WE L♡VE..

Dana is a photographer that embodies far more than just the click of a button. She has a world of creative skills combining editing, photoshopping, painting, film and digital photography into a realm of indescribable outer-worldy wonderness ♡♡ Like a surreal land, her subjects transport us back in time as she creates dreamy images that feature vintage babes and psychedelic schemes. We ask Dana some questions to try and scathe the inner workings of her clearly magical mind.. ♡♡

★★ To start with, is your last name Trippe? Or is this your Photography Name? Either way, coolest name ever.

- It's the real thing. My entire family has Instagram names that play on our last name...It's been a running joke all my life.

★★ What camera do you usually shoot with? Whats your process? - Nikon F6, canon ae-1, polaroid 600se, and a digital camera for insurance. I like quick and painless shoots, spending most of the work in post production, painting or in photoshop with the images.

★★ What from your context and upbringing has led you on this path of surrealism within your work?

- I've always been attracted to distorted photographs and artwork, and artists that make people think "I wonder how they did that". I love the mind games that surrealism paves the way for. I just focused on what I was inspired by in my own photographs and continued to create based around those feelings.

★★ Do you have a vision from the beginning of what you want the end product to be or do you experiment and wing it a long the way? - I guess it just depends.. I usually make some props for the shoots and have a vague idea for them, but by no means are my personal shoots well organised. I just run with it and hope that in the end it'll all look good haha

★★ Who’s work creatively inspires your own?

- There's tons of photographers that inspire me in the current and past industry. But I find most inspiration in artists that aren't in the same field as me. Music is the main one. Also a solid videographer or director can pull on my heartstrings. Old 70's Sci Fi movies were and still are a huge inspiration to me. Also, art based animation movies get me going... Fantastic Planet, Spirited Away, and Wizards are some of my favourites.

★★ We would love to know a short history/ timeline of when you started shooting/ being creative, and how it has changed and progressed to get you to where you are?

- I always took film photos for fun, but it was never anything I took seriously until recently. My dad was pushing me and my sisters to be creative for as long as I can remember. He has been my main support to continue shooting and make something of it. I didn't go to college and I never knew what I wanted to do with my future, but I knew I wanted to retain my creative side. And that is all I am trying to do to this day. My work has slowly changed and refined, but I try to keep the same nostalgic feeling within it.

★★ At the moment, we're feeling, especially this year, the urge to completely change and start a new path, abolish everything and go in a totally new direction is really relevant... How do you feel right now on your path? Are you satisfied? Do you want more?

- I am always looking ahead of me, but am in no hurry for change.

★★ In what direction are you heading with your work?

- I want to move towards having my own company, whether it be a clothing line or just a creative. I want to be able to create a company where I can create shoots that are cohesive with my style and my ideas, without having to please someone else's tastes as well.

★★ Describe for us your ultimate project, something you have in your mind that you would love to shoot, who would be your subject, what would be the location, give us a rundown of your dream shoot…

- It would probably be a Sci-Fi movie. I have a couple written out in my head.. We'll see if I can ever make them happen. Mainly just working with video would be a nice change.

★★ Your photography obviously has a vintage feel, do you prefer vintage clothing? - Vintage all the way! They just have more character… And fit my bum better!

★★ Do you prefer shooting film over digital?

- I have always fought the battle for film. I love it. Its nostalgic. It has depth and flaws. When you shoot you may not get what you wanted but its what you get. It can be blurry or filled with light leaks but it was what the moment gave to you. With that being said, I do shoot digital as well and know its power. I've been shooting a lot of low light lately and digital is the only way for me to be able to experiment. They each have their perks, but film is just in a different league.

★★ Instagram being a major marketing tool in our modern world, we'd like to know how you feel about it..

- Man, I don't know. It's been amaaaazing for getting my work out there, and I probably wouldn't be where I am without it. But at the same time I hate that about it. It makes the world so small. Our generation is a fleeting moment of pleasure and then it's gone. We're dazzled from a photograph and then forget the feeling a moment later as we scroll down the page. It's similar to social issues we have in the modern world. We hear something bad that happens and are sad for a second, but we can't concentrate our energy into the issue when another trauma replaces it almost instantaneously. It's the age of information overload.... but I'm sure I am preaching to the choir. I will continue to use the all mighty Instagram and reap its benefits.

★★ Name some of your favourite people to follow on Instagram?

- I usually look at the first 20 photos on my feed and then give up...but I do have some humans on there that I admire. @harleyandj is always easy on the eyes, @wiissa is always killing it, some art instas like @thunderpuss are comforting and quirky, @lucyindesguise is one of my style crushes, and an Instagram I found today @itsalrightwerealright is going in all the right creative directions. I love to see people experiment.

★★ If you had magic powers as an ultra fantasy being, who would you be, what would be your power and what animal would you ride?

- I’ve ALWAYS wanted to stop time. Not in the fucked up ‘clicked’ way. I could shoot photos anywhere without limits, and could just make moments last a tad bit longer.. I would want to be able to stop time with someone else with me too. I guess if I had a choice I'd have like, a cheetah that I can fly on or something...

Doesn't match the superpower but I guess it would be cool?

★★ If you could have dinner with one person in the whole world alive or dead who would it be?

- My pops.