~ An interview of a talented artist in our General Photography Community

Tell us a bit about yourself, AdmiringBeautyArt! How did you get into photography and why?

I'm a self-taught photographer and I never had any formal training. I started because I wanted to capture beauty.

As you are a self-taught photographer, and you've never had any formal training, how did you get to the stage you are now?

I read tutorials and books and watch videos, but above all I practice and conduct experiments. I'm almost every other day in the studio working on light experiments.

Why are you on deviantART?

Because my viewers are here.

What type of People & Portraits photography do you most like to do and why?

Almost everything I do is in "artistic nude" or "glamour", but I think of my work as "erotic photography". I'm afraid there is no such category on dA which is a shame.

How did you start photographing with models?

My first nude model was a close friend of mine. But since then I mostly work with professional models.

How do you come up with your ideas and concepts?

I always keep my eyes open and do a lot of research.

Do you use a specific technique when shooting? What setting on your camera do you most like to use?

Almost always my camera is set to manual mode (M). Even those settings are often the same: ISO 400, f8, 1/160

What are some key things that you think are important to keep in mind when shooting?

Most amateur photographers obsess about cameras, thinking the best camera will let them allow to take the best pictures. In my opinion the camera is not first priority. My priority ranking looks like this:

1. model
2. light
3. location
4. camera
5. lens

A lot of photographers would also say that the lens is more important than the camera, but at least in my experience this isn't true.

How long does it take you to set things up for a shot? After that, how long does it take from shooting it and uploading it on dA? Could you describe to us your process here in more detail?

It takes months. I have to find a good location, a good model, than I have to consider the availability of the location and the model (and mine). For the actual shooting it can take a few hours or sometimes even a few days to set everything up and to do test shots. After that I need I few weeks for selecting and editing the photos and then I load them up.

Do you struggle with photography? If so, what do you do?

Yes, I struggle. Hard. I am often disappointed, I try a lot of things that don't work, and I run out of money often. For me the best thing to do is to take long breaks. Before becoming a photographer I tried to be a writer and I struggled even worse.

What do you spend your money on most, as a photographer?

Models, travels, locations, equipments - roughly in that order.

What is your best and worst experience about working with models? Is there anything you particularly like or dislike about it?

The best experience is when the model brings in her own creativity and the worst experience is, when the model doesn't show up and you end up alone at an expensive location (luckily this didn't happened to me yet).

What is your equipment list? What made you choose your equipment there? Do you have a favourite lens at all?

I work with a Sony a99 camera. Before that I used a Canon 5D MkII, but was never happy with it. In my opinion Canon and Nikon cameras have not yet been updated to the digital revolution. They still use analog viewfinders which are very limited. The Sony a99 was the first full frame camera with electronic viewfinder, autofocus and interchangable lenses and that's why I use it and I'm very happy with it.
When it comes to lenses I like models that are light, small and cheap.

Are you doing any projects at the moment, photography wise or not? Offline and online?

Yes, I'm planning my next shooting trip to Los Angeles. But there are always other things I'm working on, for example earning money as a tourguide on waste and waste water treatment facilities. I don't really earn money with my photos.

Would you want to earn money with your photographs, or would you want to keep it the same as it is for you right now?

I could always use more money because then I could do more shootings. But when people pay you they tend to tell you what to do, and often I'm not comfortable with that.

What is your favourite piece and why?

You mean of my photos? Maybe this one:

Mature Content

One of my goals is to produce studio quality on location with a low light feeling and I think this worked pretty well here.

What advice would you give to aspiring photographers?

Don't listen too much to what other photographers tell you (including myself )

Finally, is there anything else you would like to add?

If you could give me the thumbs of 10 of your favourite photographs, that would be awesome. Could I also choose a few from your gallery too if I am in need of them?

Thank you AdmiringBeautyArt!

3wyl, posting on behalf of CRPhotography