| I have been shooting since I was a teenager. I got my first 35 mm camera when I was 13 years old and still use the same format to this day. I like to shoot in black and white, with 35 mm film and usually with low lighting. This gives me the kind of picture that is not so much about exposing every detail of the subject as it is about capturing the essence of that person. I want the photograph to convey something beyond what you are looking at. And, I still gravitate toward the same kinds of subjects. I’ve always been drawn to places and people that reflect something outside of the boundaries of society. People who live their lives according to their own rules make the most interesting subjects to photograph. |  |
Käla Mandrake
I have been shooting since I was a teenager. I got my first 35 mm camera when I was 13 years old and still use the same format to this day. I like to shoot in black and white, with 35 mm film and usually with low lighting. This gives me the kind of picture that is not so much about exposing every detail of the subject as it is about capturing the essence of that person. I want the photograph to convey something beyond what you are looking at. And, I still gravitate toward the same kinds of subjects. I’ve always been drawn to places and people that reflect something outside of the boundaries of society. People who live their lives according to their own rules make the most interesting subjects to photograph. It’s more about an inner vibe, rather than outer appearances, that makes me interested in shooting someone. It could be based on something psychological that resonates with me, or just a fascination with who they are. When I was 15 years old, I hung out in old abandoned buildings in the Lower East Side, where I would shoot squatter punk bands and take portraits of my friends, many of whom were musicians. And, when I’d photograph them, I’d always feel like something on a psychological level came through in the photograph. Taking a picture became a really personal thing for me, because I always feel like I’m connecting with the person on another level. It’s an exchange of energy, and part of that person is revealed through the shot.
Coming from a family of vaudeville musicians and artists, I’m fascinated with photographing lifestyles that exist on the outskirts of the mainstream. My great-grandparents were vaudeville musicians. My grandfather was Mandrake the Magician, and he and my grandmother traveled with Vaudeville shows while devoting their lives to performing and inventing new magic acts that are still being used by magicians today. The people in my photographs tend to be people I know well, although, sometimes, they are little more than acquaintances. In any case, I feel that there is always more to learn about everyone, and taking a photograph is a good way to do so.
