ANASTASIA MORSKAYA
Submerged In An Underwater World of Success
ANDRE GOVIA
The Legendary Urbexer of Abandoned Planet
Michael Schnabl
The Exquisite Repertoire of a Fujifilm Ambassador
Scott Wilson &Andre Dupuis
Gear Up for an Epic Adventure With The Team From Departures and Descending
BEPPE STRANIERI
A Philosophical Supernova of Manipulation INSPADESMAG.COM - FEB 2018 - N9 • $6.99 - 1 Year 19.99
P H O T O G R A P H Y BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA
MODEL
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@BLUSHANDBINDIS
PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA - WWW.CREATIVESPADES.COM
THE ALL-FEMALE TRIO OF CANADIAN OPERA SINGERS THAT ARE CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF THE CLASSICAL CROSSOVER GENRE. VIVATRIO.COM - @VIVATRIO
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Runaway Train
Breathtaking landscapes from a world-class destination
Albany Pickering
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Deb Clark
Jaclyn truss Letter from the editor
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Anastasia Morskaya This globe-trotting painter dropped out of art school to follow her own path and found success
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Dimitris Giannoulas Digital artist, graphic designer and entrepreneur makes waves with Extinction
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Tom Montagliano An expedition into the world of spatial sound
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Beppe Stranieri Blending philosophy and astronomy to explore the self
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Rachel Bellinsky Life in the Fishbowl
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Luke Renoe Project 365: Creating a photo a day for an entire year
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Reed Krafft Examining the inspiration and creative process behind musical persona Dreamers Delight
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Scott Wilson and Andre Dupuis
Bando Brothers From neophytes to legends, enjoy this array of bandos and the deserted structures they refused to abandon
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Ricky Ward Shuichi Nakano Andrea Govia
Explore scenes handcrafted with vintage materials
Noel Puebla
Thinking of making a travel documentary? Gear up with this renown travel production team for tips on producing phenomenal footage
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SERGIO DAVID SPADAVECCHIA Publisher/Creative Director - info@creativespades.com creativespades.com - @creativespades JACLYN TRUSS Editor in Chief - info@inspadesmag.com
Anissa Stambouli Assistant Editor - info@inspadesmag.com - @astamdesigns Guinevere Joy - Writer A. Samuel Lewis - Writer - www.imr-sv.com - @imr-sv Albany Pickering McCabe - Resident Poet
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Michael Schnabl An ambassador of fantastic photography
CONTRIBUTORS Talia Markos - Editorial Assistant Dario spadavecchia - Media Research Christina Deveau - PR & Social Media - @christinadeveau PR0JECT_UNO COMMUNITY CAROL GONG - CHIEF CONTENT AGGREGATOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES info@creativespades.com
COVER: MICHAEL SCHNABL INSPADES Magazine is designed & distributed by Creative Spades © All images, text, logo and content of INSPADES Magazine or Creative Spades properties is under the Copyright Laws of Canada. Any reproduction strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.
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Noel Puebla
@noelpueblaphotography / www.noelpuebla.com
“Bruises” Every moment without you is a bruise deepening in its plum shades refusing to yellow and fade until you’re next to me and your presence is the balm to my skin my salve and my salvation.
-by Albany Pickering@albany.new.york / the.aimless.muse
Letter From the Editor BY JACLYN TRUSS
Welcome to the year 2018
it promises to be a year worthy of exclamation!
We here at INSPADES are eminently excited for this upcoming year! We have been blessed and honoured to feature some of the most talented people on the planet and, rest assured, our line up for this year will be no less spectacular! We are also excited to announce the premiere of our first annual art book!
The INSPADES Art Book - Year One will be published and available for purchase on our website at the end of this month, and we must say, it looks spectacular! We are so proud to be showcasing our favourite artists of 2017 (it was so difficult to choose!), and we hope that this 240-page photo book, featuring an Imagewrap hardcover and Proline Pearl Photo semi-gloss paper, exhibits our artist’s work it the most beautiful way possible! This gorgeous coffee table book is a must-have for any art lover, so don’t miss out!
We would like to thank everyone for all of their love, support and contributions!
Enjoy!!!
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A R T B O O K
Portraits that Glow MICHAELSCHNABL BY ANISSASTAMBOULI
@michael_schnabl / michaelschnabl.com
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The
ability to instill complex aesthetic layers in contemporary portraiture, without compromising the integrity of the subject, is a skill that photographers can take ages to hone. For Austrian photographer Michael Schnabl, his unique style unfolds with seeming ease, achieving the polished finish of fashion photography with a blend of soft vignettes that echo traits of vintage imagery. “I was seven-years-old when my grandmother bought me my first camera,” Schnabl recalls, “and at 16 I bought my first SLR.” After a few years of shooting analogue photography, Schnabl stepped back from the art form during his 20s. It wasn’t until digital cameras hit the market, that the artistic leanings of his youth sparked again. In 2009, Schnabl began to pursue portrait photography with fervour and turned the hobby into a profession by 2011. “I’m mostly self-taught,” Schnabl admits; however, his early onset of skills enabled the opportunity to participate in various workshops only open to selected photographers. Additionally, Schnabl “gobbled” up photography books with an insatiable appetite, supplemented with online video tutorials, to find his artistic signature. “I developed a very independent style relatively quickly,” he acknowledges, “but I am constantly trying to improve.” Indeed, Schnabl’s style has garnered much attention over the years, and his work with corporate clients has achieved impressive heights. “It’s amazing when you drive through the streets and see your photos on billboards,” he marvels, “but the big disadvantage of working for large companies is that you usually cannot realize your own ideas. That is sometimes quite difficult for me as an artist.” While the advertising industry pays lucratively, Schnabl prefers creative freedom and the space to dictate his work with fewer limits. “I am an artist rather than a businessman,” he confirms, “I’m admittedly a control freak who wants to have the whole process of creating pictures under my control.”
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“I’m admittedly a control freak who wants to have the whole process of creating pictures under my control.”
MICHAELSCHNABL
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Prior to his achievement of becoming a professional photographer, Schnabl offered his talent for free in order to improve his technique. “My priorities have always been focused on photographic advancement—not on earning money,” he explains. Participating in workshops, diligently maintaining his social media presence and competing in international photography circles have all contributed to Schnabl’s success little by little, and in 2016 he received the opportunity of a lifetime: “In the spring of 2016, I became a Fujifilm Ambassador. This has fundamentally changed my field of photography. Up until that point, I was photographing weddings and portraits for private individuals, but through Fuji, I was increasingly booked for lectures and workshops. I also began to work as a lecturer for the Fujifilm School. I think partnering with Fuji was the best thing that could have happened to me. Working as an ambassador for a brand you really like is a dream. The whole Fuji team is like a big family, and the working atmosphere there is absolutely great.” With his new position as a Fujifilm Ambassador, Schnabl was forced to prioritize his workload and shift the course of his business. Beyond cancelling work with private clients, Schnabl also decided to minimize his collaboration with large corporations. “Due to my Europe-wide lecturing, my writing activity for various magazines and my many workshops, there is less and less time for commissioned work,” he shares. Additionally, travelling with Fujifilm events, such as the Fuji GFX Roadshow in Germany, Schnabl’s visibility as a photographer has increased, attracting greater opportunities for him to take the lead in fine art photography works, and not just abide by a client’s specific requests. The teaching of his workshops present yet another demand on Schnabl’s workload and consist mainly of portrait or artistic-nude photography. As an instructor and veteran analogue photographer, Schnabl’s teachings focus on producing strong techniques that are not reliant on technology.
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“It’s amazing when you drive through the streets and see your photos on billboards, but the big disadvantage of working for big companies is that you usually cannot realize your own ideas.”
MICHAELSCHNABL
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“Image content and composition are ultimately more important to achieve an effect on the viewer,” he insists, “Keeping it simple is a guiding principle. I teach my students how to achieve maximum results with minimal resources.” In fact, Schnabl admits that the vast majority of his photography is shot with a single light source. Just as his equipment count is minimal, Schnabl recommends focusing on a niche skill set in photography if pursuing a professional career: “If you offer too many different services, you become a photo supermarket, and supermarkets are constantly in a price war with others.” When asked about his thriving business, Schnabl replies modestly, “I don’t think there is an absolute point where you can say you have made it. It is a constant process with a few milestones highlighting the special points of success.” In particular, Schnabl recalls the moments that sparked personal achievements in his career: winning two gold medals at the Trierenberg Super Circuit, the largest photography contest in the world; becoming a Fujifilm Ambassador; and hosting his first workshop in English—a challenge due to the fact that his native tongue is German. Despite these spikes in his journey as a photographer, a consistent satisfaction that Schnabl enjoys is seeing participants in his workshops improve their photography. “The positive feedback from a workshop participant is often worth more to me than a job with high financial benefits,” he insists. As an established professional with competitive credentials and an exquisite repertoire, Schnabl’s work has been published worldwide in competitions, received various awards and been featured in corporate advertising. With collections that boast edgy couture and bold makeup artistry, as well as portraits that glow with soft lighting and natural makeup blends, Schnabl’s expertise persists in each genre of photography.
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“Working as an ambassador for a brand you really like is a dream. The whole Fuji team is like a big family, and the working atmosphere there is absolutely great.”
MICHAELSCHNABL
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“If you offer too many different services, you become a photo supermarket, and supermarkets are constantly in a price war with others.”
Most of Schnabl’s photography is shot in studio with a Fujifilm GFX, but when shooting on location he works with the Fujifilm X-T2. For post-production, he uses Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop with Alien Skin’s Exposure X3—his preferred tool for creating a “classy” finish and mimicking the appearance of analogue film.
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Palettes of the
BY ANISSASTAMBOULI
Sea
Anastasia Morskaya
@maybenorma / society6.com/maybenorma
W
hoever said that college dropouts never amount to anything, clearly never heard of John Lennon, Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso or Russian realist painter Anastasia Morskaya. Despite leaving the structured, pre-packaged world of academics, these creative minds found freedom in their rebellion, forging their own paths to fulfillment and success. Morskaya had always dreamt of becoming an artist. She never doubted that one day, her passion would lead her career with creativity as its driving force. Today, Morskaya has the unbelievable ability to incarnate her imagination through oil painting and has built a business on her talent. Focusing on the fluid motion of the ocean—an incredible feat to master—she expertly mimics the gleams and streams of light as it breaks through water, creating astounding patterns on the human body. “My first painting of water took four months of work,” she recalls, “To achieve success with realistic paintings, you must work hard.” More than an accurate representation of the world, Morskaya’s work is hyperrealism—each oxygen bubble and distorted streak of light strike flesh beneath the water in a near perfect reflection of reality. “Painting takes all my time,” Morskaya admits, “I could do it non-stop.” Paired with her dedicated passion for travel, Morskaya finds inspiration in exotic landscapes and cultures, particularly east-Asian areas such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. With their vibrant cultures, colourful horizons and crystalline shorelines, the well of Morskaya’s inspiration never dried on her journeys and continues to flow unceasingly.
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“Water is life. It is this life that I try to put on the canvas by exploring the relationship between humans and water.”
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“My teachers said that I was too ambitious and not able to take criticism. They tried to impose their technique, their style and their vision, but I wanted the opportunity to develop my own style. I wanted to follow my path.”
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“There is a very beautiful sea in the Philippines—the Indian Ocean; it is so powerful, with waves reaching huge heights and crashing against the rocks,” Morskaya describes, “I could sit for hours and watch the movement of the waves. My love for the sea is boundless—and what a palette it has!” With its changing colours throughout the day and various tides, Morskaya’s ability to capture and preserve a moment in the sea’s transient shape is a marvel. “Water is life,” she explains, “It is this life that I try to put on the canvas by exploring the relationship between humans and water.” Painting with original photographs as a guide, Morskaya is able to replicate the specific movement of light through water more easily. While she used to shoot moments at random, Morskaya has learned to frame her lens strategically to capture the most important factor: the sun. “The weather must be absolutely clear so that the glare plays on the water and body. This wonderful glow gives a liveliness and brightness to the picture,” she elaborates. With an artistic method that includes roughly three stages of work per painting, each step in Morskaya’s multilayered approach requires ample patience and dedication. First, she uses translucent colours to indicate where light and shadow exist. Next, she draws out contrast and adds the details, sometimes working with round brushes as minute as size #00. In this second layer, the most labour-intensive stage that can last days or even weeks, glares of light pierce the water to reflect off the swimmer’s body, as each hair begins to take a specific shape on the subject’s head. Finally, the third layer incorporates white tanning, particularly bubbles, gleams or drops of water. Working mostly with round brushes or her fingers, Morskaya’s hyper-realistic paintings maintain the natural, smooth transitions of various colours and shades of light. Unlike flat bristles which leave visible brush strokes on the canvas, round brushes achieve an invisible finish.
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“For me, the world of art was a place I only dreamed about. Now I’m not only studying it from the outside by reading books about great artists and attending exhibitions, but I’ve also become a part of this world—I create art by myself,” Morskaya reflects. Yet, while she currently enjoys a successful career from her artwork, the path was not an easy one to pave. At one point Morskaya studied at an art academy, but the formal institute did not last long in her favour. She recounts: “My teachers said that I was too ambitious and not able to take criticism. They tried to impose their technique, their style and their vision, but I wanted the opportunity to develop my own style. I wanted to follow my path. Due to disagreements with the teachers, I left the art academy—they didn’t allow the pupils to express themselves. The teachers broke off my wings, and I lost the desire to draw for many years.” After her debacle with the art academy, Morskaya spent years working in an office environment, continuing to dream of a life in the arts. “One day I left work. I travelled to different countries in Asia for three months and realized that there had only ever been one thing that I wanted to do. When I returned to Russia, I began to work on myself and my painting,” she says triumphantly, “For months I constantly drew and painted, trying to make up for lost time.” Throughout that period in her life, Morskaya held on to the faith that her passion and creativity would lead to something bigger. For artists currently struggling, she advises, “Believe in yourself when no one else believes and when everything is against you. Do not give up. Work on yourself and develop in the areas that you really love.” She continues, “Patience is important. I was on the verge of failure many times, where I wanted to quit everything. Just bring it to the end—finish your paintings, even if you do not like them.” Through tenacious effort and practice, Morskaya’s return to painting was a tedious but steady revival. “Mastery comes with experience,” she reminds, “Only two things can help with that: time and diligence.” With each painting, her technique improved and her pace quickened. “Self-criticism and analysis of your finished work are very important,” Morskaya insists, “By analyzing my work I see where I can improve.” Spending generous amounts of time in museums and exhibitions, Morskaya compares the masters of old with contemporary artists. With camera in hand, she photographs paintings by focusing on minute details—drapery, the position of hands, how light reflects off the human body and more. She advises that aspiring artists beginning their creative journey should take a similar route, making notes and sketches of famous paintings in order to mimic the technique, refine their skill, and eventually create their own unique style.
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ANASTASIAMORSKAYA
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Today, Morskaya enjoys the fortune of being an artist in demand. Beyond selling her work on Society6, an online platform that produces merchandise and household items with the prints of artists from around the world, she also sells her original canvases to a select few. “It’s very hard for me to part with my paintings,” she acknowledges, “Some of them I’m not even ready to sell—I put my soul into each of them.” While selling a painting is cause for celebration, the ultimate handover is a “sorrowful” exchange. Now that her career is relatively established, Morskaya looks forward to trotting the world once more to find more inspiration for her painting, exploring the Spanish city of Madrid, and perhaps delving into India. As Morskaya intricately layers her life with the same smooth transitions as her paintings, she expresses, “I am interested in trying meditation and getting to know myself.” And we cannot wait to see what new surprises will wash upon her shore of self-discovery.
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“The teachers broke off my wings, and I lost the desire to draw for many years.”
ANASTASIAMORSKAYA
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BY ANISSASTAMBOULI
@platykor3d / @platykor
“Humanity’s ability to achieve self-awareness, as well as awareness of the universe, is equivalent to the universe becoming aware of its own existence—as humans are an extension of the universe due to our shared atomic framework.”
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BEPPESTRANIERI
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The
universe, with its vast mysteries and immense perplexities, is an infinite and unknowable plain of promising discovery. While some explore the expanse with science, technology and astronomy, Italian digital artist, Beppe Stranieri, channels human nature and social dynamics to explore the universe and its relationship to us, using philosophy as his main vehicle. Under the pseudonym ‘Plat-Ykor’, his “new age surrealism” addresses common issues such as isolation, controversial technological advances, tormented desire and romance, along with the question of humanity’s relationship to the cosmos. “I am passionate about astronomy,” Plat-Ykor explains, “I also love geology and researching fossils.” Such interests are exhibited throughout his digital artwork, where clusters of planets, stars, and other cosmic visuals play alongside cliffs and imaginative rock formations. Plat-Ykor’s
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hobby of experimenting with technology also emerges through his artistic style, where space stations, aviation vehicles and futuristic architecture dominate most of the visual spaces in his work. “I love electronics and robotics. My home has small devices made by me, scattered in the strangest corners,” he admits. The sharp clarity and often cool tones of his repertoire connote futuristic imagery and sterile, industrial settings— an unsurprising aesthetic disposition for someone with a background in technology and an interest in all things digital. Plat-Ykor was only 12-years-old when electronics first piqued his interest. After the pioneer computer desktops became available for domestic use, Plat-Ykor swiftly boarded the bandwagon and began to explore the initial versions of creative software like PaintShop Pro and Photoshop. “My passion for the computer brought me from a simple
hobby to a complete mastery of Photoshop,” he recalls. After working in graphic design for a time, Plat-Ykor’s creative vision evolved to encompass a more complex pursuit— textile design. For the past ten years, he has resided in the textile industry, pursuing new age surrealism through his digital artworks on the side. Working exclusively with his iPhone 6—occasionally Cinema 4D for animated images—and various mobile apps, Plat-Ykor will spend anywhere from two to five hours creating a piece. Usually, the initial creative concept for an image is born from something in his environment. “Something inspires me, like a scene in a movie, a song, a girl sitting at a cafe, a couple on the lake shore, or a memory that is sad or wonderful,” Plat-Ykor explains. From there, he will hunt through the Unsplash app for an image to fit the background of his concept.
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Next, he will peruse Union to superimpose a character into the visual narrative, where details like lighting are tweaked. Passing the image through Snapseed brings a “classic atmosphere” to the scene after hues and shades are altered. Lastly, Plat-Ykor tops off the artwork with an edit in Mextures, where light effects and texture are polished for a finished look. Once the image is complete, his “most important” and time-consuming process begins—assigning a title. For this poetic, philosophical artist, the title holds 99% of his artistic intent. “I spend a lot of time here, to be honest,” Plat-Ykor admits, “For me, the title is more important than the work itself.” Plat-Ykor subtly plants each title strategically in every image. Like a highly sophisticated and artistic version of
Where’s Waldo?, each poetic title has a hidden aspect meant to be discovered by its audience, without which the piece is not complete. “My works have a specific title which helps the viewer understand the scene,” he divulges, “I always hope people read the title because it completes the image’s concept by being a perfect interpretation of the work itself. In Lost On You, an architectural brain-twister that defies gravity with impossible angles and precise symmetry, the torment of perplexed romance paired with the vast universe conveys a layered interpretation: the subjects are lost in one another and lost in the complexity of navigating human dynamics; simultaneously, the narrative refers to humankind being lost in the universe—in its infinity, its beauty and its hypnotic and unknowable mystery.
“For me, the title is more important than the work itself.”
“The universe—a heap of atoms scattered in the cosmic void— is aware of its existence, thanks to the intelligence of humankind, who is also a heap of atoms,” Plat-Ykor contemplates. Essentially, humanity’s ability to achieve self-awareness, as well as awareness of the universe, is equivalent to the universe becoming aware of its own existence—as humans are an extension of the universe due to our shared atomic framework. “It is a philosophical concept but it is a reality, enclosed in a surreal work,” PlatYkor concludes. With his persistent passion for creative digital surrealism, Plat-Ykor continues to explore new ways for incorporating philosophy and astronomy into visual narratives that expand the viewer’s mind and satisfy aesthetic cravings of the eye.
Plat-Ykor prefers mobile apps like Unsplash, Snapseed, Mextures and others exclusively over Photoshop for his edits when creating digital artwork, as the challenge of sourcing the right tools through various apps requires the practice of “superior creativity”. He believes that “making beautiful images with Photoshop on a desktop is too simple.”
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Gearing Up For The Great Unknown with Scott Wilson and Andre Dupuis
“We had dreamt of the opportunity for so long, that when it became reality, we had no choice but to take it. It was tough to leave the comforts of home, but it’s easier to leave than to be the one left behind.”
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BY JACLYNTRUSS
If
you have a love of travel but have yet to see Departures, you are truly missing out on something special. A staple watch among the INSPADES team, there have been many late nights of writing and designing accompanied by this inspiring and awardwinning 42 episode television travel series. Chronicling the year-long journey of travellers Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach, and filmed by multiple Gemini award-winning cinematographer, Andre Dupuis, Departures takes you around the world on an epic journey filled with the incredible highs, disparaging lows and the challenges and personal changes that only long-term globetrotting can offer. Immersing it’s audience in extraordinary landscapes, fascinating cultures and enduring friendships, Departures weaves the incredible story of everyday, regular guys who walked away from everything to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Together, Wilson and Dupuis co-founded their independent production company, Echo Bay Media, which produces leading edge, creative content for both broadcast and commercial productions, with a notable specialty in the realm of travel. As the driving creative forces behind Departures, Wilson and Dupuis followed up it’s success with another series, this time incorporating their love a of scuba diving. This 13-part documentary, entitled Descending, is a breathtaking discovery of our submerged world . A compelling exploration of the seven seas, Wilson and Dupuis once more take their viewers on a year-long adventure—but this time the brave new excursions include the discovery of untold treasures deep beneath the waves. As talented as they are genuinely outstanding people, we are thrilled to have been able to connect with this dynamic duo for an INSPADES interview. Here, we take a more indepth look at what it takes to produce such phenomenal productions, how to manage your gear in less-than-desirable circumstances, how to navigate the great unknown and how to create experiences that change your life, and the lives of others, forever.
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SCOTTWILSON • ANDREDUPUIS
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It takes a lot of courage to drop everything and leave your homes, families, jobs, friends, and significant others to travel for a year. What were those considerations like for you and when was the significant turning point where it went from “this would be a cool thing to do...” to “wow...we’re really doing this!”? Scott: Andre and I had worked together on another travel show before Departures. We learned a lot from that process and started to hatch a plan for what our travel show would look like. We finally scraped together enough money to shoot a pilot and eventually pitched it to a TV network. It all happened so fast, it wasn’t until halfway through the first season that we wondered if people would actually want to watch this! We had dreamt of the opportunity for so long, that when it became reality, we had no choice but to take it. It was tough to leave the comforts of home, but it’s easier to leave than to be the one left behind. I still feel it was harder for my family and girlfriend (now wife) at the time than for me.
Andre: It was surreal. Scott and I shot the pilot for Departures with money from our student loans. We bought a camera and some gear, flew to New Zealand and filmed for a month. We pretty much sat on the footage for two years before finally putting together a pitch video for the broadcasters. I guess we were afraid that the idea was not good enough—a fear of failure. We shipped the pitch package to the Outdoor Life Network (now Rogers) on a Thursday, they called us at noon on Friday for a meeting and we were greenlit a week later. Like Scott said, it all happened so fast, and I think that the “wow we’re actually doing this” moment started for me when we took off to film the first episode in the series, Canada: Coast to Coast. The pressure to make this thing work was terrifying. There were many sleepless nights and long days of hard work to make something worthy of television. I don’t think I relaxed until mid-way through the third season when I realized: “Okay, we have something pretty cool here. People like what we are doing.” 050 • inspadesmag.com
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Travelling is such an enriching experience, but it brings some dangers, or at least concerns of dangers, with it. What advice do you have on how to prepare for the unknowns of travel? Were there any seemingly wrong turns you ended up being glad you took, or some paths you wish you had avoided? Scott: One of my biggest pieces of advice about travel is to incorporate a bit of the unknown into every trip. It is crucial to step a bit outside your comfort zone—if it scares you a little, you are likely on the right path. One always has to keep their wits about them, but staying within the comforts of home all the time begs the question: ”Why leave home at all?” We actively built time into our schedules for the unknown, and we would often roll with it. If we met someone or found someplace that blew us away, we would change plans on a dime and go with it. It almost always yielded amazing results! I maintain the same mindset when traveling personally too.
Andre: The “unknowns” are the best part! I find that most people, myself included, have an unrealistic fear of the world. What I found in over 20 years of wandering nearly 90 countries was that the vast majority of people are kind, generous, and interested in where you come from, and in turn, they want to share their culture with you. However, that doesn’t mean I was ever complacent about safety, I mean I had a $6,000 camera hanging from my neck in plain sight, but I made sure that I was aware of potential dangers and warnings from trusted official websites. I would read travel blogs and guidebooks to know what areas were prone to petty crime, the potential for violent crimes and where they happen, areas to avoid completely, scams to expect. When you arrive, talk to the locals. Sometimes information in a guidebook is dated, inaccurate or overblown. Locals you can trust often know best. We took lots of wrong turns. That’s how we ended up in some dusty street playing on a half broken foosball table with kids in Madagascar. I don’t think you really see Venice until you actually get lost in the labyrinthine alleyways, away from the tourist route. Our entire series of Descending is about wrong turns and searching for the undiscovered parts of our planet underwater. We would plan an episode around a country, its culture, and have 80% of what we wanted to do planned. However, without fail, it was the happy little accidents that made the best TV. I have one regret, however. We were supposed to do an episode in Yemen; it was planned, tickets were booked, and we were ready to go in just a few weeks when there was a report of a journalist that had been kidnapped. Statistically, we were more at risk in Canada driving around to get groceries then going to Yemen and risk being kidnapped. But our fears won the debate and we pulled the plug. I always wonder what we missed out by not documenting and sharing it with the world. Fear kept us from taking that step and telling that story. 052 • inspadesmag.com
“I once left our main camera in the overhead of the plane in Chile. The wonders of jet lag. I didn’t even realize that the thing that was supposed to be in my hand at all times was not there, until hours after we left the airport. Think about that feeling for a second.”
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For such a stunning production, we know that it’s not all improvised, and we understand that there is planning, B-rolls, takes and retakes, and all the complexity of an itinerary that might not allow for the possibility to backup footage, clean or fix equipment, recharge batteries or your bodies. How did you organize yourselves, plan for contingencies, and how much of the filming was pre-planned compared to simply going with the flow? Scott: As I alluded to in the previous answer, a huge amount of the shows turned out much different than the original plan. Almost always for the better. As a TV production, we had to do our due diligence. We had a researcher who would help us flush out ideas and make sure we weren’t following a tourist trail all the time; however, there is no way to plan for the happy surprises life and travel constantly throw in your path. Sometimes they seem like disasters before you realize they led you down a path that gave a much richer experience, both personally, and for the viewer. We always left a country wanting more time, but in the end, it was a job and we did have deadlines.
Andre: We would design a trip or episode around one big event to experience in the last two acts, a climax to work towards. Let’s call this plan ‘A’. Often this would never work so we would have a backup plan ‘B’ and, more often than not, it would be the thing we never planned for that would make the best viewing experience. In Departures, the Chile episode, going to Antarctica was never even a thought. It just fell into our lap. We were invited to join and so we changed around all our schedules to go. In Descending, our underwater exploration series was the biggest challenge in terms of gear. We were not traveling light. Salt water and electronics don’t mix, and so if my camera assistant was too busy logging and triple backing up footage from the day’s shoot, cleaning the underwater housing and charging our different batteries, Scott would be soldering some wire on our underwater communication boxes, and I would be looking over footage to see if we actually got the scene ‘in the can’. In terms of contingencies for equipment, we always had a backup camera—sometimes three. I’m pretty careful with equipment but on Departures, we broke (I broke) three cameras over the course of the series. Luckily there was always a backup in Scott’s bag!
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A constant discussion between novice and professionals alike, is what technology and gear should be used for filming. In your opinion, how important is the gear compared to skills and knowledge, especially when embarking on such expeditions? Scott: A question perhaps best suited for Andre; however, as his business partner and good friend for over 15 years now, I can say that nothing replaces talent. Any fool can buy the most expensive cameras in the world, but they are useless without the eye to make them capture not just a moving image, but a feeling. How do you convey a whole new part of the planet and the emotion that goes along with it in a two-dimensional medium? With talent. Plain and simple. And Andre, he has a lot of it. He is also his own worst critic and constantly strives to improve upon his craft. As long as the camera has battery-life, he will keep shooting. I also feel that the “best” camera for a job can be a lot of things to a lot of people. While one may yield better “specs” it may also be big and/or cumbersome. The best camera for our job tends to be one that doesn’t “spoil the moment”. If something is happening “now”, we can’t miss it waiting for a camera to “boot up” or to change lenses, add filters, etc.
Andre: I think skill and knowledge are more important, but I am a gear junkie and so I tend to choose equipment that makes a phenomenal image but may be a bit (a lot) cumbersome to use. For Descending, I wanted to shoot with the Red One in 4K. That camera is really not built for what we were using it for, or in the conditions we were shooting in, but we figured out how to make it work because I wanted the series to look amazing. On my latest series, Over the Horizon, a small team and I sailed the Pacific to the most remote islands we could find— ones you can’t book a flight to. I wanted to use drones in order to capture the perspective of us sailing alone in the vast ocean weeks away from land. I had to go from never having flown a drone before to landing it on a pitching sailboat on rough seas, and so I just practiced flying every day for months and challenged myself to get better and better. It’s something that I learned to do earlier on when filming Descending—if you want to do something, then immerse yourself in that thing. I wanted to do an underwater exploration series so I had to first learn how to scuba dive before even learning how to operate a giant underwater camera housing. I spent about two years learning to dive and then challenge myself in more difficult waters: colder, darker, inside of wrecks and cavern diving. I practiced in the cold Great Lakes and then out in British Columbia—some 400 dives logged. I needed to become an expert underwater diver since I knew there would be far too much task already in being loaded with operating the camera, exposure, focus, making sure the audio levels are not clipping, as well as framing, directing, and thinking about storytelling and coverage without being unable to proficiently manoeuvre within my environment. Mastering these things has to become a bit of an obsession to develop your skills. Otherwise, it’s just a fancy bit of gear your lugging around.
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What were the biggest challenges you had concerning your gear and how did you deal with it? Scott: Yes, yes and yes. This comes with the territory of lugging a lot of expensive gear to “off the beaten path” places. We always traveled with a carnet, which is essentially detailed paperwork for your gear. It gets stamped into, and out of, countries so they can keep track of it and ensure that it wasn’t imported and sold without paying duties, taxes etc. This is a good system, in theory, but many developing nations arm their borders with officers who like to think they know what they are doing with it. In Russia, they wanted to inspect and weigh every single piece we had—not that they aren’t within their right, but it was a long wait at the airport while this happened. And heaven help us if a battery didn’t weight exactly 330 grams as was stated in our carnet. As for loss and damage, let’s just say, too many to count. One favourite of Andre’s is when he shattered a camera as saloon-style doors swung closed on him in a tavern in Dawson City. Another crew favourite was while filming aboard a boat in waters heavily infested with great white sharks, and watching our matte box and filters plunk off into the clear water, while we watched them slide between passing sharks and disappear into the dark depths below. In most places and occasions there was little recourse except to carry on without. It has taught us the importance of gear redundancy!
Andre: I once left our main camera in the overhead of the plane in Chile. The wonders of jet lag. I didn’t even realize that the thing that was supposed to be in my hand at all times was not there, until hours after we left the airport. Think about that feeling for a second. Luckily for us, the crew had found the camera and the pilot were due back the following morning. We had to shuffle our schedule around a bit but not much was lost other than my pride.
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Departures and Descending are two completely different productions, and yet there is that line that connects them. What was the most challenging and rewarding aspect of each production and how do they lend to each other? Scott: We learned a lot from Departures and tried to apply what we learned from that into the production of Descending; however, looking back at it now, there are aspects of Departures I still prefer to Descending. Departures gave a real freedom for us to explore wherever we wanted, and do just about anything. I miss that freedom and flexibility sometimes; however, I look at the limitations of the gear back then and sometimes lay in bed at night wondering what some of those episodes would look like if we went back and filmed them now with the technology available to us. From a hosting perspective, Descending had a lot of new challenges, like being able to communicate underwater. Scuba diving requires a lot of focus and discipline on its own. Once you combine a requirement to communicate with an audience and film a show, it really task-loads a team. We had to really watch each other to ensure we were sticking to a dive plan, no matter what.
Andre: For Departures and Descending, the most rewarding aspect for me was how I grew personally. That comes not only from the fact that travel is the best school out there, but also the challenges we faced telling 55 hours of stories on television. By the third season of Departures, we were in yet another desert, or there was yet another mountain to climb or yet another ancient building to explore. The world is very different and yet so much of it is the same. It began to get a bit more difficult to tell stories since there are big similarities from country to country; we had to work harder to find the nuance in the stories we would tell. Then we decided to create a show like Descending: water is either blue or green or black, a shipwreck looks nearly identical to the next one, and there are many species of shark but they tend to look and act the same. It was a much bigger challenge to tell stories underwater and differentiate each episode from the last. From research all the way to the final edit, we made some 060 • inspadesmag.com
great television, but I definitely became a better filmmaker and storyteller in the process. I love exploring underwater. The experience is difficult to convey to the audience while they sit comfortably at home watching Descending on a flat screen. It was a challenge to bring them along with us 130 feet beneath the surface, breathing compressed air in the cold dark waters of South Africa. Through storytelling, cinematography, editing, colour correction, music, pacing and using surround sound, we tried to give a hint of what it feels like to be down there. That was a huge challenge—to convey the feeling of scuba diving, something so un-relatable to anyone who has not done it. Descending was incredibly rewarding for that reason— the challenge of it all. The most rewarding for me, however, was that we got to see places on this Earth that no one had yet to lay eyes on before; that feeling of being first to discover a place is thrilling.
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Beyond the gear that you didn’t lose and the footage that you brought back, what is the most valuable thing that you cherish after stepping back into your home? What do you feel changed the most about who you are as a person? Scott: I know it’s too generic to simply say “the experience”, but it was definitely the experience. Professionally, we taught ourselves to produce, shoot, edit and deliver a TV program which has allowed us to go on and better that process on other programs in the years since Departures. Personally, it allowed me to grow up as I went from my mid 20’s to my 30’s, spending most of them on the road. What I learned about the world around us from those who inhabit those places, is priceless. Moreover, my appreciation for home is greater than it has ever been. I am now more aware, grounded, patient and tolerant than I think I ever was before I hit the road.
Andre: One of the first places I ever traveled to was Zimbabwe, Africa, when I was 19 years old. The culture shock was huge for me. Among the amazing cultural experiences I was having, and getting up close and personal with the dangerous wildlife on safari, what shook me was the poverty I saw in some areas of Harare and around the country. I had never seen anything like it in my life. The biggest culture shock was actually when I returned home to Canada: all the infrastructure, free healthcare, the riches we have here is really what’s shocking. It was strange for me in that moment to realize that a place like Canada actually exists when a place like Zimbabwe exists as it does. I’ve had similar feelings returning home from places like North Korea or Libya. The thing I cherish most coming home is that I was fortunate enough to be born as a citizen of a free country like Canada, and it made me appreciate the things that I have and the things I do not have. Travel has made me a bit of a minimalist as well. You spend so much time living out of a backpack, that it becomes freeing to own less “stuff”. 062 • inspadesmag.com
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Through powerful visuals and incredible storytelling, you were able to create a masterpiece in each clip using slow motion, voice-overs and transitions to tell the story—not just of your travels, but of what travel itself is all about. How were you able to achieve that and how do you believe your audience responded to it? Scott: I think the secret was approaching the programs with a genuine nature and with open eyes. Since we were legitimately experiencing this all for the first time, I believe that came across. It’s something you can’t fake—we aren’t actors, we can’t act. This authenticity, I think, struck a chord with people who might have found themselves in similar travel experiences, or with people who we remind them of. We wanted to make sure we included the highs along with the crushing lows, too—to show we are human and that things don’t always work out. But hey, that’s travel!
Andre: We began Departures because we felt no one was actually capturing the experience of travel. Scott and I worked as crewmembers on another travel series, and the best stories never made the final cut. Where were the missed flights and the suffering from food poisoning? How could you enjoy the highs of travel without the lows? The format was wrong. I think the success of Departures and Descending was in the approachability of its characters. Scott, Justin, Ellis and I, we are just really average dudes who want to go and explore the world. People watching our show feel that they too can explore the world like us, and the best part is, they do! My goal in shooting Departures and Descending was to use every tool we had to help the audience feel what it’s like to be there with us. How do I make the audience feel as cold as we were while trudging through the snowy terrains of Greenland, or the dry parched heat of the Sahara in Libya? Every cinematic decision I made I would ask myself, “What do I feel? How do I convey this feeling I have standing here right now?” 064 • inspadesmag.com
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Do you recall your feelings in the beginning before all this became reality? Did you think that this was going to be such a success? Did you ever have moments of doubt when thinking of your personal investment, or feel overwhelmed? Scott: Absolutely. I clearly remember deciding to take the leap with Andre to empty our bank accounts and student loans to buy up some gear, and book tickets to the other side of the planet to shoot a pilot for a program which would more than likely never get picked up. We came home and put together the sizzle reel with an approach that went against the grain of current TV trends. It didn’t include prizes, or a game-show approach or crazy gimmicks. A number of producers told us it would never fly. I didn’t even have enough money left in my account at the time to buy my own brother a wedding gift, and I was feeling pretty low; but we persisted and, before we knew it, we were signing paperwork and contracts for the first season.
Andre: It was not until late in the third season that I felt we had something here that people were responding to. I definitely suffered from a sort-of impostor syndrome, especially in the first season. We were into shooting the sixth episode and I wondered, “Who would watch any of this? Who wants to watch a couple of average dudes travel the world?” We had no idea this would be successful and that people would be writing to us, telling us they quit their jobs to travel a year abroad. The best part about Departures, for me, is that whatever we did here has inspired others to go out and see the world. It was a very happy and unintended consequence of us creating our passion project.
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From traveling all over the globe to discovering our planet underwater, it almost seems that your next logical step would be outer space. What is on the horizon for your next endeavour? Scott: It is important for Andre and me to keep moving forward and to continue to challenge and reinvent ourselves to stay creative. We partnered with a production over the last year for a new food/travel program which had us spending extensive time in rural France. That was a fun and delicious way to improve our craft! It was a good challenge for me to take a more active seat in a supervising producer’s role for that, but I am looking forward to getting back in front of the camera for the right passion projects. Now that I have a pilot’s license and a collection of motorcycles that is quickly getting out of hand, there are a lot of options for the next travel program!
Andre: If Elon Musk needs a filmmaker to document his mission to Mars, sign me up! My latest project, entitled Over the Horizon, just finished this year. I follow Kiwi adventurer Ellis Emmett as he embarks on his dream to sail the world. We trained for two years learning how to sail and left the comfort of New Zealand in a 56-foot cutter-rigged sailboat in search of the most remote islands in the Pacific Ocean. As I mentioned, I love the road less traveled, so this was an obvious next step for me, to learn how to sail. Out there in the Pacific are tens of thousands of islands to be explored. This project had been the most challenging to date, and I’m very proud of what we accomplished as a small team. This six-part series was developed for National Geographic and OutsideTV, and I’m happy to say that it will air in Canada in the new year. Scott and I continue to develop new ideas to bring our audience around the world. Travel and filmmaking are what we love to do, so as long as people continue to watch our work, we will continue to create! 068 • inspadesmag.com
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“We had no idea this would be successful and that people would be writing to us, telling us they quit their jobs to travel a year abroad. ”
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“Through storytelling, cinematography, editing, colour correction, music, pacing and using surround sound, we tried to give a hint of what it feels like to be down there. It was a huge challenge to convey the feeling of scuba diving, something so un-relatable to anyone who has not done it.”
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Below is the treasure chest of contacts where you can follow and connect with the most innovative travellers and storytellers of our time, Scott Wilson and Andre Dupuis Instagram @scott_departures @andre_dupuis Websites departuresstore.com/ departuresentertainment.com/about.html outube.com/user/DescendingTVSeries Twitter twitter.com/scottdescending twitter.com/_AndreDupuis twitter.com/departuresTV
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Stay the course (you're on this journey f or a reason, keep at i t) @strongjonfitness We are not that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are: One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and f ate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to f ind, and not to yield
—Ulysses @hallemadeleine L if e is beautif ul, wi thout i t you'd be dead
—from film Gummo @gregory.debaere When you combine the posture of choosing posi tivi ty wi th the skill of thinking cri tically, you cul tivate a powerf ul synergistic leader who makes a signif icant dif f erence in a posi tive way
—Clay Scroggins @hallemadeleine Illuminate your lif e of uncertainty wi th a sense of self and exploration. Be your light. Be your alpha.
— @logan._.barnes
Life in the Fishbowl
Rachel Bellinsky
BY JACLYNTRUSS
@rachelbellinsky / rachelbellinsky.com
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In
the dry and barren landscape of the Las Vegas desert, photographer and graphic designer, Rachel Bellinsky, is capturing tiny moments of unsuspecting beauty. Her images ache of that moment when sleep is disrupted from a lovely dream by waking reality— where the world you seemed to be so immersed in only moments ago fades helplessly from memory to wordless sentiment, leaving only minute traces of lustrous detail with which you can chase the reverie. Recreating scenarios that are often removed or unnoticed from the day to day world, Bellinsky’s
work is a diverse mix of luminescent human and animal portraits, flowers and vignettes. With a deep appreciation for the natural world, Bellinsky uses a lightbox and foraged bits from nature like flowers, greenery, wood and even lifeless bugs and birds, to create evocative images that seem to radiate a simplistic view of life itself. Swept up eight years ago in the continuous flood of people taking up photography and digital editing, Bellinsky attended the “Google school of photography”—the selftaught method—where she simply “Googled” anything she had a desire to learn.
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Being self-taught carries its own brand of intrigue, especially with vast arrays of equipment options, intricate post-production programs and countless tools and apps. Bellinsky, who favours Photoshop, insists that the most substantial challenge is the overwhelm of inexhaustible possibilities. Endlessly troubleshooting software and unlocking different options, Bellinsky’s experience as a graphic designer evolved naturally and in her view, almost naughtily. “The entire process felt like play–like I was getting away with something,” she laughs, “Photoshop is a very deep program. The possibilities are infinite and I know there is still so much more I could stand to learn.” While there is always room for growth, Bellinsky displays clear skill in 082 • inspadesmag.com
her methods, expertly recalibrating tones and light to dictate the mood of an image. She achieves a shallow depth of field using wide apertures and, focusing on the most minute details, desaturates and washes the backgrounds of her images with chromatic aberrations— altering them into a dreamlike state while leaving crisp focal points. While she does feel somewhat torn when deciding whether or not to stage a shot versus taking a candid shot, one must admit that Bellinsky’s staged images are no less impactful. “I must confess that much of the ‘intimacy’ you see in my images is a result of Photoshop magic,” says Bellinsky. “In many cases, I’ve inserted a subject into a landscape in an effort to suspend reality. That’s what you do with a digital
composite—you create moments. You place them into the viewer’s mind. In that respect, the images are a hybrid of art and photography.” Bellinsky experienced some encouraging successes with her work early on, when she published a book of animal portraits entitled Tails From The Fishbowl, garnering notice from the press. A collection of animal portraits taken while walking her dog, this book captures the natural framing and charm of neighbourhood pets sitting in the windows of their homes, waiting for their loved ones to return. She was also published in a book called San Diego Unseen, which led to a gallery show in San Diego, U.S.A, where all her initial work was created. While the smooth success of Bellinsky’s Tails From The Fishbowl was a wonderful
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boost of confidence, not every aspect of her life has gone so swimmingly. “About two years ago I was diagnosed with a benign tumor on my hearing nerve, which caused tinnitus, making a constant sound like bugs screaming in my ears,” confesses Bellinsky. “As a former musician, the prospect of losing my hearing has been challenging (to say the least) and it’s been an adventure in mental health since then.” While she had let go of any ideas about a career in music long before the tumor came about, music is still the thing that Bellinsky loves most, and this daily threat upon her hearing is extremely alarming. Tinnitus, while a symptom of a condition rather than a condition itself, is the perception of noise in the ear in which the sufferer will hear a phantom ringing, humming, buzzing, clicking, hissing or roaring sound that may either come and go or present constantly. While not everyone has heard of it, it affects as many as one in five people and can be caused by injury, circulatory issues, agerelated hearing loss or, in this case, a tumor. Tinnitus can significantly affect a person’s quality of life and, while it affects people differently, it is not uncommon for the affected person to also suffer from issues such as stress, an inability to concentrate or sleep, problems with memory, anxiety and depression. Depression is something
Bellinsky has always struggled with on and off even before her diagnosis, and once her tinnitus set in, like so many who suffer from it, she had difficulty accepting that the endless noise in her head was something she would have to live with for the rest of her life, as well as the potential to lose her hearing completely due to the growing pressure of the tumor. “The thought of losing my hearing stills fills me with fear and dread,” confesses Bellinsky, “I lost my appetite and I couldn’t sleep. So I cried...a lot.” There are some treatments for tinnitus, especially if the underlying condition causing it can be treated, and there are different means of noise suppression available, but for many, it’s about management and learning to live in the din. Bellinsky insists antidepressants have significantly helped her situation, specifically in aiding her ability to gain a sense of humour about it all. Although, she does find that it hinders her creativity, and that in itself creates another kind of struggle, as she has a constant need to create. “I can function and keep a job and manage to make myself a sandwich every now and then,” says Bellinsky, “but I’m not conjuring up the next Mona Lisa over here. Lately, I find myself having trouble telling the difference between ‘interesting’ and ‘boring’.”
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She also attributes this lack of discernment to internet overload:
“I think we’re all in danger of scrolling ourselves into complete numbness. How much ‘content’ can we consume before everything becomes a mundane blur? That’s something I think about a lot. There is a real need to ‘unplug’ in order to get some of the magic back into your perception of the world. At least for me.” Bellinsky admits that she would love to create a series based on her experience. She is not yet sure what it would look like at this point, only that she is simmering, waiting for inspiration. She quips: “What is the point of a head tumor if you can’t make art out of it?” Bellinsky has found photography to be quite a therapeutic endeavour. She was down for sometime before her significant other gifted her with a camera. With her loyal pup in tow, Bellinsky shot everything, later whittling her collection of photographic finds down to just one or two that would be deemed worthy of editing. “It is important that I always remember why I am making art – for pleasure, not for ‘likes’. The second I start to worry about if somebody else likes my work, it zaps the joy right out of it. But when I’m earnestly creating and not thinking, it is very therapeutic. It’s fun, and fun is paramount.” Throughout this process, Bellinsky is learning to be
more patient and to take time to reflect upon her work and herself. “I don’t think my photos represent me entirely. They don’t reflect my sense of humour and lack of composure,” she admits. “Perhaps I’ve tried to create images that are least like me?” Having spent her whole life in music before coming to terms that performing was simply not her path, photography, for her, is a relatively new love—but one that here to stay. “Music is the dangerous and ill-advised lover. Photography is the person you marry for security,” she muses. At the moment, Bellinsky has no lofty ambitions for her work. A peacefully detailed observer of the world around her, she simply wishes to create something authentic, something she can feel good about:
“I’m evolving in regards to what I want to express creatively. It’s too easy to take pictures of pretty folks and flowers. I want to keep finding beauty in less expected places. I’m hoping if I take a little time, unplug and not try too hard, inspiration will hit me. And, if not, then I’ll just keep taking pictures of my dog.” While her journey has certainly undergone some twists and turns, Bellinsky so aptly shows us by her example that any path can be paved to a place of unexpected beauty, as long as you look for it.
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“What is the point of a head tumor if you can’t make art out of it?”
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“Music is the dangerous and ill-advised lover. Photography is the person you marry for security.”
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Partial profits from purchasing Rachel Bellinsky’s book, Tails From The Fishbowl, go to The Humane Society: rachelbellinsky.com/book/tails-from-the-fishbowl-book
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DebClar k
BY JACLYNTRUSS
g n i h t a e r B d n a l a e Z w Ne
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R
esiding in New Zealand, a worldclass destination with spectacular scenery, Deb Clark lives within the lofty landscapes of a photographer’s dream. A relative newcomer to photography, Clark has wasted no time honing her skills to exquisitely capture the multifaceted New Zealand countrysides. Struck by beautiful shades and mysterious shadows, Clark’s images are imbued with hazy light, glowing skies, clouds of every description and the clearest of stars. Inspired by every click of her shutter, the memory of each stunning image breathes life to the next—the challenge of creating more, both better and different. Landscape photography is a dedicated and difficult task—waking up in the middle of the night to hike for miles, standing for hours in
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freezing temperatures, and all for that one single shot. Always chasing the light, landscape photographers must navigate the impacts of weather, time of day and seasons, all of which deliver unique challenges, as well as incredibly diverse results. Shooting with a Nikon D750, Clark favours its reliability and its lighter weight, which is important when walking for miles with a backpack full of gear. Clark often shoots in low light, and sometimes, to help tell the story, she will add a human element to her images, in order to explain scale or to add a pop of colour. She seeks out clear focal points—a dramatic sky, a strong foreground or any feature that draws the eye—and, while sunrises and sunsets are obvious choices for soft light and beautiful colour arrays, Clark is
most intrigued by the dark of predawn, insisting that is where the world keeps its best surprises. While she can appreciate the skill of photo editing, Clark prefers an image that is “real”. This includes colour correction as well, and while she may increase vibrancy and work with contrast to bring out specific shadows, she makes minimal global alterations to her work, allowing her images to maintain the purity of the moment they were taken. This method has paid off for Clark, to the tune of over 60,000 Instagram followers in just over a year of sharing her work with others. INSPADES caught up with Clark to get the low down on her favourite spots, how she plans for impeccable shots and how to know when you have captured that perfect moment.
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“I never take for granted how lucky I am to live in New Zealand. We have incredible coastlines, beautiful beaches and awe-inspiring mountains. The landscape changes dramatically within only a few short hours of driving. In a single day, you can shoot a sunrise on the coast, the reflections in stunning lakes, cascading waterfalls and a sunset high up in the mountains. New Zealand takes seriously the right of people to enjoy what it has to offer, and access to all national parks are free. It is a small country, but it packs a punch in terms of a vast variety of landscapes.”
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“Topping my list of favourite locations would be Milford Sound. The fjord itself with the iconic Mitre Peak taking center stage is jaw-dropping. The rainfall here is measured in metres and produces thousands of dramatic waterfalls. There is any number of short and long hiking trails that give incredible views. For mountains, it would have to be Mount Cook National Park. It’s set up well for hikers and is a favourite place to shoot astrophotography. My favourite coastline is the western Coromandel Peninsula, it’s rugged and dramatic and has the most unbelievable sunsets.”
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“Planning is key. I research new locations, determining what will be best in terms of light. I’m an avid user of ‘Photopills’, an app that tells you the location of the sun and the moon so that you can plan the time of day and exact location to set up before you’ve even left home—it’s an invaluable tool for me. I also look at images of the area to see how I can come up with something different. Having said that, there’s nothing like the rush you get from a spur of the moment image. It’s just that ‘right time, right place’ moment where everything comes together.”
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“When I first began taking photos, I was looking without truly seeing. I was appreciating a view for how beautiful it was, without understanding all the elements that make it so— the shadows, the way the light hits, what’s drawing you into the focal point, shades of blue in the sea, clouds forming over mountains or the contrast of greys on a moody day.”
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“I always know when I’ve taken the shot I’m going to be most happy with. I know in that instant when the shutter releases. I’m not sure what it tells me exactly, it’s more of a feeling than anything else, but everything seems to just come together—the light, the shadows, the clouds, the water. Suddenly, all the images I’ve taken leading up to that point are forgotten, rivalled by the uncanny sense of excitement. I can’t wait to get back and load it into Lightroom, and rarely am I ever disappointed. It’s the image that takes the least editing, a couple of minor touches and it’s done. It’s almost as though if I play with it too much I will lose the precious feeling that goes with it.”
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“I think I’ve changed an incredible amount since I first picked up a camera. I tend to push the boundaries a bit in the way of accepted techniques. This likely comes from not being formally trained. Surprisingly, things work out more often than not. Sometimes, my biggest mistakes are also my biggest triumphs. One of my favourite landscape photographers recently said: ‘A photo is what comes out of the camera but an image is created when you personalize it.’ I think this is true and critical to developing your own unique style. You have to have something that makes your image stand out from the rest. This is particularly true for well-photographed locations. I have a clear picture in my head of what I want, and I’m not happy until I get it.”
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DEBCLARK
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“Photography has helped me realize what’s important in my life, and I can honestly say photography has saved my soul on more than one occasion. I enjoy the little things more and try to take life one day at a time. A person’s life can change in an instant, sometimes by your own actions, but often you have no control over it. At the end of the day, you can rely on nothing and no one except for yourself, so you better have something that gives you peace of mind. Nature provides that for me. And when I’m out there, scouting locations, setting up, visualizing the outcome and taking the photo, there’s no time to be thinking about anything else. I’m totally in the moment.”
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“It is so important for me to experience the peace of a beautiful place. In a world where you are always rushing from one thing to the next, where there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done and where, at times, it seems to have gone mad, I need that time to just to ‘ be’. To relax and just breathe. When I look at one of my images, in a moment I’m taken back there, and I am calmed.”
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Dimitris Giannoulas
How Extinction Gave Rise to his Creative Renaissance @_intographics / intographics.myportfolio.com
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BY ANISSASTAMBOULI
“The thought of millions of people engaging in my creation is madness.”
It
takes resilient confidence to transition from one career to the next, especially when the next career falls into the category of the financially unpredictable, independent arts. For digital visionary Dimitris Giannoulas, the propulsion toward graphic design and digital art came from an enthusiastic thrust, powered by endurance and tenacious effort. From his home in Greece, Giannoulas’ journey began in 2015 while studying Java, a computer programming language that supported his initial ambition to become an Android app developer. That year, the exploration of software led him to the popular Adobe programs Illustrator and Photoshop, which offered design tools pertaining to app interfaces. Upon his discovery of Photoshop, an artistic interest was sparked and quickly caught fire, taking Giannoulas to the graphic design industry, followed swiftly by digital artistry. “I saw a variety of digital tools that people were using Photoshop for, from image retouching to print design,” Giannoulas recalls. “People were visualizing their imagination and creativity, and transferring their thoughts and emotions through images. The decision was made—I decided to invest in digital art and left everything else behind.” The match had been struck, and with flaming inspiration, Giannoulas abandoned computer software and became devoted to forging his creativity. “Digital art and design became my passion, a reason to wake up in the morning, a sunbeam on a rainy day,” he recollects. Today, Giannoulas allows his emotions and creativity to lead each new artwork “without limitations”, relying on masks, smart objects and layers in Photoshop in order to work non-destructively.
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“Things like realism and logic are not part of my creative process,” he explains of his minimally-planned approach. Conceiving the work as it unfolds, Giannoulas will continually add images to his art board, finessing their aesthetic and removing unwanted elements, all the while working with a grey scale filter as the layers stack up. After the tonal values are properly balanced, he will remove the filter, allowing the colours to return and enhance the finished image. Sourcing inspiration from his imagination or the Adobe-owned curating website, Behance, Giannoulas grew his skills through regular practice and online video tutorials. He struck gold with his first series, Extinction, which Giannoulas considers to be “undeniably the most popular and recognizable project I’ve created so far. The success that followed it was unimaginable to me.” Featuring different geologic formations like islands or glaciers, double-exposed with the skull of a dinosaur, Extinction went viral on social media and was shared across many blogs and websites. “Seeing Extinction featured on Adobe and Photoshop’s official social media accounts was mind-blowing,” Giannoulas admits, “The thought of millions of people engaging in my creation is madness.” In another digital art piece, “Revelations”, Giannoulas worked with a portrait photographed by Harald Peter, to visually contain the concept of our darkness within. “I wanted to drop the curtain and reveal the inner self we all have—some of us choose to hide or reveal it,” Giannoulas unveils. He summarizes the artwork’s message thus, “Do you accept your dark side or do you bury it?”
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After a handful of striking works and a mere year, embers of his ambition kindled with renewed vigour, igniting an initiative that would melt Giannoulas’ creativity and career into one seamless pursuit: intographics™. “I wanted my work to correlate with something beyond my name. I wanted to create a trademark, something that people would recognize,” Giannoulas recalls, “That’s how intographics™ was born.” Serving as his freelance business, intographics™ is a space where Giannoulas’ artistic freedom and technical skill can co-exist and provide a livelihood. From book covers to album designs, to creative ads and printed murals, Giannoulas’ designs are led by his direction more often than the client’s. While the website and logo for intographics™ have undergone recent facelifts, Giannoulas’ promising career remains steady. Having already developed partnerships with other graphic and web designers, he looks forward to launching his very first advertising agency in the near future.
“Seeing Extinction featured on Adobe and Photoshop’s official social media accounts was mind-blowing.”
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CREATING EXTINCTION: The project began with an image of Koh Samui, Thailand, borrowed from photographer Lily Lvnatikk. After replacing the sky with “something more atmospheric,” Giannoulas continued to adjust the ocean’s gradient using filters and various stock images. Next came the dinosaur skull, sized to fit the island. After blending the texture of the island with the skull, Giannoulas added a few birds and beams of light. Finally, following rigorous tonal corrections, the digital art piece was complete.
“I decided to invest in digital art and left everything else behind.”
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Karli Forgèt
| Alex Black | Keith Heppler
(Vox/Synth + Drums)•(Bass/Vox). Maintaining a relatively enigmatic profile, the trio have earned a large underground following with their unique heavy synth based sound and powerful vocals which have been compared to a combination of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Nine Inch Nails. In the vein of bands such as Royal Blood and fellow Toronto artists Death From Above 1979, Hot Lips is successfully composing and performing music with the use of keys, drums and bass only. Their engaging live performances have gained them reputable supporting spots for bands such as 3TEETH and Econoline Crush. www.hotlipstoronto.com - www.facebook.com/hotlipsmusic
A BATH OF AU
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BY A. SAMUEL LEWIS
Thomas Montagliano
UDIO WAVES “It is unlike any concert venue you’ve experienced.”
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Spatial sound engineer, Tom Montagliano, left the comfort and security of his day job to curate a unique sound space intended for mindfulness and relaxation. Consisting of eight circularly-arranged speakers and ambient light blocks enclosed within a massive inflatable dome, the Immersive Sound Bath— or the ‘Immersive Igloo’, as Montagliano refers to it, “is unlike any concert venue you’ve experienced.” Contrary to traditional stage layouts, the Igloo is rigged for a complete 360-degree music immersion, which is achieved through the radially arranged speaker system. This, coupled with the dome-shaped interior of the Immersive Sound
THOMASMONTAGLIANO
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Bath, creates an ample environment for resonance, which provides a deeper and richer sound while preserving the calming environment that Montagliano hopes to maintain. Rather than addressing the crowd like a conductor, Montagliano sits cross-legged on the floor between two of his speakers, while the crowd is seated on cushions and chairs in the center of the dome, facing one another. The Immersive Sound Bath was conceptualized within the confinements of Montagliano’s small bedroom, where he first experimented by placing four speakers in each corner of the room, and then strummed various chords on his guitar, experiencing the waves of sound washing over him
from all directions. “From the moment I strummed that first chord and felt the sound moving around my body, I knew that this was something special and that I needed to keep developing it,” Montagliano recalls. What started as a passing fancy quickly evolved into a deep-rooted passion and fascination with spatial sound. During his debut tour, Montagliano visited local clubs and music festivals located in Rochester and other areas of upstate New York. The tour furnished a necessary learning experience for Montagliano and revealed improvements that could be implemented to provide a better all-around experience for the listener. Inconsistencies in the size, volume and layout of
each venue proved difficult in the process. “It was either too small, too loud, or too exposed to the elements, so I began to seek out domes,” Montagliano describes. What began as a logistical complication eventually guided Montagliano toward the discovery of a large inflatable dome that he still uses today. While it was his passion for spatial sound and the desire to pursue creative projects that initially prompted Montagliano to close the door on his engineering job at a 3D printing company and set his sights on future endeavors, popularity acted as the driving force and financial backbone that the Igloo needed to remain inflated for a second tour.
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Montagliano embarked on his second tour with open arms during the last week of May in 2017, performing his debut exhibit at Elements Music & Arts Festival in Lakewood, Pennsylvania and culminating with the world-renowned spiritual movement of Burning Man. Montagliano completed an astounding 50 events in only two months, allowing his art to touch the lives of individuals nationwide. In between these two cornerstone events, Montagliano’s spatial sound experience could be found enlightening festivals and historical yoga studios scattered throughout the United States, including a spiritually enriching session at the National Mall grounds, nestled between the Washington Monument and
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the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. In D.C.’s renowned Catharsis on the Mall annual event, the Igloo made an impression, providing the event with a meditative presence. The healing vigil, which emphasizes the importance of immediate experience, leverages the collective reflection of the self as a means for identifying and overcoming personal barriers. Montagliano’s Igloo installation acted as a place for shelter during the event, where patrons could enjoy ambient music and subtle visual loops projected on the inside of the dome while the event continued outside. The solitude of the space acted as a guiding hand through the reflection process and aided visitors in recognizing instant realities all around them.
Having completed its maiden voyage, the Immersive Sound Bath returned to Rochester, New York where it – along with Montagliano – will rest and recuperate in anticipation for an even busier schedule for his next summer run in 2018. “It was great to have such a well-rounded tour to kick off this project,” reflects Montagliano. “Even with occasional headaches and consistent long nights, it was well worth the experience. We discovered so much about everything from transportation and setup to the concerts themselves. I’m so eager to take what we have learned and return to the drawing board for an even better experience this year.” One such change that Montagliano hopes to implement is light
and projection that are specifically tailored to the size and shape of the Igloo, which he feels will lead to an exceedingly intimate experience. He’s also excited to install seating directly into the base of the Igloo, as opposed to the movable chairs and cushions he used previously. Despite the insecurities that often riddle the path of unfamiliar experiences, Montagliano was able to conquer the unknown to promote interconnectivity and spiritual vigilance through spatial sound immersion. With the welcomed success of the Immersive Sound Bath, we can look forward to expansive opportunities to try, firsthand, this unique and innovative audio-spiritual experience.
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Bando Br In this ever-progressing world, structures from humbles abodes to buildings of great renown find themselves forgotten and left to decay in the lonely places of the earth. Fallen into disarray, these abandoned structures carry the history, mystery and memories of those who dwelled, worked or moved within their walls. Around the world, clever adventurers embark on the journey to seek out the secrets of these obscure and desolate locations. In this bando feature, we take a look at three such bando photographers: Ricky Ward, Shuichi Nakano and Andrea Govia— neophytes and legends alike, we take a journey through their stories, and the deserted structures they refused to abandon.
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rothers Ricky Ward Shuichi Nakano Andrea Govia
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Ricky Ward Structural Support @Rdubbs92
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he vision that each artist has is as unique as a fingerprint, and urbexer explorer Ricky Ward’s vision is a testament to the enthusiasm with which he approaches shooting abandoned spaces. Based in Buffalo, forgotten places in urban landscapes filled with mystery and the resonating quality of the forsaken are Ward’s speciality. Ward observes, “From tunnels to bandos, to cityscapes—every major city has its own advantages and unique buildings.” Ward also has an affinity for bandos in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City, and often shoots in the company 138 • inspadesmag.com
of other urbexers. Ward attributes his successes in bando exploring to the relationships that he has built over the years. “What I love about this community,” he shares, “is that most of the time you click instantly with other explorers.” Ward recounts one memorable experience while attempting to explore an abandoned church. An alarm had been set off, and he and his group of friends immediately fled the scene. As they drove away they saw about ten police cars arrive at the scene. Ward revels in these rushes of adrenaline and admits that it is this kind of thrill that is part and parcel with exploring bandos.
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Ward also enjoys hanging with other types of creatives, whether in the visual or auditory arts. “It’s incredible seeing other people’s processes and creativity,” remarks Ward, “Truly, photography is just a hobby that I enjoy immensely, but if it turned into a career down the road that would amazing but, if not, I wouldn’t be upset. I know it sounds cliche, but while I’m shooting it helps me clear my mind, and almost makes me feel free of my struggles in life, or hurdles I’m currently dealing with.” “Some other passions I have in life is spending time with my wife and kids— they are what motivates me the most. Not just with photography but life 140 • inspadesmag.com
in general. To be honest, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my majorly supportive wife who allows me to travel or host other photographers and friends here almost any time I want, and patiently stays home with the kids while I shoot.” Ward’s wife, Chyanne Ward, offered us insight into why she believes it is so important to support her husband in his endeavours: “Photography has always been a big passion in Ricky’s life.” reveals Chyanne, “It has helped him in so many ways that have been beneficial to both himself and our family. It makes him a better person inside and out, everyone needs a release in life and photography is his—it is a
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calming force for him. Seeing his incredible creativity truly gives me all the reason I need to give him the time to shoot. He’s taught me how to look at art in a different light and seeing how people react to his art makes me proud of him and his visions. I do miss our time together when he’s gone hours doing a shoot, but I understand his passion and need for creativity.” Ward’s photography has also become a family affair, with their 4-year-old son, Ayden, recently receiving his first camera, it’s just another way for Ward to share his creativity and teach his son how to appreciate the simplest things in life through the eyes of a lens. Ward’s devotion to the 142 • inspadesmag.com
art of bando photography is such intimate part of his life, that he even brought the two-dimensional artistic medium into tangible form by immortalizing one of his favourite bando scenes with a tattoo. The building preserved in his on his skin is the now renovated Richardson Olmsted Campus—which at one point was a psychiatric centre, but that Ward chose based on the sheer beauty of the structure. Whether on his skin or through his lens, Ward’s unique vision of bandos brings light to forgotten places, paving the way for a creative future while uncovering the past one image at a time.
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BY JACLYNTRUSS
Shuichi
Nakano “The ability to reproduce the fine details of an image regardless of your light source, or lack thereof, allows you to capture all of the beauty of a space that you otherwise could not.”
Often referred to as the “Land of the Rising Sun”, it may seem surprising that Japan, with its highly populated metropolises, also has many places where the sun seems to have eternally set. With its long and rich history, Japan is rife with abandoned structures and areas—homes, schools, hospitals, industrial sites, theme parks and even entire towns. Haikyo in Japanese simply means “ruins” but it also refers to the hobby of urban exploration, known more commonly here as “urbexing”. While over 13 million people live in Tokyo, making it the most populated city in the entire world, Japan’s overall population actually dropped last year by about 300,000. In tandem with a decrease in birth rates, an increase in immigration and rural dwellers flooding to the major cities in search of work, there are over 8 million akiya, or empty houses, in Japan, and it is creating a sprawl of ghost homes and towns in the ageing suburbs. This leaves anyone who enjoys haikyo, in a plentiful land of abandoned structures that all but beg for exploration.
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Shuichi Nakano, an urbexer from Osaka, Japan, is one such explorer. He began shooting about three years ago, initially portraits, large skyscrapers and nature, until he got his first taste of haikyo at an abandoned elementary school. Shocked by the collapsing school building, Nakano was captivated by the history of the site and could imagine the memories stored within the walls of the once thriving educational facility. “When entering the abandoned classroom, the air and atmosphere changed. When I closed my eyes, I could almost hear the voices and fun laughter of the children, the footfalls of them running through the halls and the sound of the school bell. It may seem as though it would have an eerie feeling to it, but it was more like nostalgia, like a flashback of someone else’s memory.” Instantly hooked, Nakano now mainly photographs abandoned buildings, abandoned places and objects, capturing their beauty in the slow process of decay. “When a wider audience saw my images, the world spread and stretched in front of me,” remarked Nakano, “I am now creating works of texture, blending illusory with reality, while trying to be as natural as possible.”
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As many of the locations are subject to bright, direct sunlight or extreme shade, HDR—high dynamic range— processing is a vital tool for Nakano to create such expressions in his images. Shooting and then combining several different exposures of the same image in each narrow range, Nakano is able to capture perfect whites, highlights, midtones, shadows and blacks. “I was surprised by the possibilities of HD,” says Nakano, “The ability to reproduce the fine details of an image regardless of your light source, or lack thereof, allows you to capture all of the beauty of a space that you otherwise could not.” Shooting with a Canon 6D, Nakano also always has his Manfrotto tripod in tow as well, which he finds to be indispensable for his shooting style. Other techniques and tools are not used by Nakano when shooting, his goal is simply to eliminate all vibrations so he can get the perfect sequence of shots. Nakano will seek out locations to shoot either singly or in groups. When shooting in groups, he often explores with the same individuals as he feels more at ease with those he can trust. “The part to be remembered is the same for individuals as it is for groups,” insists Nakano, “You cannot be seen when entering abandoned spaces. You must be careful not to injure yourself and keep in mind not to leave behind evidence of intrusion or disclose the location so as to preserve the integrity of the site.”
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“When a wider audience saw my images, the world spread and stretched in front of me.”
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While he has only been shooting for a few years, Nakano carries the capacity to expertly capture a space, not only through the fine details and acquiring the perfect light through layering, but also the signature way he captures the consciousness of a space. His images are extremely tactile, infused with palpable moods, haunting in their ability to summon a memory of a place you have never been, and stirring your mind to conjure the details of a history you never lived. “I am always looking for that unusual part of a space—the part within the structure that embodies its abandonment. It is the piece of a forgotten world that you cannot see within the regular living of your life; the place where the photographer truly discovers the secrets of the space and includes their own expression of it.” The future of Nakano’s work is promising, and he would like to continue to express realities of the forgotten places of Japan, as the thrill of each desolate discovery drives him to new heights. “I think Japan is a really extraordinary place,” says Nakano, “While I mainly photograph the abandoned places, other urbexers are also putting emphasis on street and portrait photography. It really propels my motivation and I am excited about the ever-increasing opportunities in photography, and to see where it takes me.”
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“I am always looking for that unusual part of a space—the part within the structure that embodies its abandonment.”
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A Legend of the
Forgotten
agndre ovia @andregovia
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“That is the difference between ordinary people and Bando explorers—we enter the buildings to capture what is inside, uncovering secret places by exploring the forbidden.”
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A
ndre Govia also works in the film and television industries. This has offered him numerous opportunities to shoot and discover abandoned locations. He is known for his work on Winter Ridge (2018), The Enfield Haunting (2015) and 24: Live Another Day (2014). When it comes to bando photography, Andre Govia is a legend among urban explorers. Having explored over 900 deserted locations in more than 22 countries, Govia’s eight-year project shooting abandoned buildings is showcased in his premier publication: Abandoned Planet. Contained within Abandoned Planet are selections condensed from Govia’s prolific journeys, including both classic locations and lesser-known, far-flung places. In this visually stunning book, Govia takes abandoned building exploration to a higher level, capturing the forgotten places of humanity as a whole. “When I was approached to make Abandoned Planet, I was determined to create something special that would appeal to everyone, not just explorers, but also to people with a natural curiosity about abandoned places.” Govia’s first foray into the realm of international bandos was in Germany at the now famous Beelitz-Heilstätten, once a sanatorium, and later, a military hospital. “This is where Soviet troops were once based in old East Germany. It became my entry into the world of international travelling to explore bando locations,” Govia recalls. “From that moment onwards, I fully embraced that way of life as I travelled around the world meeting amazing people with the same passion for bando photography.” Having familial ties to Europe and North America, Govia is at an advantage for documenting abandoned structures in different parts of the world and began shooting bandos as a means to record older buildings for posterity.
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“I noticed that old buildings often become destroyed or vandalized, so I began shooting them in order to keep the memory of buildings before they turned to rubble,” explains Govia. “I can recall some nine hundred locations over the years, but I still want to explore as much as I can.” Beyond the quality of the work, the extensiveness of Govia’s collection propels him to a unique space. His photography sheds a comparative light on the similarities and differences between bandos in different countries, such as tonal palettes and architectural styles. Notably, in the U.S., the building decay tends to be imbued with blue and green tones, while in areas such as Wales and Scotland, Govia’s images denote the damp, green and brown tones, with a dusty and muted quality. In addition to the quality of light, Govia also has observed profound differences in the architectural details in different parts of the world: “In Italy, the beautiful old mansions had frescoes on the walls and ceilings. Contrastingly, in East Germany I found the Soviet Bloc-style to be cold and minimal, with glass block walls and a complete lack of adornments.”
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“If something is particularly difficult or dangerous, it becomes all the more enticing for me—this is why I am drawn to photographing bandos.”
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For Govia, one of the most delightful aspects of shooting European bandos is that often they contain original furnishings, such as authentic art and old pianos. Sometimes the interiors have more ordinary items such as books or dusty glass bottles that he is adept at arranging in a realistic manner. He also has an appreciation for the fallen beauty of rusty automobiles. Rather than document the fragmented pieces of a once-beautiful place, Govia takes pleasure in styling his images to perfection.“If I find a room in disarray with interesting furnishings, I will make an effort to rearrange the objects in order to create a composition to show the bando in the best light—after all, what’s the point in photographing a mess when you can recreate what was originally left in the bando, to show a more realistic impression?” Capturing enchanting scenes of abandonment with respect for the preservation of the locations, Govia’s compositions are impeccably styled down to the last detail. One of Govia’s memorable, and particularly exhilarating, group adventures was in Belgium, exploring a now-demolished gem. To purchase a copy of Abandoned Planet by Andre Govia click here: https://goo.gl/roGgNc
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“I remember driving to the fantastic and beautiful location called Château Miranda, also known as Château de Noisy—a 19th-century neo-Gothic castle and school. We drove all night in heavy rain from the U.K., and the roads were flooded. We had to enter in the dark to avoid the angry groundskeeper who would patrol for explorers with his gun. When we arrived before dawn, to our horror, the armed groundskeeper was still patrolling the forest on his motorbike. Somehow, we managed to enter the building without being seen. The thrill factor was intense. If something is particularly difficult or dangerous, it becomes all the more enticing for me,” Govia discloses. Being drawn to the forbidden is part of human nature. Naturally inquisitive about that which we are restricted from, curiosity is part of the human condition. The mystery and melancholy of bandos are often what lead people to capture the faded patina of once fresh-faced architecture. “People are curious about what lies hidden within an old abandoned hospital or school, but they don’t want to go further inside. That is the difference between ordinary people and bando explorers,” Govia concludes, “we enter buildings to capture what is inside, uncovering secret places by exploring the forbidden.”
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BY JACLYNTRUSS
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365 Luke with
Renoe
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It is amazing how a love affair with a junky point and shoot camera can lead to unexpected creative ambitions. Such were the humble beginnings of conceptual photographer and Photoshop artist, Luke Renoe. “It was a pretty terrible camera, but I loved it,” laughs Renoe. Sparking a love of photography in 2011, Renoe soon invested in his first DSLR, a Canon 60D, which he used until his upgrade last spring to the 5D Mark III, taking his photography to an entirely new level. Unsure of when his fascination with Photoshop began, he does remember that his first two photo manipulations took him countless hours to complete, but they remain two of his proudest pieces to date. Over the years, Renoe has made hundreds of self-portraits, each showcasing whichever Photoshop technique he was practising at the time. Graduating high school in 2012, he got his own laptop with a version of Photoshop and, in that moment, Renoe knew that photography was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. However, it wasn’t until 2016, when Renoe attended the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, Montana, that photography really took center stage in his life. Getting the jump start he needed, near the end of his studies, Renoe spearheaded his 365 project wherein he attempted to create an image a day for a year. This project was instrumental in teaching him about creative thinking, motivation, vision and perseverance. Throughout the process and experience, Renoe has managed to create images he could never have imagined had he not pushed himself to create every single day. In an interview with INSPADES, Renoe speaks to his progression as an artist, what it means to push past your own creativity and what it takes to create an image a day for an entire year.
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You recently had an upgrade to your gear, what would you say the major technical differences were between your Canon 60D and your 5D Mark III? The first thing I noticed about the Canon 5D Mark III was how well it performed in low light. The grain was less apparent at high ISOs, and overall I felt more confident shooting with it. I really can’t remember what it was like to shoot the Canon 60D anymore. Yes, there are cameras that perform better than others, but the camera doesn’t matter nearly as much as the photographer using it. Photoshop is a complex software, as your tool of choice did you find the learning process to be challenging? This will sound conceited, but I have yet to find Photoshop or any part of it ‘challenging’. Instead, I find it to be intriguing. For me, everything around Photoshop is what causes challenges: idea generation, usable photos, diligence, etc. I have a certain relationship with Photoshop because I learned it slowly over the course of several years. In the beginning, I was teaching myself and there was no pressure to learn, so it was more of a hobby than a task. I think this is why I still enjoy using Photoshop so much; it’s always been a place of exploration and creativity. I think the hardest part of Photoshop however, is patience. Nothing great gets done hastily in this program, you must take your time. That’s what deters and frustrates beginners the most. You have said that at the end of high school that you knew you wanted to be a photographer, but that there was a 4-year gap before you truly started pursuing it. What was the reason for the delay in your ambitions? Well, I don’t have a solid reason for not pursuing a career as a photographer earlier except for ignorance. I just didn’t know what to do. During that time of stagnation, I just didn’t prioritize photography at all. One of the most valuable things I ever learned at school was how to keep self-motivated and the importance of consistency and effort. Most of this was sparked in school but carried on throughout my 365 project.
LUKERENOE
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How did it feel to finally be pursuing your dream when you began attending photography school? It felt truly amazing being there surrounded by seemingly infinite resources and so many other creatives. It is probably the best thing I’ve ever done for myself, and I was fortunate to make some really wonderful friends and find great inspiration along the way. What gave birth to your 365 project and what has it been like trying to produce an image every day? My 365 was inspired by an instructor I had at school, David Talley. He was one of the most motivated and committed individuals I’ve encountered. I don’t know why it never occurred to me that doing something every day, even for a year, makes you exponentially better at it. Now that my 365 project is completed, I can say it was one of the best learning experiences of my life. I’d go so far as to say it changed me. Even though it ended up taking over 400 days to complete, it taught me the importance of consistency and commitment to visual art. In creating daily, do you feel that there is a “pushing past” point where some of your most real creativity comes to life? If you go out and shoot, you might get something spectacular. If you don’t, you’ll definitely get nothing. This was what I told myself over and over throughout the project. Even a failed shoot is better than no shoot. I’ve learned a lot from failed attempts. Forcing yourself to create a fresh image daily really gives you no choice but to become an all-around more creative person. Some days, when I had no time for the 365, I would say to myself: “Okay whatever you make in the next hour is what today’s photo is going to be.” Those quick edits would sometimes turn into my best images.
LUKERENOE
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Do some of your works shown here display that push for creativity? Yes. There were times when I would try eight different things in an edit and they would all look silly, but that ninth time is when I created some of my best work. Sometimes, inspiration comes right away and sometimes you have to really reach deep and pull it out of you. The important thing to remember is that it’s rarely the first attempt that succeeds. The photo titled “Intergalactic Planetary” was an idea I had way before the images were ever captured. I was downtown and I shot some photos of a doorway with my off-camera flash placed inside to create this glowing portal. I knew I wanted to have the doorway in an outdoor setting with me falling out of it. A week or two later I shot a hillside that fit the concept perfectly. I was forced to push myself to think beyond the photo for that day and gather elements for use in future edits. So there was always a push to shoot even more. Does your 365 series make a particular statement either about who you are as a person or offer a particular social commentary? The 365 series express certain emotions and moods that I think can be relatable to people. Some of them are less meaningful than others and are simply visual displays meant to captivate the viewer. Lately, now that I’m not pumping out a photo a day, I’ve been working on putting more story or statement behind my artwork. As these are mainly self-portraits, do you feel yourself changing as a reflection of your daily work? I generally create pieces that contain an anonymous subject or protagonist so that they are more relatable. It is usually me in my edits, but that’s due to many lone photo shoots during the 365. I would say I have definitely been altered by this project personally and I think every artist should try it at some point. Many of my most successful and memorable artworks would never have even come close to being created if I wasn’t forcing myself to make one a day. I am constantly inspired by the famous Imogen Cunningham quote: “Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.”
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BY A. SAMUEL LEWIS
Dream Sequencing Through Music Reed Krafft @thedreamersdelight / dreamersdelight.net inspadesmag.com • 193
“When I started Dreamers Delight, I wanted the project to involve visuals as much as music.”
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“The whole learn-as-I-go process is an experience on its own. I think something that I enjoy most about my project is that I still have so much to learn.”
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W
ithin the intricate landscape of lucid dreaming, Denver-based electronic music producer, Reed Krafft, found the inspiration to conceptualize a unique musical and visual enterprise. What began as an inclination toward creative expression and exploration, has since blossomed into the widely recognized auditory profile, leaving Krafft better known now by his stage name: Dreamers Delight. With a moniker that is apt to fool, make no mistake, Krafft’s music will evoke an entire array of emotions barring lethargy. Raw, daring and euphoric, Dreamers Delight intermixes elements of hip-hop beats with rippling electronic melodies, creating a sound that is smooth and ethereal, yet uplifting in its anticipation. A world traveller, Krafft is known to meld cultural influences into his sound and, in turn, the world is steadily incorporating Dreamers Delight into its musical style as well. Gaining momentum on an international stage, heads are turning in the realm of electronic music, taken not only by the sound of Dreamers Delight, but also the sight. While it is the luscious synths and heart-wrenching melodies that Krafft is most renowned for, he confides an equivalent significance in the visuals that accompany his live performances, as well as the cover art paired with each release. Complimenting the elaborate sound-patterns of his music, the live visuals are intended to pair with the sound in perfect synchronicity, acting as visual representations of the atmosphere that Krafft strives to create. When seeking out new visual-based content, Krafft scours platforms such as Instagram and Vimeo for works that accurately depict the emotion and energy of his live sets. Beyond his personal tastes, Krafft seeks out feedback from the crowd as a guiding hand to find the right visual appeal.
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“When I started Dreamers Delight, I wanted the project to involve visuals as much as music,” Krafft emphasizes. Contrasting the creative process of some musicians who pull their influence from sounds they hear and sights they see within the waking world, Krafft leverages his ingenuity from emotions and experiences amassed in the depths of his lucid dreams. Just as he explores the expanse of complex dreamscapes without the structured compass of waking reality, Krafft embarked on his journey into the world of music production without any formal education or training – navigating the world by the ambiguous direction of his emotional experience. To some, this might seem like a daunting task, but Krafft expresses confidently, “The whole learning-as-I-go process is an experience on its own. I think something that I enjoy most about my project is that I still have so much to learn.” Originally a behind-the-scenes producer, Krafft gradually made a name for himself in the industry, culminating in the 2013 launch his premier EP, Close Your Eyes. With his repertoire of both original mixes and remixes, Krafft heightens his reputation with every new release. In fact, the past year has been monumental for Krafft as an artist, racking up an astounding seven million-plus streams between SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube, additionally signing to the fiercely independent and forward-thinking independent music label, Lowtemp Music, by Brooklyn producer, Gramatik. Beyond his recording success, Krafft also performed sets at the internationally recognized Coachella Music Festival in California, U.S.A, and at Lightning in a Bottle Festival in the same state.
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This creative ambition was not lost on Krafft’s most recent album, Ethereal Moments, released this past November, and culminates more than 16 months of meticulous sound and visual design aimed at encapsulating the feelings of euphoria and nostalgia. With a soulful blending of genres, Krafft weaves an auditory experience that is as energetic as it is meditative, and is perfect for those who wish to resonate with their own inner music. Krafft attributes his girlfriend, Em, as an inspiring and motivating force for him during the long, busy months required to create Ethereal Moments. In fact, the leading letter of each word in the title – ‘E’ and ‘M’ – is a personal symbol of gratitude for her support. Marking his third album release to date, Ethereal Moments is composed of 12 unique tracks, accompanied by the brilliant artwork of Felix Rothschild gracing the album cover. “Once I saw Felix’s ‘Guardian’, I knew there was nothing else I’d rather use than this piece,” Krafft remarks. “The goal of the album artwork was to find something that visually represented the feelings and emotions of the album, and I think Felix’s piece did just that.” In Rothschild’s ‘Guardian’, a powerful red hand acts as the foundation of the work; a tree, decorated with a swing, and flowers erect from its base. A small figure appears to float towards a beckoning glow that sheds light on the hand and tree. The artwork depicts Krafft’s fascination with lucid dreams and the concept of revisiting awe-inspiring moments in life and in dreams through self-reflection. Krafft especially associates the album cover with the first track, “The North”. “The track acts as the introduction to the whole adventure of the album,” he notes, “which is represented by the figure leaving the refuge of the tree to embark into the unknown.” While his latest album is a milestone achievement for Dreamers Delight, Krafft promises that this is just the beginning. Expect a wealth of new music and visuals to be released during the coming year, as well as his debut headline show at The Bluebird Theater in Denver on February 23, 2018. Ethereal Moments can be streamed from most major platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube. Be sure to have a listen, and also to check out a Dreamers Delight live performance to witness him toeing the line between the tangible and the transcendental, and let him lead you to a place where you find yourself wondering—are you awake or are you dreaming?
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“The track acts as the introduction to the whole adventure of the album, which is represented by the figure leaving the refuge of the tree to embark into the unknown.”
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BY GUINEVEREJOY
CINEMATIC PORTRAITS
TO AWAKEN THE SENSES Noel Puebla @noelpueblaphotography / noelpuebla.com
“My engine is the constant need to create and share my stories through images.”
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Meet Noel Puebla,
a photographer with colourfully styled fashion portraits and a flair for vintage. With a wide gamut of themes, Puebla’s strength lies in her ability to create moods using different lighting techniques and colour palettes when styling her fashion portraits. What is most impressive about her work, however, is that Puebla’s sets are entirely made by hand from salvaged materials. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Puebla has been honing her craft for many years. Although primarily a fashion photographer, Puebla dedicates a significant amount of creative energy to her personal portfolio in developing conceptual
images and experimenting with different lighting techniques. Puebla began her creative journey writing poetry to accompany her images. Indeed, Puebla’s images easily lend themselves to storytelling, yet they each carry the common thread of evocative sensuality. There is something to be said about the connection from heart to hand when physically writing out one’s creative ideas. For Puebla, conceptualizing her ideas on paper beforehand is an integral part of her creative process. “I need to illustrate my ideas in a tangible way. The trigger can be a movie, a phrase or the quality of light in a inspadesmag.com • 207
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single moment,” she explains, “I turn to my notebooks where I keep a record of my ideas, and from there I build a moodboard that I share with my creative team.” After brainstorming with a crew of make-up artists, stylists, assistants and more, Puebla will continually “polish the idea” until it takes full form. “For each production that I make, I look for and collect abandoned furniture or props, as well as textiles, according to the theme and colour palette of the photo shoot,” Puebla adds. As an artist who works best hands-on with tactile tools and materials, Puebla still uses a Mamiya analog camera that
she inherited from her grandfather, as well as a Rolleicord, to complement her digital repertoire of tools. Being highly skilled in one’s craft does not necessarily equate to being a skilled teacher, but some artists possess the natural ability to share knowledge and facilitate learning. Puebla is passionate about teaching and offers personalized classes in her studio and in educational institutions. “What fascinates me most about teaching is the opportunity to transmit the creative process of image-making so that each student can build and tell their own story through their creations,” Puebla confides, “I try to make my classes inspadesmag.com • 209
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interdisciplinary, including notions of art, scenery, cinema, history, and makeup and styling, among other things.” A self-described restless soul, Puebla is constantly thinking about the next photo shoot, often working on multiple projects at a time. “I am driven by the engine of the constant need to create and share my stories through images,” she attests. Creativity keeps her centered and living in the present, so Puebla usually gives little thought to what the future holds. Instead, her journey in photography flows forward unencumbered, as she treats each project with special affection and attention.
“I really fall in love with every project from beginning to end,” she elaborates, “When it is finished, I fall in love with a new idea, and so goes the cycle.” While Puebla’s entire production process can sometimes take weeks, depending on the project, her creative flow involves a balance of focused attention and giving projects time to rest and breathe—coming back after a pause with a fresh perspective. As her creative cycle continues, Puebla is bound to dazzle the senses with new and colourful projects to come.
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“I really fall in love with every project from beginning to end. When it is finished, I fall in love with a new idea, and so goes the cycle.”
NOELPUEBLA
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“What fascinates me most about teaching is the opportunity to transmit the creative process of image-making so that each student can build and tell their own story through their creations. I try to make my classes interdisciplinary.”
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Digital camera bodies: Nikon D810 and Sony Alpha 99 Favourite lens: 50mm f/1.4 Analog camera bodies: Mamiya and Rolleicord Favourite lenses: Helios, Jupiter and Mir inspadesmag.com • 215
P H O T O G R A P H Y BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA
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