SIRUI MA

In partnership with Squarespace

Sirui Ma’s work is a beautiful mix of romantic realism. Through her lens, she finds seemingly ordinary moments in life and turns them into something extraordinary. Whether it’s a fleeting moment on a busy street or an intimate moment between friends or lovers she’s always aiming to draw the viewers eye to the beauty in life.  

In response to the theme of Freedom Sirui photographed the rugged landscape of Cornwall that allowed her to feel free outside the built up environment of her usual city-based life.

We spoke to Sirui about how she approached creating the series, how she feels about her own sense of Freedom and how she finds life online as a photographer.

Is your sense of freedom linked to being in nature and connecting to the land?

Being in nature makes me feel small and reminds me that I’m just a tiny part of something so much bigger than me. That gives me freedom, knowing that so much beauty exists in nature, with or without me.

You created this series in Cornwall can you tell us about how you approached capturing your idea of Freedom?

It was the first proper “trip” that my partner and I took since the beginning of lockdown. We both really needed to get away, mentally and physically. We took long walks most days and both just felt very present in where we were.

There were two horses that lived on the top of a trail by the coast, where we’d walk to some days. My last name “Ma” actually means horse in Chinese, so I felt very drawn to them, and I think these two were drawn to me. The sweet foal was very shy and on edge, but I squatted down to his height and he finally warmed up to me and kissed me on my shoulder as his mother stood right behind him! It was such a tender moment.

What stories are you drawn to?

I love being outdoors, so for me it’s an ideal scenario where work can take me places I’ve never been and want to go. There’s also something special about being dependent on the elements and the challenge and thrill of making it work no matter what.

I also love meeting different people through my work that I may not otherwise cross paths with so I really enjoy it when I get the opportunity to meet someone and help tell their story through my photographs.

Do you think about the viewer when you’re creating work? Are you interested in their reading or how it makes them feel?

I do my work for myself and the people I'm photographing. I feel fulfilled when the people I photograph tell me I make them feel beautiful, seen, and appreciated, in ways they haven't felt before. In that sense I suppose my work is a dialogue between myself and my subjects. How can I make them feel seen, how can I most accurately portray who they are? That's what gives me purpose. The viewer is invited to listen in to that dialogue, but my accountability is to my subjects. It's a bonus to hear from anyone else outside the dialogue, and it's always reaffirming for me when someone tells me they can see themselves in my work.

How has life for a photographer online changed? What are some of the positives and what have you found challenging?

Squarespace definitely made my life much easier as a not so tech-savvy person. It’s intuitive and simple to use. Same with platforms like Instagram. However, I do find that because so much of my work comes via people finding my Instagram, it’s made it difficult to stay offline for a significant amount of time.

How do you maintain boundaries to make sure your freedom isn’t compromised – either in a work situation or in a personal relationship?

I think it’s about making sure you are meeting your own needs, which should always come before meeting others’, because you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. It’s also about mutual trust, both in work and personal relationships. If a client trusts me to do my job properly, they would give me freedom in the creative process. Kind of the same in a relationship, as long as the trust is there, we can be our best selves together.

Who or what represents freedom to you?

Freedom for me is knowing who I am.