ANA DIAS
Creatives in Paradise
Ana Dias - Übersexy
ph.: Ana Dias
t: Teddy Marks
In Ana Dias’ photographs, not only does the ice melt in the sun and precious water pearls run through luxurious décolletés, but they also make the viewer's senses melt and the sweat drip on his forehead. Ana Dias is the star among the new generation of Playboy photographers. Her mercilessly honest and brightly colored, powerful image style is exactly what we want to take with us into the coming fall season. A big gaudy bag of the finest summer mood. Recently we chatted a little with her about her way in photography and her wishes.
Ana, what was your best experience this week?
My best experience this week was the signing of a one year contract with Playboy USA, shooting pictorials for the brand. I’m really happy with that!
You have studied art and have certainly had contact with photography there. But what gave you the impulse to focus on photography and to take the kinds of photos you do today?
During my time as a university student, I had a lot of live nude models that I needed to draw and paint. One day I started to take photos of the nude models so that I could continue to work on my drawings at home. I had always liked photography but had never really experimented with it a lot before. Those first nude photos I took opened my eyes to a new world and led me to discover photography as a form of artistic expression in itself. As time passed I started to spend more and more time on photography and it became a passion. Eventually it became my profession. Nude photography in particular is what interests me the most. I have always been fascinated by the aesthetics of the human body, and I find that the female body in particular is the most beautiful thing that exists. But I don’t just photograph naked bodies, I photograph naked women, strong women that love their bodies and that are proud to show them. I really love the challenge that is capturing the essence of someone’s soul through their naked skin.
Which are your sources of your inspiration apart from the female body?
Besides photography, and the beauty of the female body, I find inspiration in other art forms. I can get it from every single aspect of my life… From travel, from a movie, from a song. There is no rule. But I feel that what inspires me the most and makes me want to create is beauty itself, especially feminine beauty.
“the fact that I’m living my dream every single day is just wonderful.”
Your photos are full of color, light and summer. Each photo seems to be a pure summer. One would think that you have to be a happy, sunny, summer character yourself to take such lively photos. So would you say that the nature of your photos also reflects your personality?
I think of myself as passionate, positive, expressive, bold and energetic, and I'm very inspired by the pin up girls and American pop culture. I love colorful scenes, I love playful and lively characters, I love summer both in my work and on my days off… there are so many layers to what I do that it’s hard to name just aspects. For me, a photo needs to make you feel something… something exciting or something fun! It has to be powerful and have some meaning. And I always try to create images that bring out the kind of positive energy that I love. So yes, I think the positive nature of my pictures also reflects my personality.
When someone talks about Ana Dias, they talk about the Playboy photographer. Is being a Playboy photographer the ultimate dream job?
Working for Playboy is a dream job, of course! It allows me to work with the most amazing models in the world, to travel to breathtaking places, to meet new and interesting people and their cultures. It was a distant dream when I started working as a photographer and eventually it became real: the fact that I’m living my dream every single day is just wonderful.
I can imagine that for Playboy, you don't just start shooting right away, but make a precise plan for the photos you want to take. How much influence does the magazine, the model, your team have on the outcome of your pictures?
For me, planning is vital. Long before the shooting day, I think about what it is that I want to convey with my pictorial. What’s the message, what’s the mood, what’s the general feeling? Who is the model? Sometimes I choose the model first and adapt the shoot to her specific features and her personality, other times I look for the model after I have an idea for the shoot… there is no set rule. But the most important element in my pictorials is always the model. She is the star! Everything else is also important, the location, the styling, etc., but it is always secondary. I create a mood board with my ideas, and discuss them with the model and my team before each shoot, so when the shooting day finally arrives, everyone on set has a very clear notion of what will be happening. Of course there is room for improvisation and creativity on the day of the shoot, but it is essential to plan ahead.
“I love summer both in my work and On my days off.”
What criteria do you use to select your models and to select your locations?
Once again, there is no set rule. I work with models that I find interesting in some way – I love women that are proud of their body and are not afraid to show it, I love strong women, I love positive women. Sometimes they have already worked as nude models, sometimes not. Sometimes I reach out to them directly, if I find them on magazines, on social media or something like that; other times I get emails from models or agencies saying that they would love to work with me. Nowadays, it’s much easier than ever. Since my work has become very popular these last years, models find me and contact me a lot. Every day I receive emails from women saying that they would love to pose nude for me. That’s just wonderful!
What is on your favorite to do list?
My to-do list has no end: I want to continue travelling the world and shoot the most beautiful women.
Where do you go when you want to be with yourself and free your mind?
I go home and spend time with my husband.
“What inspires me the most and makes me want to create is beauty itself, especially feminine beauty.”
Which thoughts or questions are currently most important for you?
I’m always thinking that there are so many wonderful things to do and so little time!
Your photography is …
My passion.
Your life without photography and art would be …
I can't imagine a life for me without photography or art.
Any new project you are currently working on? If yes, when can we see the first results?
I'm working on some new projects for Playboy, but can’t really share anything just yet. Top secret stuff!
Is there anything you want to achieve by the end of the year?
If I had one wish that could come true before the end of this year, it would be for the COVID 19 pandemic to end…
“I’m always thinking that there are so many wonderful things to do and so little time!”
Biography
Ana Dias is an internationally published photographer, best known for her nude photo shoots for Playboy. She was born in Oporto, Portugal, in 1984. She graduated from the Higher School of Arts of Oporto in fine arts, specializing in drawing in 2007. Her background in fine arts led Ana to photography, which came to be her favorite way of artistic expression.
Her first photos for international editions of Playboy were published in 2012. Since then, Ana has shot Playboy covers and pictorials in virtually every corner of the globe. You can see her work on the pages of Playboy US and in international editions of the magazine in more than 20 countries, including Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand among many others.
Influenced by pop culture, the scenes captured in her shots are full of color, full of life. They are übersexy and electrifying, but at the same time cheerful and uplifting. Whoever sees her work remembers it.
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