An Exclusive Interview
with Agnieszka Bodes

Born in Poland, Agnieszka Bodes lives in Ottawa, Canada. In 2011 she started a fashion blog called Dayweardilemmas, but her relationship with food grew more passionate than her love for fashion. She decided to create an Instagram profile called Dayliciousdilemmas (as food choices seem to be endless, and the question of what to eat is asked on a daily basis). She is constantly creating or testing new recipes. Her greatest inspiration is mother nature and natural light.

Winner

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

114th Month

Winning Position:
2nd Place

In this “Exclusive Interview” section, today we have the opportunity to talk with Agnieszka Bodes, as one of her photographs won the Photo of the Month – 114th Month, 2nd Place.

Let’s discover more about Agnieszka Bodes, and her forays into photography in the following interview :

Light & Composition
Greetings from Light & Composition University, Agnieszka Bodes. How does it feel being selected as the winner of Photo of the Month, 114th Month, 2nd Place?

Agnieszka Bodes
I feel honoured, thankful and excited as of my photograph won the 2nd place in the Photo of the Month 114th month. It proves that you don’t need the most expensive gear to take beautiful photos. Start taking them with your eyes, use your imagination and don’t ever feel limited.

Light & Composition
Your photograph “Ombre Effect” won the 2nd Place in the Photo of the Month – 114th Month, is a wonderful food photograph, with artistic perspective, correct lighting, and very well presented. Overall, a great composition! Tell us more about your experience of taking this photograph.

Agnieszka Bodes
The photograph “Ombré Effect” was inspired by a visit at local farmer’s market. I couldn’t resist buying those raspberries and couldn’t resist capturing their natural beauty. The colours of fruit, plain yoghurt and peony petals created an ombré effect. The photo was taken in natural light and cropped (to draw attention to details and meet the Instagram requirements).

Link to: Ombre Effect by Agnieszka Bodes
Ombre Effect by Agnieszka Bodes

Ombre Effect by Agnieszka Bodes

Light & Composition
Besides this winning photograph, many people liked and voted for other photographs of yours in the Photo of the Day contest. Are you proud of your work and achievements?

Agnieszka Bodes
Having people vote for my pictures fills my heart with warmth. This connection through photography is better than any other reward. The fact that 25 people took their time to write a review of my photograph is astonishing to me. I’m truly grateful.

Light & Composition
How do you see your journey to the world of photography so far?

Agnieszka Bodes
It started as a hobby and then transformed into some form of escape from the reality. There was a time in my life when I felt physically and emotionally trapped and I realized that opening the doors to the word of photography (where only my own imagination is the limit) was almost therapeutic. Right now I’m in a different place in life and fully accepted the fact that I won’t be able to close these doors and leave photography behind because that is what I truly love.

Light & Composition
As we know, you are originally from Poland. Do you think the rich diverse cultural and artistic heritage of Poland portrayed a different essence to you?

Agnieszka Bodes
I grew up in Poland and spent most of weekends and holidays in the countryside. Growing and harvesting our own food helped me develop appreciation of nature and it’s gifts, knowing where food comes from and respecting it. Thinking about my childhood brings memories of the garden at the back of the house, strawberries that were picked while still warm from the heat of summer sun, small crooked greenhouse filled with scent of tomatoes, our walnut tree and the honey – beehives underneath it, meadow covered with morning dew, freshly baked pies and the precious moments spent around the table with my family. I like to think that my parents gave me the roots but also wings to fly.

Light & Composition
Do you like a particular genre of photography and if so, why?

Agnieszka Bodes
I’m passionate about food photography because to me food is so much more than a few ingredients mixed together. It’s a mixture of colors, textures, scents and flavours but also a script of childhood memories and moments shared with closest people. On the other hand I’m continually enchanted by Mother Nature, I love to work with natural light and capture the tiniest details as they appear in front of me. So I would say that nature and food photography are my major interests. There is an undoubtable connection between these two.

Light & Composition
One of the keys to any style of photography is visualization. Please tell us how you started this process and what you did afterwards.

Agnieszka Bodes
I’m very observant and I easily get inspired by the simplest things. I like to focus on details that often pass by unseen. Once I find the right object I try to build the rest of “story” around it. Vintage stores and farmers markets are my happy places from which I draw inspiration and were I buy most of my food styling props. Once I visualize something there’s no stopping me even if it means long hours of painting my own backdrops or dying fabrics. It’s about light and shades, colors, patterns, structures but most of all it’s about staying creative.

Light & Composition
Have you ever exhibited your work? If so, then tell us about your first exhibiting experience.

Agnieszka Bodes
My first exhibiting experience started from the small talk! A few months ago I met someone at the vintage store. He was curious why I buy vintage serveware and from there we started talking about my passion and my instagram account (@dayliciousdilemmas). He was very kind and offered his help with exhibiting my work on his Picture Frame Shop display window. It was a great opportunity as the store is located on the main street of Ottawa.

Light & Composition
Are you involved with any photography organizations? How does this help you in your photography?

Agnieszka Bodes
Yes. L&C! To me websites like yours are great source of motivation to take lots of pictures, develop my skills and share my work with others. Recently I’ve decided to get an admission for the diploma in food photography program so that I can continuously improve my knowledge through the individual courses.

Light & Composition
What advice would you give our readers who want to take part in the journey around the world with Photo of the Day?

Agnieszka Bodes
Share your vision, your story, your style, be committed and passionate about what you do.

Light & Composition
Thank you Agnieszka, for sharing your feelings and experiences with us.

Karla Vannesa Salon AnguloRegistered Photographer 2024Symphony of Copenhagen by Marianne VahlSymphony of Copenhagen by Marianne Vahl
Copyright © 2024 Light & Composition. All rights reserved.