Samantha Cavet Provides Poetry in Photos
“There is not only one true story in the artwork, the truth lies in the feeling that the piece makes you feel,” writes the photographer Samantha Cavet. Personally, Cavet’s work makes me feel hopeful: hopeful that an industry that’s often seen as being past its peak has plenty more life left in it. Because her work is reaching standards I believe we haven't seen before, and that’s extremely exciting for the photography industry.
The standard of photography and the arts has long been protected by personal preference. There isn’t a right and wrong answer to when was the best era of photography. However, if you ask me, we’re currently living in the best time to be involved with the photographic practice. With improved technology and a different ideology in the new generation, photographers are coming through today and producing work that’s fresh, exciting, and full of passion.
When I think of photographers that support how I currently feel about the industry, Cavet is one of the first to spring to mind. There are no amount of positive words I could write that would do the type of photographs she’s producing the justice they deserve. Incredible, original, beautiful; all of these words are accurate, yet none of them come close to defining her body of work.
So while Them Frames prides itself on the written word, sometimes you have to keep quiet and let the photographs talk for themselves. To paraphrase Cavet, I’ll let her images make you feel whatever they make you feel.
However, while the strength of the photographs is evident below, we would never let you leave this article without learning about the photographer that made them. After all, Cavet has quite the story to tell.
Because of the serious issues in Venezuela, she fled her home country–alone–at the age of 18, moving to the other side of the world. Few of us will understand such an experience. Seven years later, here is a photographer that’s sustaining herself through her art, supporting her family, and, in my opinion, hasn’t yet arrived at the peak of her creative powers. Not only should we be moved by her images, but we should also be inspired by her determination to be a success, even when the hurdles of life are in front of her.
That’s enough from me, let’s hear from Cavet, as she answers my questions and shares her words and photos with Them Frames.
Them Frames: Hey Samantha, let’s rewind the clock a little. What were some of your early inspirations for first picking up a camera?
Samantha Cavet: I have memories of looking at old photos of my family all the time, it's something I loved to do. Photography has always been present in my life, however, it wasn't until 2020 that I really started using a camera. After the first and long quarantine, my desire to go out and take photos of things I missed became my routine and since then I have not stopped.
Them Frames: Talk to us about your early life in Venezuela–a nation full of beautiful landscape and nature–how did that contribute to the way you make photographs?
Samantha Cavet: Due to the terrible situation in my country I had to move in 2015. I came to Spain alone when I was 18 years old and although I have always enjoyed the landscapes of my native country, I really did not have the vision that I have now of being a photographer. However, now one of my goals is to be able to return one day and photograph places that I could never go before in Venezuela. There are so many beautiful places and cultures that deserve appreciation, taking my camera to photograph them would be an honor.
Them Frames: Your work is heavily influenced by music. Can you share some musicians that are the soundtrack to your life and explain how you have been able to use them as an influence on your creative process?
Samantha Cavet: Lately, to create, I'm listening to a lot of melancholic, slow, and deep music. To create certain moods and results with my photos I listen to a lot of piano-based music, like Ludovico Einaudi or Fabrizio Paterlini. Italian music has also been inspiring me enormously, I think it is one of the most passionate music genres there is.
I believe music influences my work because it makes me see things more clearly when creating and the editing process becomes more natural to me. I think that one always seeks to feel comfortable when making art and it is this type of music that really makes me feel that way. Suddenly, the visual stories I want to create, blend with the music in my head and that is how I know I have finished creating a photo.
In general, to name a few artists/bands in addition to those mentioned above I'd say: Radiohead, Joy Division, Novo Amor, Sufjan Stevens, Amy Winehouse, Phil Collins, Otis Redding and many other bands from the '70s and '80s.
Them Frames: “Stories” is one of the most refreshing photo series I've seen in a while. How did the idea materialize for this project and what was your driving motivation to do the work?
Samantha Cavet: This series started in a very natural way. I made the first image which was The Fragility of Existence after having the idea in my head for a long time, until I found the perfect field for the atmosphere I wanted to portray. It was always in my mind to create something mysterious and desolate that conveyed the human abyss. For this reason, the continuity in having a single subject, in open landscapes.
I was also very inspired by Magritte and Caspar David Friedrich for this same reason. There is a lot of melancholy and questioning in their works, so I wanted to achieve the same feelings.
Although, I consider that the true inspiration behind this series of photographs has always been my way of feeling in this world. I am a very shy and introverted person, so I spend a lot of time alone with my thoughts and feelings. Creating something that I finally felt like I was communicating freely with was wonderful, that's why I consider it one of my most personal works to date.
Them Frames: What I love is that you’ve been able to create dark and mysterious images that are also calming and settling. Was that intentional?
Samantha Cavet: Yes, absolutely. That is the true goal that I always try to achieve with my images, to be able to transmit feelings through art. I don't always give them a lot of meaning or a great story behind them, in the end it's just a way of expressing myself. Whether the end result is dark and mysterious or bright and colorful.
Them Frames: What message are you hoping to send through this series?
Samantha Cavet: Mainly a mysterious and poetic atmosphere, it is open to many interpretations and that's how I want it to be. I call it Stories because I think you can create different moments, memories or dreams when you see them and I'm always excited to see what it conveys to other people.
Them Frames: I guess the elephant in the room is that most people will think these look like paintings, a trend throughout your work. How long did it take to identify this as your style and how do you feel about the way you are executing it?
Samantha Cavet: Haha that's a tough question but I've been reflecting about it as well. I have always been attracted to art that transcends the purely visual, I love that a piece makes me feel strange, that makes me think and even be confused.
When I began practicing photography, I didn't have this idea so clearly with my work, I only felt it with the work of other artists that I liked. So, little by little I was finding ways in which my photographs could do the same to me, trying new techniques and photo manipulations. The fact that a photo looks like a painting confuses many people and that is my goal, to create something surreal.
Them Frames: If it’s okay with you, I’d like to do a self-exploration exercise: tell us in a few sentences what type of person you are…
Samantha Cavet: I feel that I am a very emotional and sensitive person. I feel very strongly about things and for a long time, I believed that this was a weakness and yet it’s what made me achieve incredible things in my life.
On the other hand, I like to listen to others, learn their story or offer my help if they need it in any way. So, I also consider myself an empathic person. In general, I like simple things. I feel that art, my friends, and my family is all I need.
Them Frames: Now, if you will, please tell us what type of photographer you are…
Samantha Cavet: It has always been difficult for me to label myself as a certain type of photographer since I want to explore a lot of styles. If I had to get the answer from most of my photos, I would say that I am a landscape photographer, but in my opinion, many things fall short of that definition.
Them Frames: Finally, in your own words: what value does photography have to your life and what do you think you would be without it?
Samantha Cavet: Photography has completely changed my life. Since I was young, I always had a hard time choosing what I wanted to be when I grew up or what I wanted to work in. I knew everything I did not want but not what I truly wanted. Even when I moved from my country at such a young age, I felt extremely lost until I finished my university degree. I'm not saying that nowadays I don't feel lost with many things, just that I see life in a different way. The passion I have for photography has made me discover myself, what I like and what I want to fight for, it gave me meaning. Now thanks to NFT photography and Web3 I have been able to become a full-time photographer and I help my family in so many ways. There is a long list of things that I’m thankful for because of this artistic medium.
I have learned that happiness in that aspect lies in finding meaning and not in getting a certain thing you want. I feel that many people nowadays believe like I did before, that by achieving or getting X, they will be happier or feel more complete and that could not be further from the truth.
When you find something that gives meaning to your days, helps you grow, makes you have doubts and feel uncomfortable but challenges you in a positive way, that is what truly makes you happier.