“Inspiration is energy” with Ari Seg
Short profile
Ari Seg is a photographer, graphic designer and art director from Barcelona. Her photographs appear in renowned fashion magazines and she has also created campaigns and videos for various fashion brands. In addition to artistic expression, the issue of sustainability is particularly close to her heart. In an interview, she describes herself as follows: “I am a visual creator but I spend the rest of my time hugging my cats and dogs, enjoying live music and explaining to anyone who wants to listen why we all should go vegan.”
6 QUESTIONS TO ARI SEG
Can you tell us a bit about how you came to photography?
After I finished studying graphic design, I felt I was missing something and that’s when I started experimenting with photography. It was something I always loved, and I was fascinated by lighting and cinematography, but I never really tried to build an image before. The first shooting I did with two of my friends was with a digital camera and with an analog one. I felt so much more comfortable using the analog camera. It was a magical process that made me realise how special the act of taking a photo could be and all the decisions you have to take before the “click” turned into my obsession. Waiting for the lab to develop those rolls turned into my favorite feeling.
Photo: Ari Seg
Please share something about your images. What is your special interest? How do you choose the colors, composition, themes etc.?
Cinema is a big influence on my personal work. My goal is to capture an image that feels like a still from a movie. Whenever I can, I use filters in front of the lens so the final image has a certain contrast and I try to guide the models so the viewer can imagine a story.
I am also heavily influenced by the 90s fashion photography and youth culture.
Photo: Ari Seg
Where does this interest come from?
It basically comes from watching certain movies in repeat when I was a teenager like The Virgin Suicides or Wild at heart and from being fascinated by certain fashion moments that changed how fashion photography was seen.
How do you get inspired? And what inspires you the most? Films, books, or magazines? Or what surrounds you?
What inspires me the most is the stories. These stories can obviously be found in cinema, but also in a book, in a song or in a feeling. I think everybody lives certain experiences that shapes them and when you’re living those experiences, the inspiration is right there. It is like an energy that is available to us, and we just have to tune into that frequency.
Photo: Ari Seg
What was your first camera?
A Nikkormat from my dad. He bought it in the 60’s. The best present I’ve ever received.
What else should we know about you?
My name is Ari Seg and I am based in Barcelona. I am a visual creator but I spend the rest of my time hugging my cats and dogs, enjoying live music and explaining to anyone who wants to listen why we all should go vegan.
