Elements that propel my work
I recently purchased my very first camera: a Canon Rebel series T6 with a 50mm lens. For starting photographers, I definitely recommend this combination because both are very user friendly and have great automatic settings for those still learning how to balance shutter speed and such. Although I’ve been taking photos with friends’ cameras for years, it wasn’t until this year that I purchased my own. My reason being was that I told myself I wouldn’t spend the money on a camera until I knew my vision as a photographer, worked with natural lighting until I knew the sun like I know the inside of my hometown Walmart, and knew the best angles of any person. I spent years practicing how to capture a diversity in body shapes in a way that accented the beauty in each. My best friends were my iPhone, golden hour and Grace (my hometown best friend who also let me borrow her camera often). The first thing to grasp before taking photos is lighting, and personally I find natural lighting to be the most stunning and rewarding.
When it comes to lighting, you need to know what’s too much light and not enough. The best times to shoot is 25 minutes after sunrise and 25 minutes before sun down, both known as golden hour. Too much light can result in unflattering shadows, saturation and loss of natural face angles. Little light + taking a picture = low quality, less detailed photos. In good lighting, one can take a much better picture on an iPhone than with a professional camera in poor lighting. There are more basics to photography like composition, framing and editing, but I’m going to talk about what has guided me as a photographer into producing content I’m really proud of.
For me personally, I don’t like to shoot something without having an intention or narrative behind the photos. I work as a stylist as well, so when I’m selecting the looks, I build a narrative in my head to motivate me as a photographer while on set. Having a specific vision in mind allows for a special click to happen in my mind during shooting. If I know the story that I’m trying to convey, then the pictures will stand out immediately with an illumination of the message. Knowing the model well isn’t necessary, but there’s a certain magic that happens that you both get to experience together during the process that’s unmatched. I usually dress the models I work with in my own clothing as well which carries a layer of familiarity and metamorphosis at the same time, making the end result that much more personal and rewarding. Recently I worked with a singer and LGBTQ activist who’s a student at the University of Southern California. Below is my series named after him: LINNEL
Another way I find depth within a shoot is giving myself specific elements that I want to elucidate. This basically supplements the narrative for me, so I do this when I am wanting to go broader with my images’ context. My most recent photoshoot I orchestrated in this way was with a younger actor and athlete from USC named Jet Mendes. We both took an acting class on scene studies, so for some of the classes, we were required to come in costume. As a result, people would be rushing from class in traditional 30s womenswear. For Jet’s scenes, he had to wear a suit, but since he was skating from his apartment off campus, he would be sporting vans with the look. Although unintentional, the blend of aesthetics worked, and after he asked me to take digitals for him, I knew the elements I wanted to incorporate in the set, wardrobe and photography style.
STREET SKATE | FORMAL | ATHLETIC
The most helpful factors thus far have been working with people who inspire me as an artist and pushing myself to photograph as much as possible. Keeping my work threaded and constant propels me the most, so that’s the biggest advice I can give alongside finding your vision.
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T R I S I G H T 