PM Subscriber Spotlight: Axel Derriks, World Photography (Kashmir, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Tanzania, ...)
Photoblogs Magazine subscriber spotlights are chosen randomly from our subscriber list and posted each Monday. If you would like to become a subscriber click here.
Photographer: Axl • Web Site: http://www.axelderriks.be • Location: Belgium, Brussels
Contact: photo at axelderriks dot be• Member Since: 01/10/06
Equipment: Canon EOS 3000 & EOS 500 (1x28-80 mm / 1x 300 mm)
PM: How did you get involved in photography?
AD: I don't remember that first time I asked my parents for a throw-away camera, as I was always travelling with my grandmother or friends and could not find any other way to share my "adventures" abroad. I could never leave for even a small week-end without a camera, even though I was quite frustrated for so many years because I could not yet transfer the emotion or the beauty I saw on the paper, untill.. some years ago. When I finally reached that minimum quaility level to qualify myself as a "photographer" and to make my job of it.
PM: How would you describe your photographic style?
AD:Somewhere between travel photography and art. I want to share some of the joys and interests of travelling in less common places, but always trying to bring some more on the picture rather than touristic informations. I love to show some more of the peoples feeling in this countries, linked to the environment and circumstances they live in.
PM: Why do you photoblog?
AD: Why do you photoblog? I think blogging is a good opportunity to share experience and comments regardin my work and photography in general. Actually, I am showing more of my 2004 and 2005 Kashmir Photography, linked to a sensibilisation project regarding the suffering of the Kashmiri people, in a context of war, cold and natural disasters. In a near future, a new series of photographies will be posted (daily) regarding my travelling in Tanzania and Egypt. (More on http://uk.blognotes.be )
PM: What are your strengths and weakness as a photographer?
AD: I guess my strength is somewhere between my personality and my eyes. I have the chance to have quite easy though discrete contact with all the people we meet when travelling. It gives me the opportunity, again and again, to integrate the daily lives of local people and hereby learning more about their culture and their living. It brings an intimate touch to my photography, and certainly when capturing portraits. Regarding technical matters, I surely have a weaker experience, but I use my everyday evolution and experience to ameliorate these aspects of photography, as I still consider training my eye will stay the most important to my way of photographing.
PM: Digital or Silver Photography?
AD: Silver (Classic) Definitely! Not really because of an old-style retro-mentality, but more as I don't feel like digital photograhy has any use in a logic of taking as few pictures as possible for still more good results. I think I would think differently if I focused on Studio or Events-photography. But still, I need to say that I am not convinced yet of the quality and the color-warmth of even the best digital camera, and I don't feel good in even a very nice digital picture, as I prefer a composition of endless natural and all differents grains compared to a series of counted identical pixels.
Five Recommended Photoblogs:
• http://parisetenvirons.blogspot.com
• http://maraveuse.free.fr
PM: What is your background, and what are you doing when you are not photoblogging?
AD:After some experience in architecture, business and facility management and some other college-running, I acquired the working and organisation skills that pushed me to make a job of my dreams, made of travelling and photography. Of course, this doesn't fill the fridge, which brings me to realise more lucrative jobs as webdesigns, logo and general graphic designs, video-editing etcetera...