Filipa Domingues is a Cape Town-based photographer with a passion for plants.
When did your love for plants begin – and what made you turn that passion into plant photography?
For some reason I always had it in my head that growing plants was something “other people” did.
Then I came across succulents (at the age of 31, but rather late than never) and they instantly mesmerised me. I’ve become a keen collector and today my home looks something like a desert coral reef.
However, it was a suggestion by a friend that I start taking photographs of my plants and post them on Instagram that actually inspired @CheckMyPlants.
But this isn’t your day job…
I’m a film producer and, together with my partner, own a production company called Fly on the Wall. We’ve made commercials, music videos and documentaries as well as a lot of still photography. I guess in a big way these experiences have prepared me for @CheckMyPlants.
How do you create your images?
I only use natural light and everything is shot on iPhone against a black photographic cloth and edited later. It’s the research part that takes the most time.
By now you must have a pretty extensive collection, right?
Seriously, my bedroom looks like a jungle. My collection consists mostly of succulents and cacti, tillandsias, orchids and carnivorous plants. They’re low maintenance and, in the midst of the Cape drought, a very practical choice.
What’s your next move?
To team up with an interior decorator and see where my plants will end up next. Otherwise I’d like to start taking on commissions and shooting other people’s plants for them.
Follow Filipa on Instagram @checkmyplants
@checkmyplants founder Filipa Domingues
Photography
Supplied, Dingo
