Petra Collins

photographer / New York interview by PAULA GOLDSTEIN DI PRINCIPE   PETRA COLLINS — My work is kind of dark. I started taking photos when I was 15, and a lot of it was simply me trying to figure out being a teenage girl. PAULA GOLDSTEIN DI PRINCIPE — Where did you grow up? PETRA COLLINS — In the suburbs of Toronto, then I moved to the city when I was 13. PAULA GOLDSTEIN DI PRINCIPE — And how did you become an artist? PETRA COLLINS — For me it’s just a natural part of living. It’s something I’ve been doing since I was little. I hate saying it because it sounds cheesy, but I literally have to do it to live. PAULA GOLDSTEIN DI PRINCIPE — Richard Kern was a mentor of yours? PETRA COLLINS — I did casting and modeled for him, but I also offered to assist him…