This week I interviewed Maya Villiger from
Turned Out.
Jade: The site has a really nice sensibility to it, it feels quite personal in the way you interact with your audience though your photographs, words and collages.
Maya: I was living in Los Angeles at the time with my husband Derek- i started to spend lots of time taking pictures and became really interested in photographing the people I saw on the streets (especially at the markets). Derek suggested I start a blog to share some of my picture so I did - it became quite addictive.
Jade: How do you choose your subjects to photograph?
Maya: It's just an instinct - I will walk past someone or see someone across the street who i'm attracted to - when I get closer and start talking to them I figure out why. It's not usually a specific item of clothing but rather a feeling, a mood that the subject projects. I love girls who seem totally relaxed and comfortable - I'm also drawn to simple, everyday pieces made cool or put together in a way I wouldn't think of.
Jade: Do you find differences in the style of people in New York as apposed to other cities?
Maya: Yes. Especially Paris. I think the girls in New York, at least the ones I want to photograph, are more casual, more raw, more urban. There is a delicate, feminine sensibility to the way European women dress, it's subtle but it's noticeable - and makes traveling even more fun.
Jade: Do you see Turned Out it as a sort of diary?
Maya: I hadn't thought about this, but i guess I do - and I'm currently re-working the Turned Out format to include an archive, i think this will add to the feeling of each post capturing a moment in time.
Jade: What inspires you?
Maya: Ahhh so much, but especially photography and photographers like
Bruce Weber,
Max Farago,
Venetia Scott,
Derek Henderson,
Peter Lindbergh - actually there are too many to list. I'm also constantly inspired by my sister and friends who feature as often as possible on Turned Out, traveling, reading magazines, I get inspired making collages.
Jade: What are you thoughts about the blogging industry?
Maya: I think it's great that sharing ideas and work has become so easy through blogging. I know this leads to lots of crap online, but at the end of the day people only read what resonates with them. I think it's a media format that will remain relevant because of it's raw, honest and personal nature. I don't think it ultimately takes away from great print content - or it shouldn't.
Jade: What do you like about a blog/site as a medium?
Maya: I love the speed of it, the personal connection readers can have with bloggers, the casual tone, the fact that there are no filters between blogger and reader, it's a direct relationship, I think that's powerful.
Jade: Are you interested in pursuing other mediums such as a magazine, book or video?
Maya: Yes but not on my own. I've started to collaborate with some magazines and designers, I love this, it's great to work in a team, contribute to a bigger vision or concept - there is always an exciting energy to that. A book, one day maybe. And yeah I'm working with a friend on a video concept for Turned Out, I don't know how this will go - it's a total experiment.