Visual.Curiosity

“Just so everyone knows Michael Abril is a photography buddy of mine and we’ve worked on a few projects together in the past. He’s a good guy and one courageous dude..enjoy..”

VC interviews Michael Abril

Sometimes in life you meet people that you end up looking up to, and over time, you learn that you have a greater respect for them because of what they’ve been through and overcome in their lifetime. Michael Abril is one of those people. Born and raised in Bogota Colombia this up-and-coming photographer left his native country to pursue one aspect of what he calls the reinvention of himself. A former industrial designer he has survived the blandish office-type environment and came out of it with his creativity still intact. Thank god!

While his artistic qualities laid dormant, it took some life-altering changes to wake up what was unknowingly within. Losing his father to cancer in 2004, and the ending of a long 9-year relationship were just some life hurdles that have led to this process of self-reinvention….

Website: http://www.michaelabril.com

“Photography is more democratic, it’s like an open window and everyone can look” ~ MA

Interview:

The waitress sticks me way in the back out of eyes view. I wait at the cafe and prepare my things for the interview, he’s running a little late. Thanks STM (Société de transport de Montréal) you never disappoint!

Visual Curiosity (VC) – I know you are still studying photography, and you are well aware of the obstacles that you’ll face, especially nowadays competition is fierce but what keeps you motivated?

Michael Abril (MA) – Being in Montreal is part of the re-invention process and it’s just the beginning. Dawson’s Commercial Photography program has given me the opportunity to experience a realm of the photography that was never presented to me in the past.
The natural need for knowledge keeps me going I want to learn and I want to be better. To tell you the truth I don’t think of the competition as much, right now I’m doing what I need to do to be successful and that’s the most important thing.

VC – Touché man, Touché….After looking through some of your work I’ve noticed that you have somewhat of a photojournalistic style, is that something you will be pursuing ?

MA – I feel more comfortable with a photojournalistic/documentary approach; capturing and documenting events as they unfold. But being in the program I have discovered another side of photography; the studio environment, the lighting techniques, theory, and the production behind the shoot.
Also a part of me is deeply rooted to acts of social responsibility. I think Montreal could be my base, and I could find other areas of need to feed my projects. I see photography related to social issues. I want to use my work in a useful way; I want it to be part of an important cause and right now I see myself working in documentary and editorial-like photography.

VC – How did you start, when did you decide to take your photography to the next level??

MC – I started about 5 years ago. I was always interested but I was caught in that trap of social expectations. After some unexpected events, I in way found a part of who I was again and I looked at it as an opportunity to further explore who I was as a person. It’s not till after I went abroad that I started to breathe photography.

VC – I walked down similar roads my friend. Not an easy thing…

VC – What is your favourite genre of photography outside from what you do now?

MA – Travel photography I find to be very interesting and also interior design/architectural photography.

VC – And as cliche as it is, its a must. Why do you love photography? Why is it such a passion for you?

MA -Photography is like the magic of an instant…an instant that could be real or artificial. There are moments of a story about someone, and if you can capture that emotion and deeply feel what you see, then that’s my personal vision of what photography is about. I think those are some reasons to why I love it. It’s a memory, an interpretation of that particular person or instant. It’s such an accessible art and more democratic, it is like an open window and everyone can look.

VC – Last but not least and one of the most important questions of the day: Canon or Nikon??

MA – Before I seriously started I always dreamt of shooting with Nikon but through some coincidences I began with a Canon and I’m quite satisfied for now. I don’t really have any profound reasons to stay with Canon or switch to Nikon, as long as I have a camera then I’m happy. ***

The self-portrait normally defined as the representation of one’s self; drawn, painted, scultped or photographed. You’ve done it, and so have I many times over.

I’ve been quite the busy bee as of late, the brain constantly buzzing around the clock thinking and knowing it’s all about progression. This self-portrait displays my current frigid state and need for visual multi-media”ish” consumption, so it only seems fitting, that I freeze in my own living room and feed my ongoing addiction.

Looking to be inspired without falling asleep

Part II: Headshots

In Studio: Softbox as main and gold reflector as fill.

Visual Curiosity meets and shoots the wonderful Fatiha. Here’s a small handful of images with minimal processing that turned out quite well, and there are plenty more lurking in my Lightroom library!

On location: Plenty of ambient light, 1 strobe flash shot through umbrella fired with pocket wizard as fill.

Fatiha captured:

“My work is directed towards bringing out the strength and personality of my male clients and the charm and beauty of my female subjects” ~ Yousuf Karsh

Working with new and different people everyday isn’t always an easy task. As a photographer, not only are you seen as a visual artist, you are seen as a technical expert, a light expert, and a storyteller. What most people don’t expect, and which is often left out is that you should also be a good conversationalist. Any photographer who has been in the business will say that people skills are crucial, and it could be the difference between a good portrait and an amazing portrait.

I’ve met many photographers, from beginners to professionals who always seem to discuss the newest advances in the industry whether it be Canon’s new camera or Adobe’s newest update. That’s fine and dandy folks, but “people skills” are a must too. It just as important as your newest thingy-ma-jig piece of equipment. If this is a weak point in your photography then you have to practice, practice, and practice. You need to be able to work and coax your subjects into a desirable state that represents your vision. You need to make them feel at home.

For example, for myself, I have always been a huge street photography fan, but at the beginning I was hesitant to take photos in public places. I didn’t want to attract attention and I was afraid that people would be offended by me sticking a camera in their face. Many were and still are, and that’s reality, hec I would probably be offended but if you don’t take risks and put yourself out there then you won’t be going anywhere and that applies to life in general. Get out of that safety net and explore. Leave your insecurites at the door!

With that being said explore with some caution : P I was at a protest in Europe a few years ago and the crowd started throwing wine bottles at the police and I was on the police side!!!! I felt like I was back in elementary school playing dodge ball, so I decided to be smart and join the protesters, but eventually they started getting a little crazy smashing windows and lighting fires. We were all happily tear-gassed by the police. It was frantic! Oh man, cracks me up when I think about it…yes explore but with some caution.

Some things that have worked for me:

1) To be genuinely interested in the people you are photographing. Be curious and ask questions. Taking someone’s photo is a personal intimate exchange! Don’t get caught up with “I’m the photographer, and he or she is the subject” mentality, it will hinder your work. For example, your family and friends are good subjects (in theory) because it blurs this mentality and makes it easier for you to take their photo, but sooner or later you’ll be meeting new faces on a regular basis and you’ll need to establish a similar comfort level with your subjects in a short period of time and that’s not easy. Being genuinely interested opens doors!

2) You should always know a little bit about the people you are photographing, and the more the better. If you can find a common point between you and the person you are photographing then even better! It could help set the tone of your session and serve as great conversation starters. I usually talk about whatever comes to my mind and improvise along the way. I play off the person I’m photographing. Trust me I wasn’t born with this quality, and I had to practice too. After awhile it becomes second nature.

3) Stay informed and be knowledgeable. You should know what is happening in your town, city or country so when you meet the person you are photographing you are able to hold a conversation if a topic arises. I’m not saying you have to constantly stay informed, but if you know you’ll be meeting someone in a few days then read up on what is happening. News, fashion trends, sports, music, upcoming concerts in town etc! It will help establish a connection between you and your subject. Stay updated!!

4) Use props! Using props seems to ease the tension of being photographed and distracts the subject from your camera. If you are taking a portrait shot of a guitar player then tell them to bring something music related, it will make them feel more natural. If not, then be creative and bring something you think could work, it could save your day!

Project One for 2010: I’m looking for photographers to photograph!! I want take your portrait!! If you are up for it then please let me know and I’ll give you more information : )

My post-production workflow mainly consists of Photoshop (CS4) and Lightroom. I’m not a photoshop expert by any means, and for the type of work I do and plan to do, I’ll probably be required to use only 25 percent of the program’s capabilities. 25 percent at most!!!! So that goes to show how incredibly powerful and vast Photoshop actually is, and I would loath to go further up the scale. I spend enough time as it is in post-production and I prefer to keep it to a minimum.

As for Lightroom; it’s great for organizing your images, and serves well for basic to intermediate processing. My Lightroom usage would cover 70% of my post-production workflow. It’s powerful gem of a program, especially if you have third-party software integrated into the program. I personally use 3 programs provided by NikSoftware; Colour Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, and DFine. All three can be used within Photoshop and Lightroom, and I personally recommend these programs if you want to ease your workflow and work at a faster pace. Google it!

The screenshots below display how NikSoftware is embedded into Photoshop CS4. Go on now, google to your hearts desire : P

I’ve been playing around with the lightsphere universal, but haven’t yet done any thorough testing of my own. I’ll post results in the near future, but for the meantime check out Gary Fong’s flash diffuser website and let me know what you photogs think.

Cloud Lightsphere Universal Yay or Nay?

And Mr. Fong what is up with the gay hat??