Interview With Modern Children’s Portraiture Photographer Jill Carmel
Today I have the privilege of interviewing the amazing talented Jill Carmel. Jill, I really want to thank you on behalf of myself and all the readers out there for doing the interview.
Perez Studios: When did you decide to become a photographer?
Jill Carmel: I decided to become a photographer when I was 19 and had to choose between becoming a scientist or an artist.
Perez Studios: What does photography mean to you?
Jill Carmel: I believe artists have place in this world – to make it a better place to be through aesthetics or to raise awareness. For me, I’ve found that I can make people lives better and put smiles on their faces through my work.
Perez Studios: How technical is your photography?
Jill Carmel: It is very technical, but I’ve been doing it so long now (nine years) that everything comes almost automatically at this point. I’ve got my technique really dialed in for the look that I love.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about cropping?
Jill Carmel: Cropping is a lot of fun and can completely change an image based on where you want to draw the eye.
Perez Studios: Define the word "beauty"!
Jill Carmel: For me, beauty is that quality that makes you lose yourself for a moment in how good something makes you feel.
Perez Studios: How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
Jill Carmel: Something in me clicks on and I am completely concentrated on what I’m photographing. I lose myself in the moment and forget about everything other than the subject in front of me.
Perez Studios: Who are your influences?
Jill Carmel: There are too many to mention. I gather inspiration from other photographers, magazine, clothing catalogues, design blogs, people, nature…if I see it and it makes something in my head click, I go with it. 
Perez Studios: What are the biggest personal or professional challenges you face on a daily basis?
Jill Carmel: Always being better than yesterday.
Perez Studios: What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer in whole? Jill Carmel: Fighting my own fears, but this is also the most exciting part about being an artist.
Perez Studios: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
Jill Carmel: People
Perez Studios: Do you ever have photographer’s block and if yes how do you deal with it?
Jill Carmel: I look around me on the web, outside, in magazines until something catches my eye and I try to recreate it. By the time I’m done “recreating†it, it’s usually turned into something completely different from the original thing that I saw.
Perez Studios: What types of assignments are you attracted most?
Jill Carmel: Ones with love and interaction. My favorite moments are the “in-between†moments.
Perez Studios: Do you think of yourself as an artist and what do you think of the word artist?
Jill Carmel: Yes. An artist is someone who works to uplift the society through aesthetics.
Perez Studios: How do you describe your photographic style?
Jill Carmel: Fresh, bright, simple and intimate.
Perez Studios: What has been the most surprising or most predictable reaction to your photographs?
Jill Carmel: Crying… 
Perez Studios: What would you have done differently during your photography career so far and could this be an advice to others?
Jill Carmel: I would have had more confidence in myself in the beginning.
Perez Studios: What are your thoughts on the paparazzi and their effects on photographers and photography?
Jill Carmel: They are not artists (per my own definition) so they are not relevant to the world of the art of photography.
Perez Studios: How do you feel about digital manipulation and to what extent do you utilize it? Jill Carmel: I think it’s wonderful because straight out of the camera images do not represent what I see out of my own eyes. I use Photoshop in such a way as to bring pictures back up to what I with my own eyes.
Perez Studios: What other thoughts would you like to share?
Jill Carmel: The more artists there are in this world, the better and I whole-heartedly admire anyone who has the courage to embrace the artist inside of them.
Visit Jill Carmel’s websites:
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacramento-CA/Jill-Carmel-Photography/115606608078
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jillcarmel
Blog: http://jillcarmel.typepad.com
