can help the art community grow. You can support many creatives by going to their exhibitions, share their work with others, buy local art works, and donate to local art organizations.
I believe artists play an important role in society because they help us better understand the way of the world in creative perspectives and can potentially inspire change.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of doing what I love is just being able to bring what’s in my mind to life. Imagine being able to show the world how things look like through your perspective? That feeling of being able to photograph in your own creative way and seeing just how far you can push yourself is extremely full-filling. Photography provides this amazing opportunity to capture significant moments in life that you will never get back and I plan to perfect capturing that moment every time.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @greenphotox
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/danikagreen