PhotoLust has been exposing talented photographers for just over a year now (as far as I could count before my eyes and brain got confused, there have been over 300 photographers and thousands of images featured), and to celebrate this birthday I interviewed some of the recently featured Unknown Photographers. If you'd like to get involved with the project and help promote amazing photographers on DA, check out the FAQ at the top of the PhotoLust journal for more information. So without further ado, on to the interviews!



INTERVIEW WITH: Mnogueir

How long have you been taking photographs with an artistic interest for?
I've been shooting pics for over 15 years, but only recently (about 2 years) have i started to look at photography as an art. Guess that my first digital SLR meant the change to more serious works.

Where does your inspiration come from?
From great artists. I try to see good works from great artists, via web, books and exhibits. I believe that by looking at other people's works one will understand what "feels right", and develop a sense of aesthetics and composition. My work has been very influenced by great artists, some of them i've been lucky enough to meet personally.



Where are you headed with your photography?
At this point, i'm just thinking of photography as an hobby. I would love to make a career out of it, but i don't see this as a very likely event.

What is your favourite genre/subject matter?
I'm trying to find minimalistic compositions in nature. This has to my favourite subject now. I also enjoy making long exposures, in order to capture not only the image but also the movement, and to "clean" the image of outside "noise" (meaning people, some animals, etc).

Any tips for photographers starting out?
First, study the technical aspects. One must perfectly understand concepts like aperture, shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, diffraction, etc, etc. Then, move to the artistic side. Study other photographer's works. Try to understand why they work, why people enjoy them. Find what you like, and then, with all the technique learned before, just go shooting. I'm at this step right now, trying to find my personal style...





INTERVIEW WITH: Avarya

How long have you been taking photographs with an artistic interest for?
Hm... Well, I've been interested in photography for a long time, but I didn't really think of it as a "serious interest" until over a year ago when I got my first DSLR camera. And so I would say that my real “artistic interest” started there.

Where does your inspiration come from?
Anything really. I find looking at other people's art very inspiring, not only other photography but paintings, manipulations etc, as well. I also find inspiration in music and books, although I feel that those sources are used more for my conceptual photos and my digital paintings. I also think a lot about the comments/critiques I get from friends and here on DA. Sometimes I wish people would be even more critical and say “hey, I hate that piece… if you did this and that it would be so much better! “ Or perhaps more constructive comments than my example. The point is however, I really think proper critique can make a huge impact for any artist in improving his/her work.



Where are you headed with your photography?
I love photography, but I think I'll just keep it as a hobby for now. It would be nice though, to have an exhibition in the future.

What is your favourite genre/subject matter?
Right now, I'm just all over. Lately I’ve been looking at landscape photography, but so far I haven’t done a lot of it. I like doing macros and those kinds of things, subjects with bright colours and contrasts. I’ve done a few conceptual pieces, but not may of them are in my DA gallery. In the future, I’d like to do more black & white photography, working with contrasts and lighting.

Any tips for photographers starting out?
Well, I do in fact consider myself a “photographer starting out”, so I don’t really know what tips I can give. I mean, I find myself hating most of my own shots, and so I just have keep telling myself to practice…and then practice some more.





INTERVIEW WITH: InThisVertigo

How long have you been taking photographs with an artistic interest for?
I started when I was in highschool so I was about 16-17. Im now 22. I stopped for a little while in that time frame though-- but I started getting obessively into it again two years ago.

Where does your inspiration come from?
Inspiration comes from all over the place... I get inspired a lot by colors a lot... a particular color that I see and fall in love with, ill find a reason to get it into a shot and make it work. Songs inspire me a lot... You get all kinds of mental pictures going on when you hear a song you love and you try to get that feeling capured into a single frame. It comes from all over though... sometimes you just see something awesome and want to remember it forever.



Where are you headed with your photography?
Well it will always be a hobby of mine... ideally I'd like to make it a career out of it. And dont we all want to be rich and famous? Haha.

What is your favourite genre/subject matter?
I dont really have one... I'm rather genre-less. That made me feel a little weird for a while becuase I didnt have that particular niche that i cater to or that i can always fall back on or where someone can look at a photo and go "Ohh thats Kata's". It still makes me feel a little out of place but I think i like to focus more on the colors and the composition than the actual subject itself. It gives me the ability to have a little range... I sometimes feel bad for those who have you know, the hardcore genre where they only do one type of shot, and sometimes their audience gets pissed if they branch out, thats always kind of sad.

Any tips for photographers starting out?
LEARN YOUR CAMERA. Take that bitch off auto and play with it. Even if the shot comes out sucky. You'll learn something. And always take the photo. Dont wait. Dont be scared if you look like a weirdo. Take the shot. If you dont you absolutely will regret it. I know I have before.