The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Photographer perfects his art
LITCHFIELD — It all began rather inconspicuously for Andre Oliveira, owner of Masterolive Studio — Photography by Andre Oliveira, on West Street in The Parlour Town.
He wasn’t even thinking about a career in photography as a teenager. But since being asked by his supervisor at a community garden he was working at to take photos of the property, it’s been nothing but beautiful images for Oliveira.
“I started in 2008 when I was about 16. That summer I was hired to help work at a community garden,” he said. “A supervisor asked if anyone knew how to work a camera, I was bored out of my mind so I said I could, despite not knowing a thing about it. But I was a tech kid so I had that on my side.”
With a strong dose of serendipity, the supervisor working with Oliveira was a board member at a local art studio, Riverz Edge Arts in Rhode Island. He and other board members liked the young man’s photographs so much that he was offered a full-time job taking pictures in the studio. The rest, as they say, is sweet history.
“Apparently, I had a good eye, but I technically wasn’t a real photographer,” Oliveira said. “I accepted the job anyway. In a trial by fire, I taught myself about photography on the job alongside other photographers with zero experience, and remained on staff full time as their main shooter before I turned freelance.”
Oliveira’s main interest as a young man was a desire to direct movies.
“When I became a photographer, the industry had just begun to feature video capabilities in their highend DSLR cameras,” Oliveira said. “For the first time, I realized I could apply what I know to get a good photo and simply push ‘record’ instead and have a cinematic video that would otherwise be a portrait image. I loved how I could dabble between those art forms on the same device and from then on it became a true art form for me as opposed to a job.”
Oliveira considers his specialties to be studio portrait photography, and he also enjoys “street” photography. “But, overall I see my photography as an art with my own style, so if someone likes my style and wants it for another genre outside of portraits I would happily do it.”
He earned his CPP degree through the Professional Photographers of America, a distinction held by only about 5 percent of all professional photographers. He also became an executive board member of the Connecticut Professional Photographers Association, and remains on the board. He offers private instruction at his studio.
When asked how he has grown as a photographer, Oliveira said it was a difficult question to answer. “Great photography is part of a long process that doesn’t really end. I guess I’ve reached a point where I realize that. I will say that I’ve grown to appreciate film and Polaroids since you don’t have to edit or upload them online,” he said.
Oliveira began his photography career in a studio, so his work was used to archive art, showcase Tshirt graphics with models to be put on websites, and covered public events around Rhode Island that appeared in newspapers between 2008 and 2010.
“My work has always been well received, I care a lot about business relationships and setting expectations so everyone stays happy. I’ve been featured in a popular online camera news site called Peta Pixel,” he said. “I’ve had people request my services across the country, and I’ve had the opportunity to visit Japan and South Korea.”
Oliveira shoots almost every day. Previously a Nikon shooter, he switched brands and upgraded to a mirrorless camera designed by Sony called the “Sony A7iii.” “I switch between their 24-105mm GOSS lens and a Sony 16-34mm by Zeiss, depending on the type of job. In the studio, I use all wireless xplor 600s strobe lights by flashpoint, with an arrangement of diffusers for signature looks. They are also battery powered so I can bring them anywhere I go,” he said.
As for the works of others, Oliveira said he “admires anyone who creates an image that makes me second guess my own work, forcing me to raise my bar or understand how to accomplish the same thing or make it better.” He continued, “My influencer is not a photographer but more of a brilliant mind, this person is a legendary videogame director named Hideo Kojima. His excellence in quality and unique mind for art and storytelling has inspired me since I was a kid to this day, I’d love to someday be in a similar position that inspires other creators to push their talents above and beyond.”
As for why he has decided to open a studio in Litchfield, which he did in the Litchfield Marketplace on the same day as the town’s 300th anniversary celebration on May 19, Oliviera explained, “I spent the last eight years traveling everywhere, between my parents’ ministry in Haiti and my wife’s family music ministry. This year we decided to settle down close to family here in Connecticut, so considering this was a permanent move, (and I’m originally from the Northeast, born and raised in North Smithfield, Rhode Island) it felt right to officially establish myself in my home region. Litchfield is a wonderful town and I love West Street, everything just fell together. The location offers a more relaxed scene and a good client demographic without the intensity of say, being a photographer in New York.”
Litchfield is known as a town that appreciates and takes its art and culture very seriously. Andrew Oliveira’s new photography studio should only enhance that appreciation among its residents.
Visit www.masterolive.com for more information.