Interview with photographer Jovana Rikalo

                  Jovana Rikalo is a fine art and portrait photographer from Serbia. She aims to create unreal situations in the real world, images that may look unnatural but that nonetheless feel very real, surreal stories all told through the lens of a camera.


AHC: What first drew you to art? Was there a specific moment in your life or turning point where it became clear to you that you were being called to create?

Jovana: I've always loved photography. As I was studying law, on the second year I bought a new camera and started exploring photography a little bit more. After that I took many photos of my friends and family and I realized how strongly I really felt about it. Then I bought a canon 600D and that was my first professional camera. Today, I can't imagine my life without photography, it's my passion and my love.
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AHC: Could you talk some about your overall process, themes & inspirations?

Jovana: Before I take a photograph, I imagine in my head what the image should look like, I imagine the situations I would like to create, the characters, and I always write my ideas down on paper, it's easier, sometimes I draw what I want to create with that idea. My inspiration is female models, their beauty. I love shooting models with unique faces, blue eyes, freckles. Also, my inspiration is life and dreams. I follow many other photographers who really inspire me.

After a photoshoot I use my favorite tool, photoshop, to create a finished image. It requires a lot of hours and effort and time to create that image, that means that I am spending usally more than 2-3 hours per photo, I am a perfectionist when it comes to an image, I love that everything in a photo can look perfect, just the way that I imagine it in my head. 

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AHC: Who are some of your artistic influences? Is there anyone outside of the art world whose work has impacted your own, or who just generally inspire you, writers, filmmakers, musicians etc? 

Jovana: I love Rosie Hardy, Oleg Oprisco, Lara Jade, Katerina Plotnikova. Their work never fails to inspire me!

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AHC: Bodies of water often figure heavily in your fine art photography, is there a special, elemental meaning in this for you? Some of your work also has an almost fairy tale, dream like quality, do you see some of these works as modern day fairy tale portraits-stories?

Jovana: Yes, I do. I am very inspired by dreams, I love creating dreamy, surreal photos, I love telling unreal stories in a real world. 

AHC: What was the most difficult piece for you to create, shoot, technically and conceptually? Have you ever had to abandon a piece because the elements just weren't coming together in the right way?

Jovana: Oh yes, I abandon most of my images because I had an idea in my head but the right circumstances weren't in place. I didn't make it but I still look on that as a challenge for next time because I know I will make it better next time, I know precisely what didn't work the first time around. I'm still keeping 2-3 ideas in my head from 3-4 years ago and I am waiting for the right time to create the pieces. The most difficult piece was  definitely a couple standing in a big balloon because there were 2 people in these balloons  and I was shooting for almost an hour.

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AHC: What is the first work of art you made that took your breath away, looking back on it? 

Jovana: The "Guardian" image. That was my first image and my personal favorite. A crow standing on a girl's head in black and white. 

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AHC: Are there times when you become blocked creatively? What do you do to rekindle inspiration?

Jovana: Yes, I had moments when I didn't have any inspiration for months, but thank God, I always write down my ideas when I have an inspiration hahah. I already have 3-4 pages of ideas in my notebook.



AHC: Do you have any words of advice for young photographers-artists who are rooting around in themselves trying to find their own internal artistic vision?

Jovana: Always be yourself and don't be despair if you don't have a good camera. A good camera doesn't always mean good photography. You only need to have an eye for the idea and to be able to feel the emotion of that idea deeply.

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AHC: Do you have any upcoming exhibits or new projects you'd like to tell people about?

Jovana:  Two of my photos will be exhibited in Krakow, Poland this march and I have a few upcoming projects but those are a secret.



All Images © Jovana Rikalo (Courtesy of the artist)

For more visit jovanarikalo.com/

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