Friendship on Film: Introducing Melissa Schriek.
Melissa Schriek is a photographer living and working in Amsterdam whose gorgeous work featured in our (un)influenced issue. Here she talks humble beginnings, influences and the joy to be found in friendships.
Melissa Schriek’s photography journey began aged eight, when her father gave her a disposable camera to go on a school trip where she spent the whole day busy taking pictures. When her father developed the images he found them interesting enough to buy her first camera. And ever since, she’s photographed. She then went on to study documentary photography at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague.
ODE celebrates sisterhood and female friendship. How have these things played a part in your life?
I grew up in a household with my two sisters and a mother (and also my father). I’m used to being surrounded by women and I think that influences me. I’m interested in how women experience life and how they relate to each other. I also feel very close to my own friends, I can’t find the words to describe it actually… maybe that’s why I started capturing friendships.
You talk about the disparity between how mainstream media portrays female friendship, and your lived experience of it. Tell us more about this.
Friendship is a subject often overlooked or shown in a very dramatic, hostile or toxic way. I didn’t see a lot of representations that revealed the togetherness and strength of female friendship. I can imagine that it’s more entertaining to show drama but I’m interested in all parts of friendship.
Also, the process of capturing friendship has been very interesting. When I’m photographing two best friends, I often don’t know the people in front of the camera. I’m literally a third wheel. That has been an interesting perspective to observe friendship from. I could have chosen to photograph my own best friends portraying the bond and friendship we have together. However, for some reason, that didn’t speak to me at all. I really wanted to solely observe, to create a visual language for friendship.
I often direct a photograph or body positions, and I’m the one looking through the lens. I would say that it’s my interpretation of friendship but I also try to give people in front of the camera freedom to find their positions or suggest ideas. I have often heard that best friends really see their connection in the images that I made. I find that so beautiful as normally a “connection” is not obvious in such a visual way.
“I like coincidence, so I often don’t plan my shoots (and projects) in great detail, and I make sure that I create situations where chance can play a role. I would say my images lay somewhere between a fictional scene and a documentation.”
Throughout the series you capture authentic moments between friends. Do you go into each shot with a specific idea in mind? How do you direct each shot?
I do have specific ideas, positions, gestures or a certain feeling in mind when I go into a shoot. Sometimes I’m very well prepared, with drawings and props and whatnot, and sometimes I’m not prepared at all and I’m not sure what the outcome will be. I like coincidence, so I often don’t plan my shoots (and projects) in great detail, and I make sure that I create situations where chance can play a role. I would say my images lay somewhere between a fictional scene and a documentation.
If I ask ten people to stand in a certain position, they will all look and position themselves differently. I find that interesting, it’s their interpretation. The person in front of my camera has the freedom to express themselves in that way. But still, I do give direction so it’s a bit of both, staging and documenting.
And you shoot predominately on film?
I prefer to work analog because it makes me slow down. I don’t have endless images on my film roll and that helps me concentrate. I also like the colours and feeling of film, and the process is amazing. I can’t see the images immediately so that makes it very exciting. From developing the film to scanning the negatives, working on removing dust on the image; I just absolutely love that it all takes so long compared to digital photography.
What’s in your kit?
A Pentax analog medium format camera, 50mm lens, 80mm lens and lots of portra 400 film. Digital Canon (a very old 5D). Some lights with flash and daylight lamps, although I prefer natural light.
“I work very intuitively. I learn about my work by making it. Often I start with a small idea, a sentence, an image in my head or a feeling.”
Your projects, ODE, The City is a Choreography and A Study of Uncomfortable Positions seem to be curiosity led. What’s the process behind your concepts?
I work very intuitively. I learn about my work by making it. Often I start with a small idea, a sentence, an image in my head or a feeling. With ODE for instance, I started with the idea that I wanted to photograph couples of best friends, as many as I can find in different countries. This idea is quite simple and maybe even a bit bland—I like to start that way, as it feels like a blank canvas. I trust that the way I look at the world will translate into work at some point.
How important is editing and the sequence of each series? Do you have any tips on the process?
I don’t edit my work a lot, but the process of scanning my work is very important. I scan my work with certain colour profiles that I created. Most of the time I don’t have to work on them much afterwards.
Creating the right sequence is very important to me. As I usually don’t work on images that have a specific timeline or obvious narrative, more so a collection of images that come together as one. So the sequence is of great importance. I only work on that when I’m (almost) finished with the work. I look for a flow in the images and try to create a relationship between them.
What advice would you give other creatives wanting to start their own personal projects?
Have fun! Do whatever you want, even if it doesn’t make any sense.
Who are your photographic heroes?
I love the work of many photographers, but a hero? I think Viviane Sassen!
