Five Questions: Alissa Christine

Alissa Christine/ by Brando

Alissa Christine is a self-described visual artist, photographer, and creator.   She moved to Miami from New York City in 1996.  She was gifted her first SLR camera as a teen and she has been shooting ever since.

Alissa Christine photographed a Miami scene every day for a year, displaying the photos on the website “i love miami 365.” She didn’t cheat by working ahead; she took a photo every day.  This is a self-produced project and she is raising money by featuring sponsor ads next to each photo and selling prints.  Says Alissa Christine: “Miami is such a young city, always growing and evolving, and I feel fortunate to be a witness, contributor and by-product of this growth.”  She is currently researching publishing options for the coffee-table book version of “i love miami 365,” as well as freelancing for clients such as the magazine, 944. You can find out more about her project at ilovemiami365.

What criteria did you use for the pictures you included in “i love miami 365″?

I chose to photograph and select images that represent the essence of all that I love in Miami. Mostly, it was about experiencing the moment. Most [of my photographs] celebrate the pure and simple joys of living here. For example, the caption for the ocean photo on day 155 says, “this is my fitness & meditation center.  one of the best amenities my apartment has to offer.”  The beach is one block away and I enjoy “my backyard” every chance I get.

You mention in your FAQ on ilovemiami365.com that for this project you didn’t consider specific geographic boundaries for Miami.  You were considering more of a Miami sensibility.

I truly love the Miami lifestyle.  The goal was to photograph and enjoy as many combinations of cultural nuances as possible. There is so much Magic to this City that goes beyond its physical boundaries:  the amazing skies, sharing a cortadito at the corner bodega, dancing all night and then after-hours all morning, and then dancing on the sand all day, the twenty minute downpour and then sunshine, skin, enjoying the outdoors all year long, ordering Chinese food in Spanish, drum circles, international communities, boat rides, surfing dogs, festivals and events that bring international visitors, experiencing art and music inspired by it all…and living the fantasy.

What were some of your favorite “i love miami 365″ photos?

Some shoots were planned, some were guerilla encounters, some were adventurous expeditions and some days were surprises–very much like life itself.

I just had a batch of posters printed of one of my favorite shoots: day 314, titled: “real magic. a tale of hadley and the pink flamingos. seek. you may find surprises.” I was driving through Coconut Grove one day and saw a beautiful little pink house. I left a note asking if they’d be interested in participating in the project. The homeowner responded with much interest, and it turned out he also had a business managing live flamingos.

It was a fun and serendipitous day. I loved making new friends, working with the animals, and doing a bathing suit shoot in November.

This was a long project and you literally went out each day to take a picture. Did your energy ever flag? How did you keep up your momentum?

The project began as a commitment to completion, and then turned into more of an addiction to get my daily photo fix.  It was definitely a labor of love, and I persisted until the end,with a grand finale celebration at The Standard Hotel, where I flew overhead in an ultra light plane to get the very last shot of everyone in the pool.

Three words you would use to describe living in South Florida:

I love Miami.