INTRODUCING MISSY PRINCE
I live in Portland, Oregon, a city surrounded by great natural beauty. A short drive gets you to the ocean, the high desert, or deeply forested mountains, which is great if you’re into exploring those kinds of things. I’m 38. I got my first camera when I was about 15 but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I really got into
photography. I have a friend who always carries an Olympus XA and his great work inspired me to get one. At that point my interest really took off, and shooting became a natural extension of life. Moments don’t always present themselves
when it’s convenient, so it helps to always have a camera ready. I used to go for walks with bulkier gear hoping to catch something, but that seems so compartmentalized and forced. I don’t want to have to prepare that much. I want to enhance, rather than burden, my life with photography. I’ve always felt the impulse to document. Sometimes I keep a journal, but it’s hard to cross gracefully from the literal into the poetic without undermining believability. I’m finding it’s easier to do with a camera. I want to produce magical but very real accounts of life. I think I travel more often now in order to see things I haven’t seen before and certainly take pictures. I just hope to get greater satisfaction out of every day life. I was obsessed with my Polaroid SLR 680 for about a year, but I always return to the Olympus XA for it’s portability and sharpness. The trio in this picture used to come in often to the bar across from an apartment I once
rented. They were coming not to drink alcohol, but to drink coffee, chain smoke, and do word search puzzles. They each had their own book of puzzles and they would sit there working and chatting pretty late into the evening. They were a great contrast with the generally younger hell-raising crowd. I am constantly inspired by the landscapes of Allie Mount, who I found on Flickr. Her black and white Polaroids are really wonderful, and I always learn from her subtle and elegant compositions. She’s also a total sweetheart.
