Cissa Rego - Photographer of the Month May '17
Introduce yourself
Hi, My name is Cissa Rego, I’m a professional photographer based in Bournemouth, UK. I do social and commercial photography like weddings and newborn and engagement shoots as well as product photography. I also do nature and landscape photography.
How did you get into photography?
Photography was always a passion of mine. I remember being a kid and saying that I’d be a photographer when I grow up. I went to university and learned the craft professionally and didn’t stop since. It’s been over 10 years now. I simply love the relationship between light and everything it touches creating colours and shadows and allowing me to make beautiful images.
‘What can you tell us about your entry ‘What Tomorrow Brings’ into our photography competition in February?’
That image happened by chance, really. I was hired to do an engagement shoot and we went to a few different locations that day and decided to go to Heingsbury Head, which is a famous beach in Bournemouth to do some sunset pictures and close the shoot. When the couple sat down on the sand, we had actually already finished shooting and I was just taking some photos of the sunset for myself when I noticed that they were just looking at the sunset longingly. So I decided to shoot the moment and it ended up being one of the best images of the series.
Do you have any particular style of photography you specialise in?
Landscapes and candid portrait are my favourite subjects and they end up being the ones with the most excellent images. I’m trying nowadays to do more street photography as there’s always some story to tell. Living on the southwest coast of England allows me to see never ending breathtaking landscapes and seascapes so it ends up being kind of easy and rewarding to specialise.
What do you enjoy about photography?
The fact that I can freeze time and make moments last forever as well the fact that I master a craft that allows me to be creative, to play with light and colour and create unforgettable images.
Tell us about one of your projects.
I am at the moment working on a series of photos with the theme “Violence against women”. In this project, I am aiming to depict day-to-day situations in a woman’s life that seem to be normal but is anything but. I intend to show small nuances that portray the many types of violence women have to endure on a daily basis, from street catcalling to domestic violence. I’m working with great models and makeup artists and hopefully, by the end of the year I’ll be exhibiting the series.
If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring photographers what would it be?
Know when to put your camera down and look at the scene in front of you. Remember that an image is made with your eyes, the camera is just a tool. Compose, think about what you want to depict, what message you want to give and mostly, remember to have fun.
Where can we see your work? / Any plans for the rest of the year?
My website is under construction at the moment but you can see my stuff on Facebook and on Instagram.
As well as the violence against women project I’m working with the LGBT community in town and we have a couple of good projects lined up. We’re doing a series having the flags of the LGBT acronym as focus and I’m really excited to start shooting. It’s been a good year so far and hopefully, it will keep it up.
