Photographer's Corner...
Interview With Roque Corona...
Interviewer from the Digital Secrets Team
DPS: Thank you very much for your time today Roque. Firstly I’d like to start off with saying how impressed I was with your photo. Can you tell me where the photo was taken? Place, country…
Roque: The photo was taken down in Miami, Florida, right on South Beach.
DPS: How did you come about to take this picture? For example, was it a planned holiday to take this shot specifically, or was it a spur of the moment thing on a day trip?
Roque: I’d been planning to take a sunrise photo on Miami Beach for a while, and since I lived in Miami at the time, I decided to wake up early one morning and take a drive down to the beach. I got there just as the sun was rising and snapped a few shots, including this one.
DPS: So how is it that you capture the sun full facing, and not have the sun actually overexposed?
Roque: Well, for the most part, the clouds covered up the sun. Also, it was early morning so the light wasn’t that intense. But besides that, I used a faster than usual shutter speed, as is evident by the darkness of the ocean surface.
DPS: Did you use a filter for the shot? If so what kind?
Roque: No filters were used. Even if I wanted to use a filter, my tiny camera couldn’t fit one. It just goes to show that even a tiny digital camera can capture amazing photographs.
DPS: Did you use a tripod for this shot?
Roque: Although I was using a relatively fast shutter speed, I did use a tripod. I wanted to try and center the subject as well as possible, and the tripod was the best way to do this.
DPS: What time of day was it taken?
Roque: Early morning
DPS: What kinds of conditions did you work with on the day? (ie cold, windy, hot.)
Roque: The weather really didn’t effect anything for me that day. It’s Miami, so it’s always hot. If anything, I had more trouble keeping the tripod steady in the sand. That was really the only problem I had to deal with.
DPS: What is your experience with different kinds of filters for daytime landscape photography? For example do you find working with an ND filter better than a standard polariser?
Roque: Honestly, I don’t really use filters. I’ve been able to get the shots I’ve wanted to get without the use of filters for the past 4+ years, so I never really invested in any.
DPS: What types of photography do you find easy/hard to work with?
Roque: I find it the hardest to work with nature photography. I just couldn’t ever get a good shot, I guess. On the other hand, I love to work with landscapes. Nothing moves in a landscape. There’s nothing to follow. You just have to find the write angle. The slightest move to the left or right can make or break your photo.
DPS: Do you find that photography and a sense of adventure go together? Do you find that a successful photographer needs this to get good shots?
Roque: Absolutely not. It might help if you want to get adventurous shots, but if you’re taking pictures of fruit, you don’t need to be that adventurous.
DPS: How did you develop your interest in photography?
Roque: My dad bought a digital camera back in 2000, and I started messing around with it and started liking it. After a few years I decided to buy my own camera and since then I’ve really enjoyed it.
DPS: How did you learn photography? Informally or formally?
Roque: Informally for the most part. I took some classes in high school and college, but I didn’t learn much. I thought to myself, “Can you really teach art to someone?” I figured that you either got it, or you don’t. I’m not saying I have “it” but I don’t think “it” can be taught either. I learned a lot just by practice. After I bought my first camera I spent all day reading the manual and playing with the shutter speed and aperture settings. That’s the only real way to learn, I think.
DPS: What are your favourite types of photos? I.e. nature, landscape….
Roque: I try not to choose a favorite, but I tend to shoot landscapes more than any other.
DPS: What has been your most memorable/favoured experience in photography?
Roque: Though it may sound weird, probably moving up to New Jersey. I spent my entire life down in Miami, Florida, where all I saw were palm trees and beaches. New Jersey gave me mountains, hills, forests, wildlife, etc. It was a great experience.
DPS: What’s the secret to successful photos?
Roque: I don’t think there’s really any one answer to that question. It’s subjective. Some people might say that a successful photo is carefully thought out and measured for accuracy, in the way that Ansel Adams photos were. Others might say that spontaneity creates successful photos. What I learned in my photography classes at FIU is that it’s best not to overanalyse a photograph. Just take it for what it is and decide whether you like it or not. Once you start defining what makes a successful photo, then photography loses all meaning.
DPS: Tell us a little about yourself. ie where you live, how often you do photography, what photography gives you as an individual, what inspires you.
Roque: I’ve lived in Miami, Florida for most of my life. Right now I haven’t been taking much photos, but I used to do it almost every day. Photography gave me a way to release my artistic side. There was a point where I wanted to major in photography, but I realized I don’t need a degree for that. I don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to become a photographer.
DPS: Thank you very much for your time.
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