Shimmering blue water. A hand, a rose, emerges from a kaleidoscope color field. Glimpses from a small village named Eldorado. These are just some of the stunning imagery captured by Brazilian-born photographer Fernanda Rocha. Her exhibit "Lost Terminals" will be on view through December 31, 2015 on the Ground Floor of the Mulberry Street Library. I spoke with Fernanda recently about her work.

Tell me a little about your background—you came to the US from Brazil—what brought you to the USA and NYC in particular?

I was living in São Paulo after spending 18 months in London and India. My sister had recently moved to NYC with her husband for her Master’s degree. I went to visit them in 2002, got a job in publishing, fell in love with the city and decided to stay. I moved to Miami a few years later, where I have been living since.

How did you first become interested in photography as a medium?

I first became interested in photography in London at age 19. A good friend of mine carried her camera everywhere and she used to get some great shots. I started to shoot regularly. Back home I got a job in the photo department of an independent publishing house in São Paulo that published three beautifully illustrated magazines. During this time I was exposed to the work of some of the most amazing Brazilian photographers I have ever met. I learned a lot about photography while working there. But it was in New York that I started to develop a personal vision and style.

Who are some of your favorite photographers, artists, and other influences?

There are so many but if I have to name a few I will say that my first inspiration came from the stunning black-and-white photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson, followed by the work of Aleksandr Rodchenko, Harry Gruyaert, and the Brazilian photographer Claudio Edinger. My husband has always influenced my photography. He is a graphic designer and a supporter of my work. I am also interested in the intersection of film and photography. The beautifully staged images of Alex Prager and Matt Henry are good examples, and I am fascinated by the fictional universe created by Federico Fellini and David Lynch.

These (Xanadu and the Ocean) series cross the line between landscape photography and art—how did these evolve? Tell me a little about the Eldorado project?

I was experimenting with rainbow spectrums and reflections for some time. At first, I didn’t have a precise idea in mind but wanted to create the nostalgic effect you see in Xanadu without any digital manipulation, so I tried different tools and ideas that didn’t always work. It took me months to perfect the technique, but once I did, it only took one day to complete the project.

Atlantis was inspired by a short story written by Nani Power. The photographs were published alongside the story in Issue 22 of Rattapallax Magazine. The story used references to texture and colors all over, and revolves around emotional conflicts. The intense blue images represent not only an envisioned “perfect” physical sea, but also the emotional sea inside of all of us.

Eldorado is a town in the countryside of Brazil that I have known since my childhood. My paternal family lives there and this is a place that I love to photograph because it brings back lots of good memories. Eldorado is a very personal project to me as it came up from this experience we all have of memory loss, of how the past and present memories we have in our lives intersect and transform into something new.

How has the digital era effected how you approach photography? What do you think its strengths and weaknesses are compared to shooting film?

I love digital photography. It has given me the opportunity to create much more than I was ever able to with film photography. My first experience with photography was with 35mm film, which is a format that I will always admire and respect. I love the tonal range and depth, and the texture you can get from film but I switched to the digital medium once the quality of the images became as good as or better than film. I think some people get stuck into thinking that digital photography is an inferior medium and many do not consider it acceptable for fine art because it is so “easy” to use. I think it is just another medium of expression. There are advantages and disadvantages; you just have to use it with the awareness of its strengths and limitations.

What do you think about exhibiting photography in a library space?

This has been an amazing experience because you get the type of mixed audience that you would not get at a gallery or museum space. I find it interesting how people respond to the pieces. Some aren't familiar with art at all but end up having an unexpected reaction to a piece. I like how it makes people from different backgrounds question and think of your work.