Interview with Cécile Smetana: Virgin Soil
© Cécile Smetana
By Ana Osorno.
Musée Magazine: Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what made you start pursuing photography?
Cécile Smetana: I am 34 years old and have been photographing since I was 12. I got to intern for photographers in Copenhagen as a teen, but eventually, I stopped thinking about photography as a career possibility, as it didn't seem realistic.
I started to shoot again when I moved to Paris in my early 20s. I mostly shot silly documentary photos of my friends and the Eiffel Tower. But this experience brought me back to photography, and afterward, I went to an art school in Copenhagen to study photography. It was here that I found a community for the first time and felt like I had something to contribute, and I was able to develop my personal style.
Musée: So when did you realize you wanted to do it full time?
Cécile: After my Copenhagen program, I studied photojournalism at the Danish School of Media and Journalism for four years. It was here that I learned how to communicate about photography and how to use photography to document. But at the same time, people described my work as more aesthetic or artistic than other photojournalists, and I got a lot of criticism for that. Some even told me that photojournalism might not be right for me, but I am glad that I finished the program. It taught me that some of my best work was focused on telling stories about people, and it taught me how to make sense of the role of the photographer and authenticity.
© Cécile Smetana
Musée: After finishing your program, you began working as a photojournalist. How did that experience influence your current work?
Cécile: When I was working at the newspaper, I learned a lot, but there were also many restrictions for photojournalists. I could not shoot black and white photography, which made me want to shoot black and white even more. People told me that my work was too artistic, and it made me want to create that work more. One of my first assignments was to shoot a hole in a road, and I ended up capturing the wrong spot, so it had to be redone.
So I began shooting photos of my brothers in black and white as a source of freedom and creative expression. I chose black and white as a response to working at the newspaper and the restrictions we had.
Musée: Your project, Virgin Soil, has been ongoing but started in 2010. What prompted this project for you?
Cécile: It definitely began while I was working at the newspaper. Virgin Soil became my outlet and gave me the ability to take the images I wanted to take. I traveled to New Orleans, and I began to photograph a feeling or a mood and not a specific story. I wanted to document the feeling of youth and the complexities of growing up. When working on this project, I did not want the place or social constructs to be factors in the images. I just wanted to portray kids and teenagers in this universal state of growing up. I wanted to document how being young or being a kid is romanticized in our culture when, in fact, it can be hard and troubling to grow up.
© Cécile Smetana
Musée: The feeling of youth is very evident in your images, and many of them feel very personal. How did you go about picking subjects for your photos?
Cécile: I tried to meet people everywhere I went. I realized I was always looking at faces; it was the first thing I noticed. So when I saw someone that I found interesting, I would run after them and ask to photograph them for the project, continually relying on my instincts. It was really rare that people said no or turned me down. I felt that as a young woman photographer, people trusted me. People did not see me as a threat, which had a subconscious effect on people. Additionally, when I was working alone, I felt that other women saw me and watched out to make sure I was okay.
Musée: When you were out and about taking portraits, what were some of the specific pieces of equipment you used?
Cécile: For this project, I would shoot with anything that I could get my hands on. The cameras ranged from 35mm film cameras to digital. With black and white photos, I felt like I had the freedom to shoot with either format. Had I been shooting in color, though, I would not have used a digital camera.
Musée: When it comes to your photo style and this project, were you influenced or inspired by any other media or photographers?
Cécile: Mary Ellen Mark was a huge source of inspiration, and so was photographer Sally Mann. I can still remember where I was and what time of day it was when I saw Sally Mann's images for the first time. All of her work inspired me, and she has shaped my style as a photographer.
© Cécile Smetana
Musée: How has travel impacted the way you photograph and your portraits?
Cécile: Over time, I have struggled to take photos in Denmark, my home. I have realized that when I get the chance to travel and go places I haven't been before, I am not at home; I push myself more. When I am somewhere new, I am curious and determined, and I believe that you have to be because you cannot just go home and give up.
Additionally, when I travel, I want to photograph the people I am surrounded by. In the past, when I spent an extended period at a location, I often didn't photograph for the first week or two. Instead, I spend time connecting with people and understanding the environment.
Musée: What is the most important thing you've learned while working on this project?
Cécile: I think, for me, this project is about maintaining who I am. When you work as a photographer today, you have to make a living, which means you sometimes have to compromise. Photojournalists are given assignments that may not have much creative freedom. But I have found that your work gets stronger the truer you are to yourself and to how you see the world. I don't believe that a photograph can ever be objective so when I say that photography is all about being honest, what I really mean is that I have to be honest with myself and what I am looking for, because I can only photograph my own truth. Virgin Soil has taught me a lot about my role as a photographer, and I will continue to work on this project until I no longer physically can.
