Violette Nell
I was born and live in France, with a Bachelor's degree in Literature, my indecision as to the profession I wanted to pursue later pushed me to take a sinuous path punctuated by hesitations without me fully blossoming. I started my photographic adventure really by chance. I have never been immersed in an artistic environment, the taste for photography came to me thanks to 19th century books; I discovered in particular the melancholic work of Julia Margaret Cameron, the emotion that emerges from her portraits fascinated me for a long time. The practice of photography came later following a convalescence that forced me to stay at home. First of all, I started to photograph insignificant details of everyday life and then very quickly I wanted to adopt a narrative style by telling poetic stories in images.
I often compare my photographic approach to that of a filmmaker. Most
of the time, before taking a picture, I try to create a common thread,
which is why I mainly do series. My inspiration for the cinema of the
70s as well as my love for painting naturally lead me to play with past
eras, hence this impression of nostalgia that emerges in some of my
photos.
Generally speaking, I don't try to create vintage atmospheres
because they are trendy. The atmospheres that are found in my
photographic work are simply the result of my influences turned mainly
towards the past.
Self-taught, I use both digital and film but right now, I'm focusing more on film shots. I mainly draw my inspiration from vintage stuff, painting, cinema, nature, fashion and art in general... What interests me the most is to transcribe authentic emotions not overplayed through atmospheres.
Even if I don't focus on a specific theme, I make sure that my photographs respond to each other, especially through colours that will be similar. I define my work as "atmospheric"; the light, the composition, the harmony of the colours have particular importance in my work; thus can begin to be born an emotion that I try not to neglect. I appreciate as much to take pictures in black and white as in colours, it all depends on the context. I consider colour to be as important as the person I am photographing; it can overshadow the model's shadow, crushing it to better bring out his or her moods.
