Vlada Viele is a photographer who is constantly pushing boundaries and exploring different creative concepts. Vlada’s photos are centered around conveying a feeling through unusual elements, light, and color stories.
Q: What are the main sources of inspiration you draw from to create your images?
A: Instagram, and other photographers who are more experienced than I am. I always strive for the photos I shoot today to be better than the ones I shot yesterday!
Q: How have you integrated fine art and conceptual photography with commercial licensing to create your Licensing portfolio?
A: I always do what I feel when it comes to my photography. I try to not leave feelings outside of anything I do, so my work is the result of sheer inspiration, and doesn’t depend on commercial exclusively, or commercial trends.
Q: What advice would you give to photographers who want to start working with models?
A: If you are working with models for the first time, take any chance you’ve got with friends, family, relatives, and strangers and just shoot—practice is key! Don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know something about shooting models. Try to work with light and just take that shot, even if it’s an experiment.
Q: What would you say defines and sets apart your portrait work?
A: I take feedback from my models and integrate it into my work. As I said, it’s all about how the model feels. I want my portraits to convey an exact feeling, so you can feel as you look into the eyes of the subject in the photo.
Q: Are there any special lenses or techniques you use that are key for creating your photographic style?
A: Nothing special! I use a standard and my favorite Sigma 35 mm lens. I’m currently dreaming of buying a new wide-angle lens so I can integrate more cool effects into my photos. Also, I have been using Vaseline to create blurriness, and bright filters to make the frame more voluminous.
Q: There is a conceptual aspect to your photography, can you tell us more about your aesthetic?
A: I love brightness, expressiveness, and the unusual. Now I’m in the process of rethinking and reworking my photographic style. I want my photography to have an identifiable style that sets it apart from the work of other photographers. I want my photos to be both of the highest quality and to showcase my own style. That’s what I want, and what I’m working on in my future photoshoots.
Q: Tell us more about what goes into your creative process. How do you make sure the end results of a shoot reflect your creative vision?
A: If I come up with an idea by myself, I always know it will be cool—I can almost feel it. I know where it would be shot, in terms of location, and I also have a vision for who will be my model and the styling. Ideas are born in my mind as photos!
Q: Tell us about how you got into photography.
A: I got into photography when I was ten years old. I noticed that the photos I was shooting were prettier and cooler than the ones shot by my friends! When I turned fifteen, my mom gifted me a Canon 550D. It was my first professional camera. To be honest, what camera you own doesn’t really matter. What’s important is your knowledge of photography and having a vision of your own.
Q: When you are working on a shoot, what is the item in your camera bag that you can’t go without?
A: Spare memory cards. When I started shooting with a Sony a7, my memory cards filled up really fast. I take photos in two formats—raw and jpg. And the memory of each of my cards is 32 GB (128 GB in total). This means I have more backups in case of a crash. This can happen often, it happened to me once, so I’m always trying to be cautious.
Q: In your series, “What is your color?”, the motion and texture of splashing water on your model’s face offers complexity to the photos, how do you feel this develops the overall concept within your series?
A: I wanted to capture a certain energy in this series in order to get the sensation of being in too deep, in deep water. As in, Denis was a citizen in an underwater city, but then we are also there with him too. Blue light, blur, and water—it’s all about the sea. We made him have curly and wet hair—for me, that’s also evocative of the sea. Also, the series includes red hues that are meant to indicate a pirate, aggressive, strong, and sexy. One series, two moods, and two different energies.
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