Jessica, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
Hello everyone, my name is Jessica Napolitano. I am 22 years old and I was born in Gaeta. I live in Italy precisely in a small village called Santi  Cosma and Damiano in the province of Latin. In life as well as to dedicate myself to photography, i help in a family company. I love traveling. I love hot countries. I am a very open person, cheerful and always ready to help others.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
mmmmm no ...

 
Seeing your remarkable work, I am curious where your creativity comes from? 
Fundamental characteristic of my photographs is the creativity, that accompanies me since i’m a lucky girl. Why? Because through photography you have a vision of the reality, that is more ''fantastic and expanse as in a fairytale''. To say it short: It is as if I thought like a ''child“, that seeks to create that kind of atmosphere, you find ''there''. As well as being creative I must say I am also a good observer. I observe everything around me and even with a ''simple location'' I can often pull out the best or rather hopefully;) I always loved pictures in general. I think the camera can reveal the secrets, that the naked eye or the mind does not grasp. Everything disappears except the one, that is focused with the lens. Photography is an exercise in observation and a ''challenge'' to consequently creating through it the combination of truth and beauty called art. But another very important thing as well as the ''creative'' is the makeup artist. To me the makeup artist plays a vital role in getting the photos already good before the post-production. I was lucky enough to find ''Lina''. She ''facilitates“ the job with her tricks nothing less than from fantastic to perfect. Without her, i think, the result would not be the same!

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started?
I started with a Canon 600 d and now use the Canon M III. My favorite targets are 2:85 mm and 35 mm, of course it depends on many circumstances which one to use. Usually I need about an hour to create my pictures and the programs I use are ''photoshop and lightroom ''.
 
As I said before, I was ''influenced'' by one person. That is my boyfriend. For me it is now a point of reference as well as in everyday life, even in the work, and it is great to share with him this passion. We help each other and I hope to become more and more clever, because in life you never stop learning.

What would you say characterizes your work in comparison to other photographers?
Every photographer has his own style and I think everyone is different from everyone else
 
Among your works, which is your favorite and why?
My favorite photo, I have to say, comes from my last shoot and the title of the photo is ''relajacion''.
 
Tell us your funniest or most awkward photography story. 
The fun thing I like have to tell you, because I always enjoy taking pictures, but I remember one in particular, when i was some weeks ago together with my best friend to take some pictures. She is not a professional model, i was working with, but for me she showed herself very willingly to take pictures. I asked her to do something really easy and trivial that is to ''create movement with her hair'' and at the same time to be able to look into the camera. But all without success. The only thing, that I could capture in that shoot (we were trying an hour to figure it out) was a sea of laughter, looking at the pictures on the display and it really were unnatural poses :) so the photos from that day I call ''Valeria Marini''.
 
What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start? 
I would say not to despair of the difficulties, that surely will be there initially and above all to be always ready to learn new techniques

featured models: Lily.B, Lindá Vivere, Lisa-Marie Brückner, Isabel Kasper, Tim Klingenberg, Phlox and Olivia Leps

Harry, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
My name is Harry Wilcken, born in Bogota (Colombia) in 1968, actually based in Utrecht (Holland). I have two professions, Dr. in Veterinary Medicine (La Salle University - Bogota) and Photographer (Art & Design College –Utrecht).
As a professional photographer, I have been working in portrait, product, event and fashion photography.  In the last two years I became more interested in making street portrait photography, a combination of two disciplines that gives me the opportunity to make short stories using the city landscape as a background.
I prefer to work with women, who have little or no experience in modeling, because it is more challenging. During the photo shoots I take care of every small detail that can compromise the esthetics of the final picture, like dirt, garbage on the street but sometimes the same items are important for the picture, so I leave them in place.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
Not really.
 
Seeing your remarkable work, I am curious where your creativity comes from?
Well, real creativity is not shown on my street portraits, rather than that, I like to think that I make good combinations between the model, the outfits, the poses and background. The end result is a short story with a bit of the essence of the women on the pictures. I consider myself a very sensitive person, with a good eye for detail, very intuitive and with passion for photography.

Can you tell us about your work flow from the point you first step onto the street until you showcase the developed picture?
Everything starts with a plan and a route for the shoot based on the outfits the model wants to use, usually I choose 5-6 different locations where something special about the city is to be seen (i.e. architecture, street, sculpture, urban furniture). The day of the shooting, I meet with the model and occasionally a MUA  - Georgiana (Vivid Loox) – who takes care of the make up. I make a few shots to break the ice and show the model the end result on the iPad, once she sees the images on a big screen, the session can start fluently and we have some fun. I try to avoid giving to many commands for posing, as I prefer the natural portraiture technique. I use the city as a background and I put a beautiful woman in it, the end result is always a story, which you need to read between the lines.  I work fast, not staying for too long in one location and trying to maintain the model’s enthusiasm up during the whole session. I usually prefer to have an assistant, but I manage to work alone with the model on a street full of people.  I love when men on the streets stop by to give the model a compliment: they make them feel beautiful.

Moral: Shoot if you can, no matter what, just shoot. Afterwards there is always an option to get the credit and permission to use the picture. Don’t let anybody stop you.
 
What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
Go back to film, try it once – at least – see the magic of a b/w photo developing before your eyes in a dark room, go visit art galleries, take a look at the paintings, try to understand the mind of the artist, read about the history of photography let yourself be influenced by everything  (art, music, architecture, landscape, street life, children, older people) and then choose your own way. Let the camera be a part of your daily life.

Fadli, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
My name is Fadli Bohari. Currently I live in Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia. I’m doing photography for full time. My major areas are fashion, editorial, portrait and documentary. I was born in Ampang - Selangor in a village named Kampung Berembang. Due to  state infrastructure development our village need to be demolished to build one of the states big projects. As I remember at the age of 17 I was assigned to take pictures of several houses before they got turned down. That was my first assignment of photography and I was in the opinion, that photography is interesting and i would like to learn more about photography.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
I’m a part time musician. I play drums, guitar and I can sing :D  I’m always relating music with photography since i started with photography.

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started? what is your favorite lens?
Now im using a Nikon d7000 and d90. My first camera was a Canon 1000d. Some time ago I was having a Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens. It is my favorite lens. Unfortunately i need to sell it because of financial problems. But I plan to buy it back.

Can you tell us about your work flow from the point you first step onto the street until you showcase the developed picture?
My major areas are editorial, fashion and portrait. I have to find a good concept / theme for the session. For sure every session will have a different concept, not the one, that I’ve done before. Then I have to find a model, outfits, location and material, that is related tot he session like props, a team such as a makeup artist and an assistant. Normally every shot is planned upfront to get the visual idea first for the mood, emotions, pose, light, set, styling, model’s look and so on. Most of my shots were planned because it is more satisfying for me.

What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
Identify what you want to do. Put more efforts on it. Learn, what is a good shot, what elements you need to put in your shots. “The creative adult is the child, who has survived.”- Ursula K. Le Guin.. so fight to survive.

Cy, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, where were you born and where do you live now, what is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
Hello, my name is Cy Davison and I am 41 years old. I was born in a small Texas town called Van Alstyne. But now, I currently live in Lancaster Texas which is approximately 15 minutes south of downtown Dallas, depending on how fast I drive. My profession I would say is actually just media in general. Not only do I create with photography, but I am a film maker, graphic designer, and film composer which is my 1st passion. I have been doing this business since 2013 when I first picked up a camera.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
Absolutely! I am a musician and composer. I have been playing guitar for over 20 years and was a music major in college. I also may occasionally do some acting and screen writing in the midst of my film making.

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started? what is your favorite lens?
I am currently using the Nikon D810 as my primary with a Nikon D610 as my secondary. My first camera was the Nikon D3200. My favorite lens right now has to be the Nikkor 50mm 1.8. It is my workhorse! I think it’s because while I’m doing a shoot, I will change modes and start filming behind the scenes footage. The 50mm gives me a great deal of flexibility.

Can you tell us about your work flow from the point you first step onto the street until you showcase the developed picture?
The first thing is…I never approach the location or studio with a preconceived idea on what the photos need to look like. I don’t start bringing out the strobes when the ambient lighting is doing something for me. Im not a colors or shapes guy, so I’m always looking for where light and shadow have a relationship with the particular scene. After that, I try putting the subject(s) in certain poses or situations that compliments the scene and create a story. I don’t take a lot of snaps because, I just don’t point and click. I literally compose the elements in the scene and how they relate to the subject. Once I get home, I immediately upload what I grabbed and start to flag the ones that jump out at me on first glance. Once I pick one or two I then start the processes of retouching and other techniques to make the photos pop.

What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
Learn all the technical aspects of shooting, just so that you can break the rules. I think all photographers say this, but I agree with it and have proven it to myself many times…the camera doesn’t make the photograph, the person behind the lens does. It doesn’t matter if you have a Nikon D3300 or a $70k Hasselblad, you don’t need a high dollar gear that puts you in debt if you can’t create art that speaks to someone with the gear that you have. Chase Jarvis published a book only using his iPhone as the camera. It’s called “The Best Camera is the One You Have with You”. I think this is a good starting point.

Tony, please tell us a little about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, where were you born and where do you live now, what is your profession and do you have other besides photography?)
I am 38, and live in vibrant Brighton, UK where I have lived for about 15 years.  I was born in London, but moved away to Horsham (a town halfway between London and Brighton) when I was less than a year old, which is where I grew up.  I wish photography was my job, but it isn't, at the moment it is more of a hobby, but do now dabble a little in the professional side of things occasionally.  My day job is in stock planning and control.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
I'm not really involved in the arts in another way other than photography.  In my college days I did briefly sing in a band, and played a bit of bass guitar, but I guess it wasn't really my thing.  Photography has in recent years kept me involved in music to a degree photographing bands and gigs (on and off for various people and reasons), and more recently got me involved in the performance arts having helped some actors with head shots, and also getting involved with burlesque performers and shows.

Seeing your remarkable work, I am curious where your creativity comes from?
Actually I find this a very difficult question to answer.  The truth is I'm not really sure.  I think it must just come from years of flicking through magazines such as NME and the now non existent Melody Maker for band inspiration, but also men's and women's lifestyle magazines.  I think having lived and worked in Brighton for years now will have had a big impact on my outlook too.  The city is awash with creative people of all art forms and you see great examples all over the place from the graffiti, to street sculpture, to street performance, to pop up galleries.  It's everywhere in all forms, and I think this influence has rubbed off on me.

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started?  What is your favourite lens?
So as per the previous question, I started out with my uncle's Pentax ME Super, but I also played around with a very old Praktica MTL3 which I picked up in a charity shop and experimented with a few screw on lenses.  I did stick with the Pentax as I preferred this camera for real every day usage, and then when I moved on to digital got an entry level Pentax K200D.  I went with Pentax for a couple of reasons, I liked their design and feel, you seem to get a lot of camera (features) for the money, and I could use the old lenses I already had.  Occasionally I still go out with the film camera, but now I'm using predominantly a Pentax K5, which I bought about 6 years ago, as I wanted a little more professional body and better low light ability.  I have several lenses, my favourites of which are the Pentax DA* 50-135 f2.8, and the Pentax FA 43mm f1.9 Limited.  Both are perfect for portraits as they render image colours and bokeh beautifully.  I've only acquired both these lenses in the last year, but they're great.  The 43mm is so small to carry about and an old film era lens, but the smoothness of the image is lovely.

Can you tell us about your work flow from the point you first step on to the street until you showcase the developed picture?
This is something that varies wildly from shoot to shoot.  It is not unusual for me to have no real plan when going out for a street shoot.  If this is the case I'll likely have camera, a couple of lenses and a speedlight in case it's needed.  Then walk around and pick areas to shoot off the cuff.  This can work well and can help give a nice candid feel to the work.  However, I do usually prefer to have a small plan in place of the type of thing we're looking for, and in these instances location and end image goal has already been discussed.  We'll go to the location, set up shot (which may now include off camera lighting depending on required shot), and take several until we feel we have captured the right shot of look and pose.  Then it's post production which for me is usually reasonably light.  Unless there is a specific effect I need to achieve, I'm not really going to be using Photoshop much.  Most of my work flow is produced through Lightroom, and is good, but fairly basic adjustments to lighting, contrast, clarity and colour balance.  I like a more natural look to the models, so I don't edit the “lumps and bumps”, but try to get flattering poses rather than worry about this after.  I'm a believer in showing the model as they are.

What would you say characterizes your work in comparison to other photographers?
I think I take a very relaxed approach to what I am doing.  Although I tend to try to work quite quickly through an idea before moving on to the next, I'll very much be involving the model and allowing equal influence from both sides.  I work to a principle that there is no pressure from either side, and mutually we reach a point where we know we've got the shot we require.  I've been told that I tend to work towards darker and maybe more contrasty end images than I see a lot of other people do.  I'm not sure why and it may not be to everybody's taste, but I'm told it makes my images stand out a little in the crowd.

Tell us your funniest or most awkward photography story.
This has to be from my first beach shoot.  Happily shooting away, and then from out of nowhere I saw a man in a canoe appear in my viewfinder.  A bit of conversation followed, he was complimentary and polite, enquired as to the reason for the photographs, where they were going to be published and the like, had his photo taken with the model, but then didn't go anywhere for a while, not sure what he was waiting for, but we had to move our to remove him from the shots.
 
What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
Begin light, don't worry about lots of equipment, camera and a couple of lenses will be fine.  Get to grips with the basic principles of photography possibly from a course or from self teaching.  Try to go out and do a few practice shoots with friends or family.  After this, just put yourself out there and network – social media is a great way to get started, join local photography/model groups, don't be pushy, but don't be afraid to ask people on these groups if they'd help you out with shoots (be prepared to pay a model to get someone with good experience as they often know what looks best with the lighting – either natural or studio – and will be prepared to give you advice on this).  Try to take part in a locally organised group shoot – this is a fantastic way to network with other local photographers and models of all experience levels.  Look out for photography workshops in the field you're interested in.  Look out for courses (although some tend to be theory based which personally never worked too well for me).  Ultimately keep going, don't let yourself be put off if things haven't worked out as you intended, treat every shoot as a learning curve, and every shoot will improve your skill and confidence.

What’s better editing or shooting?
I love them both parts of the photography process. But if I had to choose, I would say shooting. It's truly incredible to have a vision and make it come to life in camera.

black&white or color?
It all depends! The subject, the lighting, the mood that I want to convey all play part in determining what's the best version of my final image.
 
What are your favorite lenses and why?
Canon 24-70 2.8 is my ultimate baby. My mind is always racing in regards to how to frame and angle each image. The 24-70 allows me to zoom in for a tight portrait or go wide for a full length shot, without having to worry about how much space I have in order to back up and get the shot I want. Plus! It's so amazingly sharp.

Studio or on location?
Location offers a lot of variety

Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to have my own photography studio right here in Central Florida.

Joe, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
I am a 60 year old kid. Born in West Quincy, Massachusetts (U.S.), which was an old granite quarry town.

Quincy is such a great place, because there are so many interesting places and things to shoot there. I was in camera heaven, when I lived there! There were old abandoned quarries, the Quincy shipyard and a beautiful downtown. I still go back there for shoots. The unending curiosity trait is a big part of my personality.

I currently work full time as a devOps Engineer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

I work part time as a portrait photographer with my co-photographer Lisa Papastenanou, who is also a model and artist.

My goal is to do photography full time.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
My fingers are "all thumbs", which is why I do photography. (Otherwise I may have tried to be a painter.) 
I do dabble in video and am working on a documentary on the Swingle family of Quincy Mass.

I have also spent quit a lot of time around other artists and have learned much about composition and the use of colors.

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started? what is your favorite lens?
Currently I am shooting a Canon 5DS and a Canon 5D Mark IV.
I have two favorite lenses. The Canon 85mm 1.2 and the Canon 135mm. The 135 is incredibly sharp.
Would love to shoot Nikon some day too.  ;-)

Tell us your funniest or most awkward photography story.
I did wedding photography for awhile so I have "many" awkward / funny stories.
I've been stung by bees during  a wedding ceremony, shot in extreme heat and humidity where the function hall's air conditioning was out (groom looked like Axl Rose after a concert.) and even shot a reception on a boat in Boston Harbor in rough seas. Everyone was seasick.

I could take an hour here!

What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
I would suggest that a newcomer pay attention to the old classic composition rules. The old masters were on to something with composition.

I would also suggest that a newcomer try to get it right "in" camera. Don't rely on photo editors to correct exposure and composition.

Martin, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
I am 30 years old, coming from Linz in Upper Austria, where I am currently living. I am working in the field of computer services and have been a part time photographer. After taking photos for many years with lots of joy, I since 2014 concentrate on photographing people.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
I am concerned, for example, also with film recordings and video editing.

Do you see a particular influence, be it a photographer or school on your work? Any subject that attracts you?
I have often seen photos and videos of photographers on the Internet and already some years ago wanted to start with photoshootings, to come in the situation to bring people joy with these photos and also to be satisfied myself with my work as photographer.

Meet  Laura Asanger

Laura, when did you start photography?
I first started photography in my freshman year of highschool. 

Have you faced any challenges?
Being too nice, and underestimating my skills in photography.

How are you dealing with these challenges?
I just started to take my business and craft more seriously which has made me gain a-lot of confidence

What inspires you?
The thought of making money doing something I love the most.

If you could work with any celebrity who would it be?
Leonardo DiCaprio

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Traveling the USA and taking pictures.

Article and interview by Briana DeShields