My life through a lens: Maria Maza
We've been asking North East photographers to open up their archives and select a double handful of images which encapsulate life as they've captured it
Note: The My Life Through a Lens feature series began during Cultured. North East’s time as the arts and culture section of regional subscription platform, The QT (Feb to Jul 2024)
Growing up in Madrid, Maria Maza admits to being a bit of an annoying child when it came to photography.
“My dad was a keen amateur photographer, nothing fancy, point and shoot stuff, 35mm colour film and slides, but he had a good eye and taught me a few basics of composition.
“I must have internalised some rules, because I remember telling grown-ups how they should have framed their shots differently, like avoiding cutting people’s heads off!”
Since those first adventures behind the camera, the now Newcastle-based photographer says she has “taken up” photography a dozen times.
“I’d get a new camera, be excited to explore the world anew with it, go at it for a while, and then get discouraged and put things on hold… I was easily discouraged!
“I never thought to do a course or learn “properly”, which probably would have helped me stick with it. When I got my first mirrorless camera in 2014 I thought, this is it! But I had young kids and I couldn’t dedicate the time I wanted to it.”
It was around eight years ago when Maria carved some time out for herself and picked up a camera again — and this time, she kept at it.
“I finally realised what I LOVED taking pictures of, and that helped me stick with it, wanting to learn, practice and grow as a photographer. Forget landscapes, still lifes or nature shots, I LOVE to photograph people!”
Maria feels she is at her best “when I do candid photography, street, events or documentary… but I’m finding portraiture fascinating as well and would like to do a lot more of it.”
Citing a quiet street as her most challenging scenario — “I very much prefer chaos!” — Maria’s favourite focus is long-term documentary projects.
“I love to do those, returning regularly to photograph the subject(s) to add new facets to the work. But I imagine how much deeper the understanding and the resulting work would be if I could be embedded in a community for an extended period of time.
“And if that community was little known or misunderstood, it would be an honour to give them a voice and visibility.”
Asked to list photographers she admires, Maria says: “Oh, so many! I am firmly of a humanistic persuasion, so I am a huge fan of Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau, Mary-Ellen Mark, Helen Levitt, Sabine Weiss, Chris Killip, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen…”
Meanwhile in terms of tips for aspiring photographers, she suggests the following:
Educate yourself visually, know what came before, find inspiration in others’ work and it will help you find your style;
Get to know your kit really well and just go out and do photography. Practice! Learn to look at your work critically, choose to keep or share only what fulfilled your intention and has emotional content;
Don’t worry about whether you are ‘good’ or not, there’s no one in the world that enjoys universal acclaim, some people will like your photos, some won’t, and that’s ok. Enjoy your process and be true to yourself.
To see more of Maria’s work, visit mariamazaphotography.com
My first and ongoing, documentary project is Saturday nights in Newcastle. Now I don’t go out or drink a lot, and coming from Spain where the drinking culture is different, I am fascinated by how devoted people of all ages are to their nights out in the Toon.
I have seen so much fun! Generally speaking, it’s all very friendly and I have witnessed very few altercations. I do go out with a buddy, for safety, my friend and fellow photographer Hazel Plater, who has her own set of photos from the project.
We exhibited some of this work together in 2019 at the Star and Shadow Cinema as part of The Late Shows.
This photo was early in the project, and it’s still one of my favourites. I saw the placard and moved to align it with the head of the person behind it. I know it makes people smile, and that makes it even better.
This photo is an early shot from another long term project, my take on The Hoppings.
Rather than photograph the rides, I like to look for quieter moments, like this, with the girl in the booth daydreaming, her gesture echoing the picture below her.
Another one of my Hoppings series, I immediately knew I had captured something special. It has a nostalgic feel, and I think it reminds people of that old-fashioned, humanistic approach that I so admire.
After Tish, the Tish Murtha film, came out, there was a call from The British Culture Archive for documentary images in her spirit. I was honoured that this photograph was selected, and later published in The Guardian newspaper.
Additionally, some of my Hoppings images, including this one, were exhibited in 2023 at Ephemere Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.
I don’t consider this project finished, but at some point in the future, I would very much love to publish a book with it.
I visit my family in Madrid two or three times a year, and there is usually not a lot of dedicated time to do my photography. However, I always carry my camera with me, and over the years I have built a decent portfolio of images taken on public transport there.
This one I like because, in a crowded train, I was standing so close to them as I took the photo, yet I managed to not disturb the scene. All the women in the image are in their own world, and there’s something sad but poetic about that.
One of the few times when I make time to leave my family at home in Madrid and go out just for me to photograph is for the local festivities in August. La Virgen de la Paloma is an old local celebration combining religious fervour, traditional attire and a healthy appetite for fun.
Catholic Easter celebrations tend to be really dark and moody, whereas this one in summer is bright and colourful, albeit with a religious parade thrown in as well.
In this image, spectators were watching a screen outside the Church of La Paloma, inside of which a firefighter was climbing up to bring down an enormous framed portrait of the Virgen, which later was placed on a decorated platform and carried on men’s shoulders on the parade.
Fans are well used in Spain, but they are definitely part of the Paloma look.
This image was taken during the first Covid lockdown in 2020. At the beginning, I almost didn’t pick up my camera for weeks, with the strangeness of the pandemic and our fears of what may happen taking full control of my mind.
Eventually, slowly, as we settled into a rhythm, I found the desire to create and paid attention to small details I would have normally missed.
How the light bounced on the walls, the texture of fruit, you know, lockdown stuff! I was playing with the camera settings when my youngest came to curl up with me, and rested his head on my lap. It was such a sweet moment, I am glad I had the camera there to capture it. It is now a much treasured memory.
I love this photograph, taken in summer 2021. We had got used to going outdoors for our government-sanctioned walks, and we still appreciated the fresh air and social distancing. I took my family to Seaham to look for sea glass.
I saw this lady completely absorbed in that very task, and loved her hair, blowing in the wind, and her appearance. I got fairly close to her as I walked past and made this frame. It cheers me up every time I see it, and I am very proud it even made the cover of a little book created by Brian Lloyd Duckett, a compilation of his students’ best work for that year.
In 2021, despite ongoing covid restrictions, I was very lucky to deliver a commission from Amber Films and Photography Collective in Meadow Well, North Shields.
The project, called Amber Meadow Well, allowed me to get to know and work with many people in that community, it was a truly enriching experience. One of the people I photographed then was Tony, a young dad who is a very talented hip hop and grime artist.
Having kept in touch, earlier this year he asked me to photograph behind the scenes of the shooting of the video for one of his new tracks. He is redoubling his efforts to make it in the music business.
I admire that enormously, and I am very happy to support him in any way I can. This is a candid portrait I took of him during that shoot, which both he and I like a lot.
I love watching people in all sorts of public spaces, and by now I also have a good amount of ‘museum’ pictures. People don’t necessarily look at the art all the time they’re there, which I understand, as it is easy to get overwhelmed by so much beauty, as well as tired feet.
I find museums can also be very welcoming, relaxed spaces, and many people take the opportunity to sit down and rest for a while. I noticed how this family was a bit — ironically — disconnected during their break, as the adults are looking at their phones, while the little girl is probably asking ‘What’s the point? (I want to go!)’.
I chose this particular ‘museum’ picture to share, because it links to something else I have started in recent years.
I joined Tynemouth Photographic Society in 2022, after meeting the then President Alan Forster at a Meadow Well event. I am enjoying being a member there, as it is a very welcoming and encouraging environment.
I had heard that camera clubs can be a little bit set in their ways, and that the type of photography I like to do doesn’t do well in competitions. I didn’t mind that, as I figured just having the feedback would be valuable, but I have been completely taken by surprise by how well received my images have been.
This photo here won the President’s Trophy in 2023 (judged by someone else, not Alan himself!), which is something I am really proud of.
One of the highlights of 2023 for me was the work that I did documenting the Whitley Bay Carnival. It was their 10th anniversary, and it was joyous.
The big day event was very well attended, and the parade was truly spectacular, but my favourite photos are from the time I spent visiting the costumiers in their workshop in the weeks prior.
I witnessed amazing creativity, mutual support, good humour and glorious mess, and I hope I captured some of that while doing them proud.
This photo shows Rosie lovingly and painstakingly making a flamingo costume that she wore to the parade in spectacular fashion.