Interview: Photographer Jakub Ustrzycki (Poland)

Can you tell us a little about you?

Hi, my name is Jacob and I am 35 years old IT-specialist with a great hobby.

A hobby that alows me to slown down a bit with my daily duties and responsibilities, and it's a great way to meet new people as well.

How and when did you get into photography?

My father has the same hobby and back in 90' I was always spying on Him during old style photo processing that He was performing in home-made modest photo lab. I wasn't doing much photoshoots before I've got married in 2012. Fiew months after that I bought my first camera and start to shoot some pictures for my private use. When I've learned the basics I started to take my camera to all family events, people started to pose in front of my lens and after some time they (usually friends and family) were asking me to perfom some small photoshoots for them.

What does photography mean to you?

It's a great way to meet new people, and hold on a bit with daily rush. It's not only about taking the photos, it's also the post production that I found very relaxing and satisfying.

Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.

I think I don't have my own style as right now I am usually mixing styles even during one photoshoot. As photography can give you a wide range of possibilities I think I will never lock myself in one particular style. This is my hobby and I can freely experiment and test different ways of photo shooting and editing.

What has been your most memorable session and why?

I think it was the first studio shoot when I realized how many possible lighting set opportunities I have and how much knowledge I am still missing.This was also my first sensual session, and I really appriciate the assisntace of my friend photographer who helped me a lot with my studio trip commencement.

Where do you get inspiration from?

In most times I am trying to build the vision from pictures that I saw in the internet or magazines. I am using them as a sort of posing base template which can provide various of options with different lighting setup, outfits etc. I am reviewing many photos daily, usually on Facebook photography groups and Instagram.

Do you think in advance what you want in the picture?

It's always good to have a plan of every frame, however lot's of my pictures are made without any plan or posing advises, when I am talking with a model beetween the shots and suddently She or He shows an honest smile or look. That's why I am always trying to have my finger on a trigger to catch such frame. To fully answer this question I need to say: “It depends”. If the model is paying for a photoshoot and we are doeing it for some particular purpose we need to follow some agreements that are preplan-ned couple days before shooting. I can tell that usually half of the photoshoot is fully planned and the other half it's just spontaneous.

Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?

A hobbyist. However it doesn't mean that I am not taking money for it. I need to service my camera, rent a photo studio, pay for lenses and post production software, and usually people are willing to pay for a good quality work and engagement.

Doing paid photoshoots gives me also an opportunity to additionally perform some free sessions during a year just for my own ideas and camera testing purposes, it's good for self work improvement.

Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?

I am using Nikon and Nikkor 50mm most of the time, however I also love my fully manual Tair 11A 135mm f/2.8 – this demanding beast is creating beautiful portraits.

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?

I am a modest person and I am not running any advance photo business so it's hard to tell. I think that it is important to create pictures that you and your model can be proud of. The satisfactions should be your main sallary, so do your job with pleasure and confidence.

What do you think of our new magazine?

I think it is a good way to promote photography, models and trends. Our community should grow with knowledge and cooperation no matter if it's someone's hobby nor work.

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