Youāve probably heard it all your life: you should always be yourself. Thereās no point in trying to act, dress, talk and be like others if it doesnāt feel right. As Oscar Wilde famously said: āBe yourself, everyone else is already takenā. Community member Alexis Barcella (alexisbar) understood, as time went on, that her photography style isnāt at all like her peers. Everything cannot be and shouldnāt be vivid and look like it was taken out of Rainbow land. Sometimes things should be the opposite: dark, quite creepy but equally beautiful and touching. Enjoy our conversation with Alexis!
Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?
Well firstly, my name is Alexis Barcella, I was born and raised in Queens, NY. To briefly describe how I ended up in the world of Digital Art and Photography, Iād have to say it started when I was in high-school. Throughout high-school I took numerous drawing and fine art classes, but frankly I was not very good at it. It was the day that I finally was able to sign up for a photography class that I can confidently say I found myself as an artist and was finally able to express myself. After high-school I attended LIU Post Out in Long Island, NY to pursue my career and education in photography. I graduated from Post in 2012 with a BFA in Fine Art Photography.
My style from when I was first introduced to a camera has grown significantly since then, but it has always remained somewhat the same.. if that makes any sense at all. I think what I am trying to say is technically I have matured as an artist, and though my style and how I shoot is much different, it still holds the same feeling which is very dark and ominous. Iāve always had this strange ability to turn anything I photograph into something dark. For instance when I was in college, I would experiment with macro photography by capturing dying decrepit leaves that were in the process of changing colors. Though they were beautiful and colorful, and full of so much detail, I had a way of turning them into something much more ominous, through my retouching and lighting style. I was always self-conscious of this strange eye that I had, and would constantly try and change how I would shoot, to be less creepy and more like my peers. As time went on, I eventually realized that this is who I am and I can not change that. The work that I produce now strongly embodies my style, and to me it is the most genuine art that I have created.
In one sentence what has photography done for you in your life?
Photography has giving me the ability to express my self in a way that my words can not.
When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
Iād have to say I first started taking photos when I was very young, maybe when I was 12 or 13, of course I had no idea what I was doing but it was a lot of fun. My first film camera was giving to me by my father. It was an old Canon camera that had a double exposure feature which literally blew my mind. I remember in my first photography class ever, I used that camera to complete an assignment. It was simple: shoot whatever you want. I decided to shoot some fall trees and while I was using it I discovered what depth of field was while playing around with the double exposure feature. At the time, I had no idea what that meant or what I was doing at all, but all I can remember was that my professor was so excited about my discoveries and was impressed by my curiosity to manipulate and use my camera in a way that my peers had not.
What has been your favorite shoot and why?
My favorite thing to shoot has to be my self portrait series. Photography has evolved for me in so many ways since I first started years ago. Photo manipulation was a technique that I was somewhat against, and if I ever needed to retouch an image I would do it in the most subtle way possible. I always loved the look and feel of raw film photos, which of course I still do! Trust me, if medium format cameras werenāt so expensive I would spend all my time and money on one of those bad boys. But now, photo manipulation and retouching is my life. I actually have been able to make a career out of it, which I never thought was possible. But to go back to the original question, my favorite thing to shoot is my self portraits because I am able to utilize my manipulation skills and piece each photograph together one by one. Each photo in my series is made up of several images pieced together, aka comped together. To me its like a puzzle, from the very start of the shoot, planing out how many photos I am going to need, to the countless hours spent in Photoshop to achieve my finished look.
Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
For me wedding and event photography is very difficult. Iād like to call myself a Fine Art Photographer, and though shooting for events can be creative, I do not have a niche for it. I like to write out my ideas in my notebook and obsess about them for a few days before I shoot them - I like to be in control. At events anything can happen, and nothing can be expected or planned. I like to control my lights, my subjects, and my environment, something that seems impossible to me with event photography. Also photo manipulation is my thing, its what i would like to think I am good at, and thats something that does not mesh very well in event photography.
What do you carry in your camera bag?
Hmmm my camera bag? Itās actually very simple. It consists of my Canon Mark iii, Canon 24mm - 105mm lens, Canon Speedlight 600EX-RT, and a few light stands and defusers. I donāt carry much, and I try to shoot very simple.
Do you have a favorite location and time of the day to shoot?
I actually donāt have a favorite location, because I tend to manipulate my environments to be a bit different every time. But nearly all my portraits are shot in the same location, either my parents house or in my apartment(s). My creativity comes to me at night, so I do most of my shooting then, and stay up very late retouching them. Iād like to say I am a night owl.
Can you share three tips with your fellow photographers?
1. Keep a notebook with you ALL THE TIME. You never know when youāll have a great idea, or stumble across a location that you want to shoot at.
2. Never stop learning. Watch YouTube, talk to other photographers, join forms! Tutorials are your friends!!
3. Your opinion is the only one that matters. Itās great when other people like your photos, but at the end of the day what you created is yours and peoples words shouldnāt define it.
Please share one of your favorite photos with us with a short tutorial:Ā
I took this photo in the bedroom of my apartment (it is a comp of around 5 photos pieced together). The time of day was relatively late, around 8 pm and the edit carried on for a few hours, Iād like to say I finished up around 12 am maybe 1am. The light was mixed and I used my Speedlight, mixed with some ambient light from my room. The inspiration for this shot derived from being depressed about a recent relationship that was falling apart. The crow on my shoulder is suppose to symbolize the darkness that everyone who is dealing with depression is carrying. The crow was also meant to show me guidance through this process of losing and finding ones-self. My body langue and stance was also very intentional, I wanted to portray the feeling defeat, and succumbing to ones depression/darkness. Obviously you never see my face in any of my photographs and that is simply for cohesion and also deliberate because my face should not matter, itās the other elements within my photos that do.
As I said this image in particular was made up of five photographs, and they work like layers. I start by opening my files in CaptureOne and applying some basic white balance and exposure moves to each image. Ok this is the fun partā¦ So the first image that I start with is the background, the wall with just the door - that is the base of the image. I then layered texture which I received through a Phlearn tutorial online. Next is an image of my body, I masked off my head. The third is my new head! This is where I add my signature no face hair. The following image is an image of a crow that I had pulled and comped to fit onto my shoulder. Once I have everything placed the way I want it, I start by finding a crop that I like and applying it to the image. I blending everything together by using masks, and dodging and burning to create shadows and what not. I then us a combination of the Nik Color Efex filters and curves adjustments to create a look and feel. I often play with at least four filters, blending them together with different opacity and blending modes, each time its different. Finally after Iām done mashing it all together, I apply a grain to the entire image. This to me ties everything together, enhancing the eeriness feel that my images convey.
Please share some thoughts on your ViewBug experience as a photographer!
ViewBug is definitely an awesome place. Itās a great platform for photographers to connect with one another and to provide feedback, while also finding inspiration. The interface itself is very sleek and pleasing to the eye, which makes looking at photography more the better! I like to describe ViewBug as an Instagram for photographers and I am glad I stumbled across it on my internet travels. I also like that you are able to enter you photos into contests, I think its a great perk but one that I donāt use very much. Iāve entered a few contests which were a lot of fun, but personally I am not a competitive person so I donāt enter as often as I should.
For more great photos taken by Alexis, visit herĀ profile, website and Instagram account.
