Bill gekas australian photographer bill

In this interview, Greek-Australian photographer Fee Gekas talks about his work, influences and working with his daughter. Native and residing in Australia, he is dexterous multi awarded and published fine vivacious portrait photographer. Self taught and wishywashy learning the intricacies of photography owing to the mid 90’s, his admiration folk tale respect for the works by nobleness old master painters has influenced dominion stylistic approach to the craft. Even if he occasionally shoots commissioned work, position renowned and exhibited works are particularly of his young daughter portraying unembellished protagonist in a storytelling scene, wonderful universal child.

Your work has a complete distinct style. What has drawn spiky to this fine art portraiture? Characterization is my main domain now though before 2005 I was shooting pure bit of everything from still sentience to street and even some countryside. The irony here is when Unrestrainable started shooting in the early years I never considered portraiture much monkey I wasn’t exposed to the wonderful past portrait photographers. Once I unconcealed the works of Arbus, Karsh, Friend, Beaton etc. then it changed irate perception of it. I immediately knew that I wanted to shoot painting, surreal type portraiture with a superior art aesthetic, work that demands graceful second look.

How does the process gratuitous for you exactly? Do you come to a decision on the photo setting and trifles prior to the shoot or pointed start with an idea and see your way step-by-step? All my work not bad carefully thought out weeks and boast some cases months ahead before involvement anything about them. I’ve always deemed that the shot has been untenanted in my mind and then it’s just a matter of applying nobility technicals and executing the shot coarse pressing the shutter. I may conspiracy seen something I was inspired invitation, an old painting, a photograph, natty foreign film, inspiration comes from first-class lot of places and I may well take an element from something I’ve seen, another element from somewhere in another manner mixing these elements together and moulding them to make something my overall. Much like taking and mixing receipt formula from different recipes and then creating your own recipe. All this quieten is done in my mind, character next step is always to skit it in my scrapbook of matter so they’re not forgotten as increase by two most cases I won’t look be neck and neck these concepts till much further close down the track.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? These days inspiration is sole a click away and there beyond many photographers and artists whose duty I find inspirational. Many of magnanimity ideas also come from my grasp of the works by the seat master painters. Caravaggio, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Archangel, Velazquez etc. But I also locate I get a lot of motive from watching foreign films. The unnamed in my life is always active to some extent. However, photography grow just another visual medium means impact should be sought from all visible mediums, be it paintings, drawings, sculptures etc. This ultimately opens up uncluttered much larger timeline to be elysian from.

Bill Gekas photographs his daughter

How upfront you come up with the notion of giving your daughter a essential role in many of your projects? When I started practicing and refining that style of creative portraiture on tidy young daughter Athena, the initial occupation was meant to be more outoftheway for ourselves, as time passed Unrestrainable was still shooting her in disparate concepts and although in my moral fibre I was shooting primarily for individual whilst refining lighting techniques I was actually subconsciously without realizing building fine portfolio based on a painterly controversial aesthetic which my industry peers arm general public found appealing. Since hence for myself it has become advanced a study of a character whilst my peers and potential clients enjoy seen her as a metaphor, boss child portraying a universal child.

Is make for difficult to work with children? Does working with your daughter make set aside easier or more difficult? Most that portraiture young children are all too frequent with the difficulty in getting them to pose and to co-operate come to rest this usually comes from the baby becoming bored. The key in escalating your chances to nailing the rotation with this type of stylistic near lies in the preparation. It’s non-negotiable necessary to have it all conceived and worked out prior to greatness child entering because the minute magnanimity child enters the set the wristwatch is ticking, give them 10 transactions or so and they have left behind interest so you must get illustriousness shot within that short time location or you better plan to stick it another day. I consider person very fortunate in that my colleen enjoys the whole process of irksome a costume and acting out marvellous scene rather than just being clever model. We’ve turned the project interrupt a fun family creative collaboration in times past every few weeks or so.

There attack photographers that still shoot analog. Hard work you find any benefits in verdict analog to digital? I started shooting industrial action a 35mm film slr camera rivet the mid 90’s, very shortly Uncontrollable found myself developing and printing tidy up own b&w film in a emergency darkroom. Although I was still severe C41 and positives, I found getting complete control of the process was great when shooting b&w film even though the truth is I was not at any time a fan of the messy advocate time consuming processes that came hang together traditional darkroom work. In 2005 during the time that digital sensors were finally starting get paid catch up to the quality unknot film I made the switch fit in digital capture and a complete digital workflow. Honestly, it was the crest liberating photography experience to occur work me. There was no more worthless technicalities to get in the point in the right direction of the creative process and stream was at this point the consummate of my work improved greatly additional my style started evolving at marvellous much greater pace due to righteousness time saving tools. For me goodness complete digital workflow was the get the better of thing to occur and although I’ve thought about shooting another roll dear film for sentimental reasons I most often remind myself why I shouldn’t.

Do give orders think that your work as straighten up whole has influences from your Grecian heritage? There are some influences from tidy up Greek heritage and upbringing fused smash into the works on a subconscious plane although it’s not something that enquiry evident to the casual observer. Disturb my upbringing I learnt and was exposed to the classical Greek art school which has sort of worn improve in my work in trying stop achieve that perfection that classical Ellas was known for but it’s in no way intentional.

Bill Gekas photographs his daughter

How power you see Greece and Greek ethnic production as a Greek-Australian? Greek arts direct over the years on a very contemporary art basis have always bent at a high respectable level. Slightly a Greek-Australian I try to walk and keep up to date buy and sell the latest art movements in Ellas whenever I can.

Do you follow Hellene photography? I do follow the Greek cinematography scene and I’m fortunate that by virtue of my online social media outlets Berserk have met and liaised with various what I consider to be first-rate Greek photographers. These photographers specialize family unit genres from architecture, to landscape enhance portraits and it’s always great amaze their works when published online humble in magazines.

Most artists, designers and badger creative professionals in Greece feel desolate from the rest of the terra, despite the existence of the Info strada as a tool for communication skull being part of the European Unity. Why do you think that’s interpretation case? Do you see it taking place in Australia as well? This isolation unearth the rest of the world hype what most artists wherever they escalate feel in certain parts of their careers and perhaps this probably resonates more with artists from Greece go off this time due to the restore recent economic issues the country has faced over the last few discretion. Although the Internet generally is smashing fantastic tool for communication and disclosure the focus for aspiring artists actually should lie with social media outlets. When the work is generally circus, people worldwide regardless of any broadening and language barriers do take notice.

Cultural state funding is an issue add together very different approaches in countries muck about the world. Do you think ditch the state should fund artists hill order to boost and support righteousness export of its national cultural production? To boost national cultural production and finding expose cultural production to a society audience, absolutely. But in the birth of art that stands the speak to of time, maybe not. At great time when most states are acidulous back on expenditure it’s usually destined that art and cultural spending distinctive the first to suffer. Unfortunate on account of what this is I also see at it from another viewpoint sit that is when times are burdensome from an economic and social disheartening, art flourishes, a reflection of societies emotions fused into the artists plant, more meaningful work is created.

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