Dan is artist from Romania, currently living in London. He contacted me and asked if I'm looking for photographers. His portfolio is amazing so i chose him to be the featured on Mad about Portraits blog today.
If you want to be featured here as well please contact me! You can find my email on the right side of MaP blog, or you can leave comment under this post.
1Q) Can you please tell us the story behind this portrait? How you took it and why you choose to shoot this person?
This photo is a part of a series of portraits that I'm preparing on for my final exam. I took this photo while I was on holiday in my native country Romania. These two girls are friends of mine which I start to photograph this year. Most of my works are double portraits so I like to use different female expressions to create an atmosphere.
All the light in the photo is natural. IT is in an old house with high ceiling which makes the composition more complex.
2Q) What photography gear you used here and why? What is usually in your photo bag?
I used a Nikon d200 cause I use Nikon most of the time. I have 2 lenses which I'm using all the time- 50 mm nikkor 1.8 and a 28 mm nikkor 2.8.
3Q) What do you love most about shooting portraits?
I started photography by taking portraits of friends. I think portraits is one complex subject.
For me it is very important to know the person as much as possible. Moving from stage to stage I try to create a relation some sort of secret between me and the person I photograph. Sometimes it takes time and energy but once I got the secret I just let myself into it .
I like reality and I think reality is what attract me to portrait photography.
4Q) Do you consider yourself mostly as a “portrait” photographer?
This is a good question. I like different types of photography. I used to study cinematography so I like all sort of visual aspects.
I don't think I can say I'm a portrait photographer as I have also other works which relate more to different themes. I consider myself as a photographer with different interpretations .
5Q) Do you work with available light or do you use additional lightning often?
As I mention above I work with natural light for my projects and sometimes I use artificial light if I'm commissioned and the client require artificial light.
For me the light in my photography creates the foundation of the story. I used to do some projects on studying natural light when I was in high school. When I was studying cinematography additional light was an important part of the process which helped me to understand the studio photography better.
6Q) What/Who are your photography muses and influences?
My muses are my friends. I'm constantly trying to understand them. Natural light is another muse which Im trying to understand as well:)
My influences are related to Eastern European cinematography and Eastern Europe in general .
I also like different photographers: Ingar Krauss work which I relate to my works. Guy Bourdain which uses a combination between cinematography and photography and also a lot of people from Flickr .
Im also influenced by painting. One of my favorite painter is Caravaggio which I admire for his technique of working with natural light and Monet for his treatment of colors and composition .
7Q) Any tip for taking better portraits?
Let the person you photograph to open. Speak with the model give her/him some time. Let yourself into the vibe.
Thank You, Dan!
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