© Rich Soublet

Meet new APA | SD member and San Diego based photographer, Rich Soublet.

Do you have a favorite podcast?
The one I’m on! Kidding. I’ve gotta go with Armchair Expert. Dax and Monica are great interviewers and always have interesting guests.

What 3 words describe your photography style?
Authentic. Purposeful. Emotive.

What inspires you?
That’s a big question. I draw inspiration from a lot of places. I’ve always had a very vivid imagination so books are actually a great source of inspiration for me.  Movies as well.

People inspire me. How we are able to thrive, often in spite of ourselves and the world around us, gives me a lot to think about and draw on when making images.

What’s your favorite thing about being a photographer?
Meeting new people and getting a chance to listen to their story. Using their story to tell a new one visually. I guess I could have just stories.

When you aren’t making photographs, what other pastimes do you have?
I’ve been a gamer since before there was a word for it. Video games, card games, board games… you name it. Really I like to play in general. It’s something I’ve always held close as being vital to a full life.

You can also catch me fawning over dogs and cats and every other animal I come across.

When the weather permits I like to strap a piece of wood/fiber to my feet and slide down snow covered mountains… doesn’t it sound a bit crazy when you describe it like that?

Meet the talented and inspiring Austin based photographer, Inti St. Clair.

What do you listen to when you’re shooting?
Usually I ask the talent what they’re into. I really believe music has a big effect on vibe and mood. Thankfully, I like most everything, so I can get in the groove with them.

Describe your daily or weekly work habits. (Pre-Covid and currently)
Pre-covid I found myself typically working everyday, only taking a day off here and there. I would make time to workout everyday, but usually only for an hour or so. Now I find myself working out a couple hours a day, and taking weekends off. During the week these days I spend time culling my archives and submitting to stock, marketing to keep myself fresh on the minds of creatives for when a project does come up, and updating my portfolios that are online in various places (Workbook, Photopolitic, Komyoon, etc…)

Who were your biggest influencers?
I’ve had a number of photographer mentors throughout the years. Most of them have retired at this point, but I still value the lessons they taught me over the years every day. Jon Fenigersh, Stewart Cohen, and Johnathan Ross are a few of them.

What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out?
Don’t get hung up on gear, don’t hire staff unless you have to. This has proved true time and time again. Gear can be rented, and I find I do my best work with natural light anyway. Crew can be hired too, and not having staff during recessions really makes it so much easier and less stressful to navigate your way through.

What have been some of the highlights and challenges of your career so far?
A couple years ago I had the realization that I’d reached all the goals I’d set out for myself, which felt incredible. Of course now I have new goals, because if you’re not striving to be better, you’re over, right? The challenges in this job are constant. Occasionally that can be frustrating or overwhelming, but for the most part they keep me going. I love facing a challenge head on; working through it, growing because of it, and succeeding in spite of it. As challenging as photography can be, it’s also constantly rewarding. Photography is never predictable and never boring, and I love that!

What were you doing before you became a Photographer?
I was a chef.

What do you want people to understand about the industry?
It’s constantly changing, and that will never stop. You have to evolve with it if you want to stay relevant and be successful. ALWAYS be shooting. Yes for clients, but mostly for yourself. All my favorite work was self produced.

If you weren’t a Photographer, what would you be doing?
I don’t know exactly what it would be, but I know it would involve traveling the world. I’m not a 9-5 office job kind of girl.

What do you do when you get stuck?
Travel.

Do you have a favorite podcast?
Pivot.

What is your best advice for your peers?
Create community! Photography can be a lonely and isolating career, and it’s so important to create a community you can connect with to get help when you need it, bounce ideas off of, get help when you need it, talk you off the ledge in dry spells, etc…

What advice would you give to yourself if you could go back 10 years? 20 years?
Marketing, not making beautiful photos, is the #1 most important thing you have to do to succeed. Also, I wish I’d gone out on my own sooner.

What is a photographers role now that technology has made it so much more accessible to the masses?
It’s never been about the gear. It’s always been about how it’s used. Yes, there are many more amazing photographers than ever before, but there is no other “you”. I’ve done shoots with other photographers in which we’re essentially shooting the same thing, and yet we all make different images. I love it!

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
Ideally I’ll be getting more international photography jobs.

© Marc Morrison

Meet Photographer and APA | SD member, Marc Morrison.

Who are your top 5 favorites that you’re following on Instagram?
Wow pick the top 5 — that’s a tough one but here it goes

What do you do when you get stuck?
I get on the mountain bike and hit the trails hard. The beauty of riding on rocks and roots is that you can only think about what you are doing at that time. Once you take your mind off the ride you pay the price big time. It’s great to clear your head and ride off last night’s pizza and beer at the same time.

Do you have a favorite podcast?
Oh heck yes about a hundred but a few are: Disgraceland, Crimetown, Heavyweight, Noble Blood and The Ballad of Billy Balls

What is your best advice for your peers?

What advise would you give to yourself if you could go back 10 years? 20 years?
Seize opportunities when they present themselves. I have been incredibly fortunate so far in my career as I have been sent all over the world on assignment. I think of the 20 years of traveling to some of the most beautiful locations in the world — and only a handful of times did I ever build in extra time to be a tourist — dumb, dumb, dumb.  We are not guaranteed tomorrow so you should absolutely make the most of your opportunities.

What do you see yourself doing in five years?
Within the last 5 years we have seen a sizable uptick in requests for motion along with stills projects. Adding a high quality very experienced video production team was one of the best decisions we have made. The ability to respond to so many different creative opportunities should keep us busy for many, many years to come.

© C. Fodoreanu

Meet San Diego based photographer and APA member, C. Fodoreanu.

What is your camera of choice?
I have been using Nikon cameras along the years, currently I’m using a D850.

What do you listen to when you’re shooting?
I usually shoot in silence.

Who were your biggest influencers?
I realize that everything I see, every image I connect with (ie. photography, painting, drawing) leaves a mark on me. I really like anatomical drawing from the renaissance period, such as Andreas Vesalius or Leonardo Da Vinci. I also like photographers who push the boundaries by creating a reality, rather than just depicting it – a good example is the pictorialism movement. I also tend to appreciate photographers who have the human body as their subjects.

What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out?
Follow your instincts. Get to know your camera really well. Don’t be afraid to explore and make mistakes. Be yourself and create art that is true to yourself and not aligned to what is trending at the time.

What have been some of the highlights and challenges of your career so far?
My first solo show in 2011 in Boston, MA during Harvard Arts First festival. Also, having one of my photos on the front and back cover of the yearly UCSD School of Medicine art and literature magazine ‘The Human Condition.’ Additionally, I recently had a number of solo shows at Cornel/Henry Art photography gallery in Arts District Liberty Station in San Diego. I am the co-director of this gallery that I recently started in order to promote emerging local photographers. We are planing to showcase artists photographers who align their style with our vision statement. Besides offering to promote and exhibit for free in our gallery, selected artists also have the opportunity to be showcased online at Artsy, and in our semi-annual upcoming photography magazine ‘Cornel/Henry Sees’. Details can be found here. Also, I am proud to have solidified my online presence with a newly designed website and a strong following on Instagram.

Did you learn through experience, school, other?
I am physician by training, so I learn photography by trial and error. In a way I think that is a blessing, developing as an artist outside of any normative, institutionalized confinements. I remember the first time I held a camera in my hands taking photos of the mountain snow not knowing how to manually advance from one frame to the next, creating double exposures by mistake. Today, my style seems to refine towards long exposures photography, strikingly similar to those incipient double exposures.

When were you first introduced to Photography?
As a young boy, my father gave me an old rustic manual camera. He had been taking family photos with it for the longest time. The photos he took where very influential to me. I started taking photos trying to copy his style. They were all black and white photos of our family and friends.

What 3 words describe your photography style?
Poetry of light.

What is your best marketing advice for your peers?
Be on Instagram and Facebook.