INTERVIEW
Landscape photographer Danilo Faria describes his love of the outdoors and capturing his creative vision
This month, Arizona-based photographer Danilo Faria showcases his extraordinary North American landscape shots and discusses his signature style
Many North American landscapes are iconic for their expansive skies and vast, unbroken horizons, and Arizona-based photographer Danilo Faria (defariaphotography.com) manages to capture an intimate portrait of even the wildest of locations. Known for his signature high-contrast style, Danilo’s work takes the viewer on a tour of both well-known and remote locations, perfectly conveying awe-inspiring scale and delicate natural beauty. He spoke to DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHER about the motivation behind his artistic approach and how he is able to seek and capture true character in his scenic subjects.
WHAT GOT YOU STARTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY?
I was born and grew up in Minas Gerais, Brazil, which is where my love for photography began, but I have been living in the US for over 18 years. As a child, my dad and I would take pictures on vacation with his simple pointand-shoot Kodak camera. Back then that is all we had – equipment and film was too expensive, but we made the best of it, and so my passion began. Photography is my escape – it takes me to incredible places and is where I can express my creativity. When the DSLR revolution happened, I was able to justify the investment and never looked back. In my fulltime day job I work as a systems engineer for a biomedical company.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SUBJECTS TO PHOTOGRAPH AND WHY?
Landscapes are definitely my favourite. I love the solitude and peace the outdoors and super remote areas provide. Nature gives us incredible things, and photography is an ‘excuse’ to get out there, capture those beautiful moments and share them with other people. Recently, I have started storm-chasing throughout the American Southwest – it is quite an adrenaline rush to see the monsoon storms crashing into the Sonoran Desert. I occasionally shoot architectural locations.
HOW DOES YOUR APPROACH TO COMPOSITION DIFFER BETWEEN YOUR WILD LANDSCAPE AND CITYSCAPE IMAGES?
I do not have very rigid composition rules, however when shooting landscapes with wide angles, a good foreground is imperative in my view. Once you zoom in with telephotos, that becomes less important. The rule of the thirds might be the only one I use a lot, but it is natural and I never force it. I usually shoot various compositions at each spot, because it is much easier to choose the best composition later on my computer screen. For cityscapes, I tend to either do panoramic images or long exposures, to express moving time. I really like symmetric buildings and think they make great subjects.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC STYLE?
I definitely do not have a straight-out-ofcamera style, however I do think you should shoot images as close as you can to your final vision. I learned that the better my image is straight out of the camera, the less time I need to spend in post-processing. Overall, I like vibrant colours and I tend to photograph during the golden and blue hours, or when I think I have the best light. Usually I research the best time of the year for the locations as well.
HOW MUCH PROCESSING DO YOU USUALLY APPLY TO YOUR IMAGES?
All my images are post-processed to some degree; my intended goal is to start with a photograph and transform it into a visual art creation. Nowadays, post-processing is as significant as any major characteristics of an image. Of course it is very important
to compose/expose well straight out of the camera, because that will make postprocessing much easier and faster. In postprocessing, I place my style on my images, bringing my vision and creativity to life. It varies from image to image – sometimes I post-process heavily, sometimes I like it more natural. My most common edits are individual colour enhancements, saturation, sharpening, black/white balance and shadows/highlight adjustments. I rarely do global adjustments, I like applying effects locally.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE AS A PHOTOGRAPHER?
I have been featured in a few publications, have participated in several exhibitions in Southern Arizona and have been a finalist of the prestigious Arizona Highways magazine competition. However, my proudest achievement is inspiring people. It is a great feeling when people come to you and tell you that you inspired them to go out more, respectfully explore nature and go to places they otherwise would not have seen or even dreamed of going to. Recently, I had a person contact me from Israel and tell me I had inspired her and her family to visit the American Southwest, which they did. This meant a lot to me.
WE NOTICED THAT YOU COMBINE AUDIO AND VISUAL MEDIA FOR YOUR WEBSITE PORTFOLIOS. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH THE VIEWER?
I love music and every time I am working on my photography I am listening to music and trying to make a connection. I often title my images after song names or lyrics. For me, all art fields are connected – it brings me peace to listen to a good song while looking at an image of a beautiful location, through a photograph. My favourite band, Pink Floyd, was one of the first artists to explore the concept of exposing the senses to multiple art channels simultaneously, and I love that concept.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE IMAGE FROM THE SELECTION YOU SENT US AND WHY?
Life in the Fast Lane – this image was taken in my home country of Brazil. It was one of the toughest, most remote day hikes I have ever endured. However, at the very end, you come across this incredible waterfall, with mossy walls and a beautiful water flow. It is one of
“My proudest achievement is inspiring people”