This month we welcome Sandra Franco as our event photographer. Read on to find out more about Sandra’s background and exciting new projects. 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Sandra. I was born in Madrid, where I graduated in Advertising and PR. I’ve lived in Edinburgh for almost seven years now, and graduated in Photography from Edinburgh College a couple of years ago. Since then, I combine freelance work with personal projects.

What inspired you to first pick up a camera?

I’d say that my connection with photography comes from an early-age attraction to old family albums. Filling the curiosity about my own family history, these old pictures had a strong evocative power. This evolved together with an increasing interest for the visual language during my first year at media school. The aim of learning the technical aspects came at that time, when I got my first SLR camera and discovered the magic of the dark room.

What subjects are you most drawn to?

I feel attracted by the beauty and strangeness of ordinary people and places, establishing connections with their experiences and memories.

I’m also interested in documenting identity issues, particularly in relation to body and gender representation.

What is your favourite gear you’re using at the moment?

A mirror-less Fuji X-Pro1, which design resembles and old style analogue camera, its compact size makes it great for street photography and travel.

And of course my 85mm, 1.8 Nikon lens. I got it second-hand, as much of the equipment I own, and use it mainly for portraiture.

Can you list a few of your favourite creative resources?

Websites such as Visura and Lens Culture are great sources for discovering emerging photographers and contemporary documentary projects.

I also follow a variety of blogs: Behold, AnOther or Nowness, which usually features interesting clips, The Jealous Curator for all sorts of quirky art, and of course, fellow photographers and friends.

Exhibitions and workshops are crucial for getting new perspectives, as well as being surrounded by inspiring people from different backgrounds, no matter if they make music or food.

I’ve recently taken part in my first artist residency, during which I had the chance to play with performance and video-art, everything a bit experimental and amazingly refreshing.

Please tell us the story behind one of your favourite photographs.

This one is part of a project I started working on recently, in collaboration with a group of dancers from the Conservatorio Superior de Danza de Madrid (Madrid Dance Conservatory) After finding the right location in the suburbs, I took a group of dancers out of their usual ‘stage’ and placed them in the middle of a roadside field. We started improvising together, and in the moment they felt connected with the place amazing things started happening. Even the light that day was special, and we enjoyed the process as much as the results. During the past years I’ve realized how much I love working with body and performance, and the fact that we were out of the studio made everything feel really organic and a bit surreal. I hope to meet more artists to work with and continue this series in the following months.