"I was born in a small rural village in Portugal. My passion for nature, especially trees and flowers, comes from my hometown, where all the houses are decorated with flowers and beautiful trees. Ergo, I grew up with a very close relationship with nature."
Currently, Ana works as a coordinator of a pharmaceutical research project - this is what she does to earn a living. When asked if this influences her photography, she replies that her busy life requires her to escape from the daily business, as she calls "her real life". She wants to take pictures that bring her peace and quiet, as this is what she needs for her inner balance.
My next question is when and where she started learning photography:
"I grew up with a camera in my hand, so I'm self-taught. I learned everything on my own and with some help from my professional friends."
Scrolling through Ana's Instagram feed, one is immediately drawn to her stunning pastel shade. I ask her what inspired her to choose this amazing pastel minimalism.
"This minimal style came about simply because I preferred to simplify moments and pay attention to details. I love playing with the negative space in an image.
Pastel colors and soft tones bring me joy and make me happy, so I emphasize this color scheme. I am also a mother of a beautiful daughter, and I see many unicorns every day."
When I ask about photo editing, Ana replies that she only uses Instagram editing tools and filters.
"I like to play with some IG filters and tools to add a little more light and pastel magic to my creations."
Ana's recurring motifs are botany, birds, sky and sea. I asked her what each of them means to her.
"Yes! I have some collections! Birds and sky represent freedom. Botanicals take me back to my childhood, and the sea/beach symbolizes peace and joy. These elements are essential to my harmony."
After talking about photography and its technique, we turn to other personal questions, such as traveling. At the time of our online interview, Ana is on a trip across the majestic African continent.
As soon as Ana mentions her current stay, my virtual ears lengthen to listen to her personal experiences. My extraordinary curiosity comes from my own encounter with the continent when I visited some countries there as a volunteer in the early 2000s. So I ask Ana which countries she is visiting and if she is willing to share her experiences with our dear readers.
"I currently live with my family in Africa - in Angola - and it is a daily adventure. Every day I learn something new, a lot in fact through my regular contact with another country and another community. I encounter different lifestyles and traditions. It is a daily challenge!
We have already visited São Tomé, Príncipe, Ghana, Morocco. We plan to visit more places because traveling is another great passion of mine and my family!"
After a few imaginary trips to distant magical worlds, we talk about the Instagram community. I ask Ana about the group she has built around her account and whether she has a personal relationship with other IG members. She immediately speaks in superlatives about the global Instagram society.
I receive so much love and encouragement from my followers, which gives me the motivation to continue to show them a little bit of myself and my world.
I am in personal contact with some IG members around the world and it is a great and inspiring experience!"
Since we always like to ask questions about Pickmotion, we couldn't miss this one either. I asked Ana whether she knew about Pickmotion before we started working together and whether she still writes greeting cards herself.
"I only discovered Pickmotion when you guys contacted me to collaborate with me. I love the Pickmotion project because it promotes creative work and showcases amazing photos taken all over the world! And yes, I still send postcards to my family and friends; I love this ritual."
We then jump to some questions about her printed photos as decoration in her home.
"Of course I print some of my pictures! I like to see them on my wall; they add my personal touch to the decor."
My last question is a classic one. Of course I would like to know what Ana's three favorite IGs are and why.
"Hard to choose just three. @hey.luisa - because she is a dreamer and creates true magic with her artwork. @_goodoldfashioned - because she is a great storyteller and her photos remind me of my hometown. And last but not least @in_somnia_ - because her pictures have a beautiful minimal touch with the exact pastel shades that I love so much."
