Maria Fernandez
When people see my work, I’d like them to feel that moment of shared emotion and experience. Photography is a source of some of my utmost pleasure.
Biography
Originally, I started taking photos because I was interested in exploring human rights and identity. I am a self-taught photojournalist based in New York City and Dominican Republic. My work as a photographer has consisted in exposing the inequalities I see everywhere I go. When people see my work, I’d like them to feel that moment of shared emotion and experience. Photography is a source of some of my utmost pleasure.
Artist Statement
“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.”
— Robert Frank
“I use photography to express my interpretation of the world around me. Photography allows me to interact with people I would otherwise not be able to engage with. My camera act as a bridge to connect with people photograph.
My choice of subject comes from my interest in ideas about human realty and intuition. I enjoy finding photographs that capture sincere moments. I photograph people in their natural environment because I want to preserve the moment. I use a Sony a7 full frame mirrorless camera. The a7 uses a 24.3 megapixel CMOS sensor with a low-pass filter and on-chip phase detection.
Originally, I started taking photos because I was interested in exploring human rights and identity. I am a self-taught photojournalist based in New York City and Dominican Republic. Since my days as a high school student I was very concerned with the issues that affected the Dominican diaspora in New York City. Being a photography enthusiast allowed me to see these issues from a different lens. Photography afforded me the opportunity to approach different people within the community including the community leaders of the time to confront these different issues. Using the camera as my tool, to voice these issues and facilitated my interaction and approach towards people. It wasn’t until my college years that I became aware of the important role women play in our community. As ironic as it sounds, me being a woman in a patriarchal society it is very hard to understand this. From there on, my work was mainly focused on the different activities that women were performing in our community in their daily lives, in the arts, in school, in the political arena, education, etc. My work as a photographer has consisted in exposing the inequalities I see everywhere I go. When people see my work, I’d like them to feel that moment of shared emotion and experience. Photography is a source of some of my utmost pleasure.
Artist Gallery
