"There’s something shameless about Snowfall, the way it lies there,
Does nothing but changes everything."
- From A Walk in the Snow by Jo Shapcott
Hungarian, originally from Romania, Andrea Bakacs is an editorial and fine art photographer specializing in travel, lifestyle, food, still-life, and landscapes. Bakacs received her BFA from Parsons School of Design in New York City where she formally trained as a photographer. She then went on to spend several years as a photo editor for Martha Stewart Living and Everyday Food, sharpening her eye to what inspires her the most: the duality of city and country life, culture and travel, good food and great wine, and all the amazing moments in between. Editorial clients include Esquire, The Atlantic, Bon Appetit, Afar, Budget Travel, The Financial Times, and Entrepreneur.
She is a member of PhotoShelter, the leader in portfolio websites, photo sales, marketing and archiving tools for photographers.
Please introduce yourself and your photography
Hi. I’m Andrea Bakacs, a photographer currently living and working in Portland, Oregon. Previously based in London and New York City, I’ve found myself returning to a landscape filled with quiet inspiration.
When did you first discover the medium?
I first discovered photography in middle school. There was a darkroom in my journalism class, and while both my teachers and parents pushed me to write, I pushed myself to learn the art of visual language instead. In high school, only a yearbook class allowed me to get close to photography again, but that was enough to set me on my path. I had dreams of becoming a fashion photographer, but after moving to New York City to study photography at Parsons School of Design, I realized I didn’t have a passion for fashion, and at the suggestion of a professor, began photographing what moved me personally, rather than what I thought should move me.
Do you have a photographic philosophy?
I haven’t though much about whether I have a photographic philosophy. What I can say is that I’m pretty thoroughly a purist. I shoot things that exist before me, rather than fabricating a new reality. This is one of the reasons I realized fashion photography was not for me. I didn’t want to manipulate anything—with makeup, with lighting, not even in the darkroom. I have always printed my own work as close to how I remembered the scene to be in real life.
You focus mainly on landscapes and the environment. What do you hope your images convey?
My personal work focuses mainly on landscapes and the environment, as the outside world is what interests and inspires me the most. As many documentary photographers attempt to convey everyday life through street photography, I also attempt to convey every day life through landscapes. I’m not interested in creating a perfect picture made from a 2-hour exposure at night, showing something not even the human eye can see. I want to convey scenes that exist before us every single day, if we just remember them. Those fleeting moments on the side of the road while in a car, a brief snowfall rendering fleeting silence over a street, vignettes that may be too real to even notice. I hope to convey the beauty in these every-day moments.
You are a former photo editor - has this affected how you shoot your own photography these days?
My personal work hasn’t been greatly affected by my work as a photo editor. My commercial work on the other hand, which, focuses on travel, includes many different genres of photography such as portraits, still-life, food, interiors, and architecture, and has been shaped and formed through my role as a photo editor. When shooting for a travel assignment I try to convey a sense of place through all facets of personal experience. A place isn’t just what it looks like—but what is sounds like, tastes like, acts like, and feels like; all which I try to convey through my pictures. I try to create a point of view about a place that feels unique and stands out, and try to communicate that point of view through the people, locations, and activities I photograph. As a photo editor for many years, I found myself drawn to photographer’s work who could tell a story solely through images, even without the respective words to make sense of it. I try to do the same.
