Alongside my camera reviews/analyses, I also wanted to talk about and with the people that inspire me. The photographers that have influenced me.
One of the said photographers is a close friend of mine; Angelo Ricafrente, a wonderful person that I had the luck to meet while I was living in Dubai, and I now have the privilege of calling him a friend. We share a lot of common interests, from gaming to our passion for cardistry, music... you name it, but one thing that we share is a passion for photography.
As I said I met him while I Lived in the U.A.E, through a common friend of ours, and from the get-go we knew we had the potential to became great friends.
His true to life photography and ethos were something that really drew me to his work, and to some degree something that I tried to include into my own work. I recall one walk we did around the block we used to live, and the dissonance of the photos we captured, of mainly the same subjects, did allow me to grow as a photographer, as it was probably one of the first time I did a "photo walk" with someone. Not to mention that he took one of the only photographs of myself that I really enjoy (well I just like how chubby I used to be back then, but that's not his fault).
He was one of the first people to assure me that photography is not about the gear but about how you use it.
So I sent him some questions to which he promptly answered back, I hope you guys enjoy the interview
What kind of gear do you use?
Iʼm not really a ‘gear slutʼ photographer as I am more used to working with older entry-level cameras. Maybe itʼs because I wanted to try taking the kind of photographs I want using cheaper variants of DSLR cameras. Maybe I just donʼt have the means to buy the high-end cameras or I just donʼt think itʼs worth the investment as I am not a corporate photographer by profession; and my photos arenʼt something that is ‘sellableʼ to the masses considering the fact that the only kind of pictures the Filipino respects are the usual ‘prenupʼ and ‘weddingʼ photos that are heavy on ‘glamʼ…. even those are often asked to be done for free…. so what gives?”
-Camera body: “I use a Canon 1100D, a Canon t80, and a Diana F+”
-Lens: “Iʼve been using a cheap Canon EOS f/1.8 50mm STM with a ‘petalʼ lens hood attached to it, a Holga HL-C f/8 60mm plastic lens, and the typical Canon kit lens.”
Do you have any lens you prefer? And why is that?
“I personally prefer simple 50mm or 40mm prime lenses because of theyʼre often cheap, good for portraits, and low-light photography.”
When you travel do you have any special equipment that you “need” to bring along as a photographer?
“When I travel, I often prefer to travel light; so I usually just bring a maximum of two lenses: a 50mm prime, and kit lens. I personally donʼt like swapping between different kinds of lenses in public. Itʼs, not an airsoft match. You gotta be practical with these things.”
What's your forte in terms of photography? And why were you drawn into it?
“Iʼm currently more accustomed to ‘toy photographyʼ. Coming from portrait photography, theyʼre almost identical to each other when it comes to framing, but done in ‘macroʼ. I slowed down a bit on portrait and street photography because of the fact that the UAE has strict laws on where and who to include in a photograph thatʼs been shot in public areas. If you happen to unknowingly include a photo of a government building or a local citizen wearing the traditional clothing (without their consent) in a frame, you can get heavily penalised for it.”
If I gave you a blank cheque for you to buy a piece of single photographic equipment what would you buy?
“I would buy myself a Russian Lomo LC-A.”
If this isnʼt a trade secret, what is your favourite type of setting?
“It really does depend on the product that you plan to shoot. You gotta shoot for the editing stage.”
-Aperture – f/2.8 -Shutter Speed – 200 -ISO – 200 -White Balance – Neutral (I edit out excess hues post-prod) -Focus – Manual/Auto (Depends if Iʼm shooting at a moving object) -Image Format – RAW (Gordon Ramsay would be proud)
What kind of tools do you use for post-processing? Explain your workflow.
“I use two editing software: Polar for colour grading and contrast correction, and Adobe Photoshop for texture.”
As for my workflow, I usually look for the problem that I could ʼscoop outʼ. I look for ‘dissonantʼ hues and cut them a bit, then adjust exposure, brightness, and contrast. I set vignetting at relatively subtle levels and then add a little bit of exposure in the middle of the image.
Then comes Photoshop:
High-pass filter overlay to add some subtle sharpness on more ‘focusedʼ areas of the image (I got this trick from a good friend of mine who does glam photography) Clean out some of the blemishes using the patch tool Add some subtle inner shadow Add a gradient map depending on the imageʼs overall highlight, shadow, and drama Add a subtle layer of small-sized grain Add a subtle layer of large-size grain Add a thin layer of ‘exposure offsetʼ for that faded effect Then crop the image to 16a9 aspect ratio
I never do any of those ‘transformationʼ photoshop edits as I am a firm believer that your images should look like photographs that put a subject in stasis; and not deep fried modern art.
How do you keep on learning?
“Just keep on shooting and look at photos of other photographers that inspire you… not to compare images with them, but to discover what your eyes are pleased to see in an image.”
From your pieces what's your favourite?
Comment: “I love this image that I shot of my pet cat, Carlitos because this made people ask me about how expensive my camera was when I only used a dirt cheap Sony digicam. I was a total beginner at that time. Most of my best work is about somebody that I used to know…. so for her sake, I wonʼt release them for this interview.”
What are your biggest influences? And if you could name a piece of work they have that especially influenced you.
“I think I am heavily influenced by Alvin Meraveles for his framing and gradient mapping technique; and also for his command of emotion in his portraits. (https:// www.instagram.com/alvinpaulm/)
“As for toy photography, I was influenced by jesterjive for his simply dramatic, and cinematic framing. (https://www.instagram.com/jesterjive/)
If you found a DeLorean and could warn yourself or give yourself a piece of photographic advice, what would it be?
“I think I would tell my past self to keep shooting and never think about what other people say and I should shoot photos that make me feel happier. Trying to figure out the most ‘uniqueʼ angle to take is a waste of time since most people do not have the capacity to appreciate what youʼve did. Just please your own self.”
What does photography mean to you?
“Photography is something that I keep near my heart. It is a hobby that makes me slow down and be calm whenever I take a peek at the viewfinder. It is also good exercise to be decisive whether to take the shot or not at all…. itʼs all about capturing precious moments, action, and emotion. It is an instrument to translate your vision of a certain place, person, or anything that exists into a tangible or digital form that you can easily share with people or sell.”
I want to thank Angelo so much for taking the time to answer all of this and hope you guys have enjoyed one of my main inspirations