Last Updated on 01/12/2015 by Chris Gampat
All images by Mia CocoOne. Used with permission
“My name is Mia. I live in Czech republic and I’m not a professional photographer.” states Mia CocoOne when she began our interview with her. Mia, as she states, isn’t a professional photographer but is instead an artist. She goes about capturing scenes and puts effort into making the final results look the way that she envisioned in her mind. Her images sometimes tend to have a painterly look to them–which is explained by the fact that she grew up watching a painter do his job.
Mia’s work was discovered by us through EyeEm, which in our opinion is one of the lesser known hotbeds of good photography–at least to US audiences. Her story really starts to take shape after she had a child.
Phoblographer: How did you get started in photography?
Mia: My first experience with photography goes back even to the days of analogue photography. It was a time when my father quite often took pictures and did all the work himself. Everything I created in a dark room and the whole process absolutely fascinated me. Then after the birth of my daughter, I started to take pictures. Only later I became interested in the manual setting, composition or ideal light for photography.
Phoblographer: What attracts you to landscapes specifically?
Mia: Actually, I don’t know. We had a painter in the family who dealt with landscapes. My grandmother had a lot of his paintings and I’ve often watched him create them. When I think about it, maybe it influenced my view. A photo shoot for me is about relaxation, and I find that in a deserted landscape. This is probably the reason why I particular focus on photographing landscapes, although I actually prefer reportage and lifestyle photography.
Phoblographer: When do you often know when the moment is right to actually take a photo?
Mia: In my pictures, I mainly aim to capture a feeling or mood. When I have time I take with me different types of filters and try various manual settings. Sometimes I see a photo, and I know that the way it should be including the finishing touches.
I love the fog, that adds a special photo session melancholy. Many will also affect the editing process.
Phoblographer: You have a wonderful sense of composition. Where did you learn to compose?
Mia: Thank you very much. I don’t know if this can be learned. Of course, there are rules regarding the golden spiral photo, or using vertical lines in photography etc; but in my opinion, this makes the difference between ordinary photos and photos made by a photographer. The composition is important for the resulting feelings. I shoot a lot of photos by mobile phone and it’s a good way to teach yourself composition.
Phoblographer: What is your editing process like?
Mia: Many photographers think that editing is not good and spoils the work of photographer. Unfortunately, the current trend is such that people love modified pictures or else they become uninteresting. I carefully regulate most of the photos that I post. Among my favorite editing software is Photoshop and if I don’t have much time to edit then I’m using VSCOCam, snapseed and others. In the era of digital photographs you can delete the photo and try again.