Exploring the ethereal world of Maya Beano

The film photographer uses dream-like imagery to create surreal landscapes

When you first glance at Maya Beano’s film photography, it’s easy to become entranced by the dream-like, ethereal world captured in her work. Soft tones of pink and other curious colour tones create surreal images that are still very much rooted in reality.

While the Cambridge landscape photographer draws inspiration from her surroundings, one of her ongoing series has been inspired by the whimsical scenes found in the works of Hayao Miyazaki and other films produced by the prolific Studio Ghibli.

Inspired by the “spirited playfulness” of much-loved animations, Beano has been trying to recapture the many arrays of moods found in the movies. Fantasy-esque themes permeate landscapes she’s photographed on her travels and lend themselves to other-worldly creations.

“I am inspired by our connection to nature, by the unique and by the unknown,” Beano says. “Whenever I find myself engulfed by any surreal atmosphere, I impart the feelings associated with the experience of my photos.”

However, there is a definite air of melancholy and emptiness that often seeps through. Solitary figures or even surroundings devoid of humans compromise a solid body of Beano’s work. “Empty landscapes and their raw beauty speak to me in a way that cities never will,” she explains. “I draw on themes that affect me strongly, such as memory, loss and nostalgia.”

‘Self in Monte Baldo’, from the series ‘Hayao Miyazaki, Are You There?’ (Maya Beano)

The self-taught photographer specialises in 35mm film, enamoured by the timeless feel the medium can bring. Indeed, Beano has been developing her style since accidentally discovering the world of film. In 2014, after her digital camera broke down unexpectedly, she picked up her mother’s Canon camera from the 1990s and began snapping her through all 36 exposures in one sitting.

Since then, her work has become a form of escapism – a way to take a break from our generation’s tendency to become over-connected and overloaded with information. The vastness of the subject matter perhaps is an embodiment of this.

When she’s not capturing grainy photos, Beano is a scientist by day. There is a natural flow between science and art in that they both share an undeniable inquisitiveness to explore the world, Beano says.

‘Migration Season’, from the series ‘The Illusion of Permanance’ (Maya Beano)

This manifests in a desire to experiment more, whether it is through trialling whatever 35mm film she can get her hands on or simply exploring a myriad of feelings.

“My photography works as a visual diary of things that inspire me in life.”

See more about Maya Beano here