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| © Soledad Rodríguez 2005 |
Me. I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. I graduated in biology and successfully completed a doctorate in genetics. The study of chromosomes helped me develop my observation skills, which further advanced with the practice of photography as an amateur. After that I lived in Belgium for a while and completed a three year course in professional photography at the École de Photographie de la Ville de Bruxelles (Brussels), where I learned not just about photography but also about all aspects involved in being a professional.
I have recently moved to Australia and I now live in Brisbane, where I am looking forwards to exploring the photographic opportunities it presents.
My method. I like to find the aesthetic qualities in what exists, the way it exists naturally. Therefore, rather than manipulating the subject of a photograph or giving precise directions to a model, I prefer to let them be and work around them. I consider my photography a process of discovery rather than creation, my job is to find the camera settings and moment that make the beauty of the subject appear undisturbed.
Skills. I feel comfortable with both traditional and modern techniques. In my own black and white darkroom I develop and print my negatives, and I have performed "old-fashion" procedures such as solarisation. I am also skilled at working with the digital image. In general I like to start with a good photo and do only minor corrections to enhance the image, but I also enjoy manipulating an image to create something totally different.
Equipment. Even though I use my digital camera a lot, I still find myself preferring the medium of film. For event photography I use my Nikon F100 loaded with professional portrait film (usually Fuji), because the skin tones rendered by this type of film have no equal. For portraits I use a medium format camera, the Mamiya RB67 proSD. The quality of the prints obtained from the 6x7 cm negatives make it worthwhile to carry the weight of this camera around.
This site. I have designed this site myself with the help of my husband, Alan Offer, to whom I am most grateful.