SEASIDE IN GREECE: THE CLARA HRANEK PORTFOLIO
I can’t tell the story of Clara Hranek without talking about her father, Matt. One of the first trips we took for work, if you call going to Scotland work, was back when the Condé Nast Traveler US was still a going concern. We went to Harris, along with Jake Mueser, to see where the famous tweed was made. I was writing the story, Matt was photographing it, and I was shocked at how quickly he worked. He had a few cameras, didn’t fuss over them much, knew in his mind what he wanted but remained open to surprise. He was able, nimble and opportunistic. None of that matters, of course, unless the images turn out well, and everything, from Scottish landscapes to portraits of Mitch the gillie, looked terrific.
Matt worked hard to make it look easy. It’s not surprising that the daughter of Matt and Yolanda Edwards would be good with a camera. Instagram may make it seem like we’re all photographers, but it really makes me think how few are actually good. Clara, who just finished her junior year of high school, is responsible for the Christy Turlington cover of YOLO. She has the good fortune of traveling widely and her only punishment is that she has to film daily videos of her dad (just kidding, Matt!).
I love her Greece photographs. At the basic level they record a beautiful place and make us want to go there, but they also capture the appeal of seaside life, and its very human quality and even comic nature. For those of you obsessed with such matters these were shot on film, with a Nikon FG, which, as you might expect, was a gift from her dad.
Ever since I was young, I’ve been surrounded with images and stories of Greece, my mother’s obsession with the country passed down to me. Like Italy, Greece has a surreal, movie-like feel to it. When I was in Patmos and Rhodes last summer, inspiration was everywhere. Growing up with my dad as a photographer I have learned to always be looking out for things to photograph. In Greece I found that almost every corner I turned I stumbled upon the perfect scene to capture. I like to take pictures of things that seem somewhat surreal, things that transport you to a better time, like a daydream. The light is always perfect, the water is always blue, and there seems to always be a chic old woman sitting on a beach. The bright sun and deep blue water create beautiful contrast in the color film, creating a grainy effect that only adds to my cinematic fantasy.
-Clara Hranek
