Thursday, March 25, 2021
After the finishing up the Harlem Renaissance unit I knew I had go see New York one day. I had made the city a bucket lister not only so I could walk the same streets Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes once had, but also because of how mesmerized I became with documentaries and films about Black New York.
The original cliché I was sold about New York reminded me of Broadway, shopping, and crowds. But the culture of Black New York carried much more substance. The fashion, the music, the night clubs, and even the slang was IT then. Every black artist seemed to exist in a way that set trends for the rest of America. Today, not much has changed.
The day of the interview I woke up in SoHo wrapped in fluffy white hotel bedding in a dimly lit hotel room. It was my first morning in the city and the faint “whoosh” sound of tires driving over the wet pavement reminded me how much it had rained yesterday evening. Flordalis, also known as Dalis, and I solidified plans for her to meet me at the hotel later that morning. She sent the “I’m here” text 4 minutes before eleven.
Seeing the film photographer in person reminded me of the first time I had found her Instagram page from a post made by Monad Agency. She had a head full of soft curls, clear olive skin, big brown eyes, and an even bigger smile. She was shorter than I expected her to be, but it didn’t at all affect how much presence she carried into the room. On my way back from meeting her at the front lobby, she told me a little more about her bus ride and the five boroughs of New York.
The sound of the elevator chime halted our conversation and we walked out onto the rooftop lounge of the hotel. I had already set up my laptop, speaker, and notepad on a wooden table by the window in preparation for the interview. Once we were both seated I thanked her again for coming and pressed the red voice-record button on my iPhone.
han : Give us a little opener about who you are and where you're from.
han : When was the first time you picked up a camera?
“The first time I picked up a camera…” she repeated carefully as she tapped her hand on the table behind each word. “The first time I picked up a camera was when I was about ten or eleven. My mom always had a lot of disposable cameras that she would use to take pictures of everything, like birthdays and graduations. And when we moved to a different area of the Bronx she bought this little point and shoot and I was so curious about it. When the roll was almost out I used to go around the house and take pictures with whatever was left.”
I smiled at the Dalis’s memory of her childhood introduction to cameras, especially because of how similar it was to my own.
“I actually just recently developed some of those rolls about a year ago and there were pictures of me in the Dominican Republic, of pictures that I took of my grandma, and also random shit because some of them got water damaged and came out blank. So yeah that was like the first time I picked up a camera.”
han : When did you start sharing your photography online?
han : Why did you restart your photography journey with film photography two years ago?
“As corny as it sounds, I feel like I’m an old soul. I’ve always gravitated more towards the root of things and learning about the entire process. And I’ve noticed, once you tap into that process of making something from scratch, you’re more intentional with it. Just like the difference between making a cake from scratch and just buying the cake mix.
“So when I started with film photography thats what really taught me how to use a camera. I bought a camera from the 1940s I believe. It was a Yashica A from Depop for $250. I later found out that camera is not really worth that much. But I bought that one because I wanted a twin reflect camera like Vivian Maier. The camera is fully manual, there’s no battery or light meter so I really had to learn how to use it.”
“I’ve noticed once you tap into that process of making something from scratch, you’re more intentional with it.”
– Flordalis Espinal
han : What kind of personal development did you notice as you started shooting others, within yourself?
han : What negatives do social media platforms like Instagram have on photography?
“I try to stay in my own lane. A lot of times as artist we get distracted because of social media, like when you find someone who inspires you, you can unconsciously shift or become overly influenced by others. You have thoughts like ‘How can I make my pictures look more like this?’” she says motioning to her phone. I’m just working on being a better photographer and enjoying the process.”
“I’m working on being a better photographer, and just enjoying the process”
– Flordalis Espinal
han : How did you come up with the idea for Girls Who Shoot?
han: Who is @OnLunchBreak?
“OnLunchBreak is a photographer who I had been following for awhile. He put me on way back in like 2015 when I was just starting off in photography and I didn’t even have a real camera. But he believed in my work he was like: ‘Yo my homegirl works at Puma and she needs someone extra to send sneakers to.’
“And they sent me sneakers and I was like whaat?” she exclaimed like she had gotten the news today.
“Its so crazy how people can see the potential in you even when you don’t in yourself yet…”
She pauses as if taking a moment to be grateful. “That was off topic a little bit.”
“But the reason why I was really inspired by him was because he wasn’t a gatekeeper, you know? All the things he knew he would let people know and put people on. He still to this day has resources on his Instagram with a budget list for videographers that you can tweak if you’re a photographer or artist. He also has mockup presentations that you can also use for guidance.”
“Thats the plan with Girls Who Shoot, we want to give girls resources so they can become better artist, to build a community, to collaborate and not compete and form genuine connections. It’s important to have a safe space because photography and the art world is so male dominated.”
han : What are the differences of shooting with a man verses shooting with a woman?
han : Photography or Modeling? I think I know the answer to this one.
“Which do I like more? Photography. She responded strongly. “I could take selfies for days or boomerangs and like random shit of my myself; but something about being in front of the camera there are moment where I feel totally comfortable and then there are moments where I get in my head. I like: am I smiling too much, what do I do, where do I put my hands, do I look awkward. Really what I started to realize is that as a photographer I want to be able to see what they are seeing.” I nod my head in complete understanding she smiles.
“With digital it’s cool because there are certain photographers who snap-snap-snap and they’ll show you as you go. But with film they’re more intentional and depending on the photographer and how comfortable they make you feel it can be very : ‘Okay what do I do now…’”
“So definitely more photography than modeling but I do enjoy modeling.”
han : How can a photographer make sure they are prioritizing their model's comfortability?
han : What is a Girls Only Photo Walk?
han: Tell me about some of the women in Girls Who Shoot // moments with Ari.Analog and ___Paloma___
“That’s my soul sister”
Flordalis Espinal
han : Do you think your relationship with your partner has had an influence on your creative process?
han : What advice do you have for someone who wants to start something bigger than themselves like Girls Who Shoot?
“Remember to take care of yourself. That is the biggest thing. It’s important to have a routine for what you create as far as work but also it’s important to have a self care routine. Self care should not be one day out of the week. It should be every single day. For me personally, if I don’t do yoga or meditate in the morning my whole day is thrown off. Everyone has that one thing that they need to do everyday and it can be hard to stay consistent but you can find time to do it. It’s a way of staying organized. Once you feel good mentally you’re able to knock off any other goals you have for the day. Once you’re good you can create whatever.”
han : When is film photography Better?
With a one last warm and conclusive smile, the change maker responds :” film photography is Better, when it’s with your girls.“
View more of Flordalis’s personal work and the of work other women featured in Girls Who Shoot here:
