Photographer Sarah Blais captures “the quiet moments of beauty in ordinary life”

Date
4 January 2017

“My initial interest in photography came from capturing the quiet moments of beauty in ordinary life”, London-based photographer Sarah Blais tells It’s Nice That of her often wistful, sometimes intriguing, always playful work. “I ended up stumbling into art direction along the way, as I began to experiment with the different components of an image. Spending a couple of years working as an art director in London allowed me to see photography from a different angle, focusing more on composition and context. That said, my passion and ambition within photography lies in capturing the unexpected. How an image can give you a novel sensation, but furthermore, how the everyday can hold a perspective you’ve never considered.”

It’s no surprise then, to hear that “my favourite images are those that I had never visualised going into a project. The shape a piece of foam took when we threw it on the ground with a blue velvet background and floor struck myself and Noelle, the set designer, as something peculiar and beautiful. It’s one of my favourite images to this day because it tells a different story, one which we happened to stumble across. I also love the diptych of Aida on the couch. A very real, unrefined moment. I had food poisoning that day, and she was quite sick as well – there’s this little sparkle of empathy in her eyes, so slight. Juxtaposing this with the empty couch to me, added a layer of impermanence.”

As the new year begins to find form, Sarah finds herself inspired by Cyprien Gaillard’s Nightlife installation at Infinite Mix. “The echo of Alton Ellis’ voice with the visuals alone were chilling, but there is a lot more to read into with the piece,” she says. “The strength of the message communicated in such a considerate way was admirable.” She’s also been hooked by “[graphic designer] David Rudnick’s type treatments, [Paypal, SpaceX and Tesla founder] Elon Musk’s determination and [musician] Nils Frahm’s comic relief in concert.”

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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Sarah Blais

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About the Author

Bryony Stone

Bryony joined It's Nice That as Deputy Editor in August 2016, following roles at Mother, Secret Cinema, LAW, Rollacoaster and Wonderland. She later became Acting Editor at It's Nice That, before leaving in late 2018.

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