You're an actress, producer, director and photographer. All are in the same field. Which one has priority for you?

They are all essential parts of my life, but acting and photography are my priorities. I know both will always be in my life. I love directing, but it doesn't have priority right now.

Of the films you've done as a director, which one has the most essence of Emily Sandifer? Why? 

All my films draw a lot from influences in my own life in some way. I'd say "Finding Sky" may have the most essence of myself (as an actor) because we shot most of the film on my family's ranch in Idaho, and also drew on my initial experiences with life in Los Angeles, but I wouldn't say the character of Sky is exactly like me, especially now because I've grown a lot personally in the past few years since the film. None of my characters are exactly like me, obviously. "Salton" is the closest to my "visual" taste and my directing style, though, what I look for cinematically to tell a story and also the way I've directed the actors to tell the story. And I think it has the most potential as far as a good story plot (i.e. if I were to turn the short film into a full-length feature film). 

And as an actress, have you done any character that relates to your personality? Which one? Why? 

This relates to the question above, so all the characters I've played relate somewhat to my personality. Or personalities, I should say (we all have many possible personalities inside of us). You bring a little bit of yourself to every character, or at least have to decide what you would be like if you had been given that character's life in reality. But, you also have to remember to not change the character to be more like you, but instead change yourself to be more like the character (that's a lesson learned from my acting classes for sure). It all goes hand in hand. You have to find the part of you that relates to the character, that way you don't judge your character. 

Currently you're giving yourself a name in the world of photography. What does the lens of Emily want to grasp?

Anything that speaks to me, I guess. That's a loaded question. I look for anything that inspires an emotion, makes you wonder about the story behind the image or, more importantly, the person in the image. A great photo, also great cinematography, makes you feel something. It can't just be a pretty picture, it needs to speak to you in some way. 

Do you think self portraits are used to express emotion we have at the time or is it vanity? 

For me, definitely not vanity. Self portraits are often misunderstood, but actually the assignment of self-portraiture is one of the first things many art schools make you do. For me, selfportraits are used a lot as experiments in lighting, etc. Anything I shoot in my selfportraits somehow usually ends up in client work later. That way, I can try things and work out the mistakes before wasting a paying client's time. Selfportraits have also become very therapeutic for me. The selfportraits teach me not take myself too seriously, but instead shows me humility and shows me the progression of myself (not just physically, but yes, emotionally as well) throughout the years. It records a time of my life, what I was going through, what I was interested in at the time, etc. Someday I can show my children and they can see how their mother progressed through the years. 

Camera: Scavenging emotions or egos?

Well, if you mean my camera, I'd say emotion. I don't lead by ego, and I don't want my clients to either. Can cameras only be used to scavenge and inflate ego? Absolutely. And it's unfortunate. So, I try to stray away from ego-based photography. 

The Media is very competitive. What can you do to highlight without harming others?

Media is a loaded subject, but whether it be photography, acting, filmmaking, etc: Never compare or judge your work to someone else's. It's art, and therefore, subjective. It's all in the eye of the beholder. If someone likes another's work better than your own, then so be it. Accept it. Keep working on your own art without concerning yourself with others. When I'm promoting my work, I'm not worrying about anyone else's business by my own. You have to have pride in your work and know that it's good. 

Many people buy professional cameras without being photographers. What do you think of these fans and what do you recommend to them?

Everyone deserves to make their own art. So, if they want to take on the challenge of learning photography, I applaud them. Is it unfortunate when amateurs start taking business away from the professionals? Of course. But, ultimately, there's nothing we can do about it. It just forces us to work harder at what we do, and makes us better artists in the end. 

To know her better and see her work can enter it links

www.emilysandifer.com/

www.facebook.com/sandiferphotography?fref=ts

THANKS EMILY! KISSES FROM VENEZUELA 

By HECMAR LOBOS