Sergio Ferreira
Interview with Sergio Ferreira
TIFA 2020 Winner, 1st Place, Non-Professional Event category – “Timoncap 2019”
Sergio Ferreira’s first contact with the image world began timidly at the age of 16, in the analogue age. When he was 18, his interest in this means of expression was increasingly evident, and at the age of 22, he became a member of the Photographic Association of his city. During the years he spent in it, he was fascinated by the work of great masters such as Cartier-Bresson, Avedon, Frank, Erwitt or Evans to quote some of them. He was seduced by their works and they made him dedicate part of his life to this art.
Q: Tell us a bit about your background?
I acquired my first photographic knowledge in a self-taught way and eventually I kept training by attending numerous workshops and seminars taught by renowned Spanish photographers. Later, I did a Master’s Degree in Visual Arts, Photography and Personal Project. From those beginnings to today, I have participated in numerous collective and individual exhibitions and I have won several awards in national and international competitions. I have some works published in books, catalogues, magazines and newspapers. I would also like to point out that, for personal reasons, I left photography for 12 years.
Q: What was your last work about and what inspired you?
I have just started a new Project. I want to deal with the issue of urban areas overpopulation to the detriment of rural centers in my country. It is a huge demographic problem in which I am really interested and it worries an important part of Spanish society. More than 90% of the population lives concentrated in 30% of the territory. This crisis, which is getting worse and worse, poses the need for urgent short-term solutions, and it is an important challenge for our leaders. It is in their hands to restore the demographic balance that was broken with the beginning of the so-called rural exodus, in the second half of the 20th century.
Q: In your free time, what kind of pictures do you like to shoot and which ones do you avoid?
I share my free time with my family, my friends and photography. The moments I devote to photography are to leisurely complete long-term projects or to photograph social and sporting events that take place during the weekends.
These attract me a lot, since they usually surprise you with unpredictable situations that force you to stay very focused and alert until the end. I would probably never do wildlife photography because it requires a lot of planning, heavy equipment and above all a great deal of patience, a virtue that I lack. I very much admire those who dedicate themselves to it.
Q: When you go in one of your travels, what do you take with you? Why?
When I travel, I usually walk a lot and I do not like carrying a heavy rucksack. In these cases, my usual equipment consists of a body, 2 lenses, 2 batteries and many memory cards. I use the tripod only for certain jobs but I never take it in my travel bag.
Q: How do you know when a body of work is finished?
In the case of reports on social and sporting events, the taking of images finishes when the event itself ends. Then at home, I go on with the selection, editing and adjustments, as with any of my work. Long-term projects do not have a specific duration, some last longer than others. I conclude them once I have selected the necessary images to tell the story from beginning to end, just as I want to do it.
Q: What is your dream photography project?
A project on a very interesting topic to shine internationally with it. I would like to execute it calmly, without a time limit, with all the necessary means and resources and, above all, it should have never been photographed before
Q: What is the most difficult photo to capture?
I don’t think there are easy or difficult shots but rather possible or impossible ones, at least for me. To put an exaggerated example; I would like to photograph the earth from space. The only possible way for me would be to become part of the crew of a space station and take the picture from there. It is obvious that this event will never happen because I am not an astronaut nor can I afford this type of trip. Therefore, it is evident that it is an impossible photo for me. However, if I were a member of the crew of that space station, the capture of our planet itself would not entail any difficulty.
Q: If you could only take one last picture in your life, what would it be?
I would like to photograph politicians, industrial magnates and scientists sitting around a table signing a global agreement for the final fight against climate change.
