Understanding Experimental Photography with Alaina Hunt

"Hello!  My name is Alaina Hunt.  I'm an artist living in Oklahoma City, OK with my partner Nick and my cat Hilo. I grew up in Tulsa and left to attend university.  I received my BFA in Fine Art from the University of Oklahoma in 2012 and moved to OKC shortly after.  I work full time as floral designer and love incorporating floral elements into my work.  I primarily create on the weekends as a means of self-care."

First things first, how has your day been?

My day has been very relaxing!  It's my weekend so I just made some chicken stock (I love to cook) and laid around the house with my cat.

Have you always had an interest in art?

Oh absolutely!  Since I could hold a crayon I knew that I loved being creative and expressive. I was always very quiet as a child and found it easiest to express feeling through dance and through drawing.  I had a fascination with animation (I still very much do!) and found myself trying to draw my favorite characters by pausing video tapes.  Figurative work has always interested me because of that, I think.

If you could sum up your aesthetic, What would it be?

Saturated, moody, clean, with a sprinkle of natural elements.

What is your favourite thing to shoot?

I'd have to say flowers.  I love anthurium and dahlias and tulips most.

Are you experimental with your photography or do you like to stick to a similar format?

I love experimentation!  Photography has a certain element of magic to it, especially with the way technology keeps adding more options.  In the past I did a lot of photomanipulation and digital collage.  I am currently learning, albeit very slowly, 3D rendering software and also hope to explore film, specifically medium format.

What is something you’d love to capture but never have?

I'd love to start incorporating Astrophotography into my work.  Astronomy has always been a love of mine and there are specific celestial bodies I want to capture and mesh with my work.

Do you prefer thinking out a shoot before hand or do you like to wing it in the moment?

I'm a planner at heart.  When I set out to shoot my self portraits I tend to wing it more because I have a long list of things I'd like to try and sometimes conditions are more favourable for a certain type of shoot.   Typically when I'm planning a shoot with subjects other than myself I plan things to death and try to take advantage of serendipitous moments as they arise.  Otherwise I feel my work seems too perfect or forced.

What is the creative process behind creating a composition?

This is typically where winging it comes into play for me.  It's all about instinct and trying to shoot from a bunch of different angles and playing with light until you get that perfect shot.  Sometimes it comes out of nowhere, sometimes I'll have planned the composition to a T and it's just a matter of figuring out the camera configurations to make it work.

Have you ever developed and created something and not released it to the public?

Not as much now as I did with my earlier photography work.  There was a period of about three years where I didn't release any of my work because...reasons.

If you could name just a few favourite artists, in any medium, who would they be?

Solange Knowles, James Turrell, Sabine Marcelis, Mark Rothko, Carrie Mae Weems

Lastly, What are your future aspirations?

I hope to have an art studio of my own where I can create work full time and collaborate with whomever I choose.

Check Out Alaina Hunt