How do I explain such photographs, shall we call them as lines from the diary of a young woman which has taken its shape as a photograph. Well it could be, this is Alex Benetel from Australia. Currently pursuing her studies, very clear in her thoughts and process of arts and then photography. In this wonderful Interview with 121clicks.com, Alex speaks about her stint as an artist/photographer, the days where she had lacked inspiration and narrates what she did to overcome such bad times.
Speaking about her photographs, they are mesmerizing, beautiful in all aspects, the tones and mood of the pictures are compelling for me to know the story behind them. Overall a very promising young photographer, We shall wish her grand success in future endeavors.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Sure! My name is Alex Benetel and I’m a student from Sydney, Australia. I am currently studying (and have nearly completed) a Bachelor of Education (Primary) and recently turned twenty-two.
When and why did you start photography?
I’ve always been interested in photography, but it truly turned into a passion when I was about fifteen. I took a Visual Design course in high school that incorporated a unit around pinhole photography. It was a completely new process that I hadn’t come across before and it fascinated me greatly. My teacher at the time introduced me to Flickr and suggested it as a great site to upload my work. As I continued to use it, I began discovering new artists and stumbled upon a small community of teenage photographers who took beautiful self-portraits. It was something I wanted to try myself and I’ve been doing it for quite a while now.
Your inspiration or motivation which keeps your pictures fresh?
I’m inspired by a lot of things – music, films, personal experiences and other people’s stories.
What fascinates you to capture these precious fine art portraits?
I’m mostly fascinated with the idea of creating new worlds that I wish existed. The camera allows me to tell visual stories that (I hope) transport my audience and enable them to escape from their reality…even if it’s just for a little while. I’ve always struggled with writing my ideas down in a creative manner. While I do love experimenting with creative writing, I’m often left dissatisfied. Photography fully allows me to truly express and portray the stories I want to tell.
How important is post production in your workflow?
I consider it to be very important. Whilst I try to achieve everything I initially envisage in camera, the post production phase is where my photographs truly come alive.
Your Gear?
I currently own and use:
- Nikon D600
- Sigma 35mm f/1.4
- Sigma 85mm f/1.4
- Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
- Remote + Tripod
Your favorite photographers?
There are too many to name! I’m a huge fan of Tim Walker, Annie Leibovitz and Gregory Crewdson’s work. My recent favourite Flickr photographers include Alessio Albi and Sina Domke.
Any tips/advice for aspiring photographers?
There will be times when you won’t want to shoot because you lack inspiration. That’s okay – everyone goes through those ruts. There will be times when you’ll question whether anyone is actually seeing your work. People will see it.
What’s important is that you don’t give up. I’ve been shooting since I was fifteen and believe me; I went through all of those things mentioned in that first paragraph. I’ve lacked inspiration, felt down about the work I was producing and questioned whether anyone was actually looking at my work.
It takes a while to build an audience and to develop your own style. I believe an artist is forever developing their style. What’s important is that you keep going and let that passion take over. Experiment, collaborate, plan, don’t plan, explore…shoot.
You can find Alex Benetel on the Web :
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted Alex Benetel. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
