Perez Studios

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:

http://www.jillcarmel.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacramento-CA/Jill-Carmel-Photography/115606608078

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jillcarmel

Blog: http://jillcarmel.typepad.com

I am thinking of doing something similar with my interviews that I did with photographers and do something geared towards models.  I thought it would be interesting to see what the models experience in their work and see how they have managed to survive the recession. 

I have only worked with a couple of models and plan to interview them as well but I would love to get some feedback from you readers as to what kind of questions you would like me to ask the models. 

If you or someone you know is a model and would be interested in doing the interview then please let them know so we can get them interviewed and published.

Thanks for reading,

Manuel Perez

Seniors, don’t forget to get your Senior Portraits taken.  If you are interested please give me a call at (559) 933-7355 or contact me via email.  We took this photo of these two girls over by the rodeo grounds.  The colors were perfect in the background.  

Senior Portraits are available anytime at Perez Studios.  We can come to you or you can come to us.  Anyplace you want to take your portraits is fine by us.

Recently, I was talking with a teacher at the Dos Palos High School about photography.  She commented about a photographer that has just opened up her own studio in town.  I thought that was great that there are students out there that are given this talent of capturing special moments with their camera. 

Amy Miller is the name of the photographer and Amy if you are out there please feel free to signup and share some of your work and experience.  I always love to hear and see what other photographers are up to.  I know she just finished opening up her business and would love to help you out in any way possible. 

If there are any other photographers that are out there that would love to share their experiences and wisdom with the rest of us then please feel free to do so.  I am always looking for ideas to share on the site so if you have some then please feel free to share them.  I recall doing an article about the war photographer Jonathan Alpeyrie who has done a lot of work in some of the scariest places.  He actually contacted me and had me do a post of some of his work from China.  I lost that post when my blog site crashed.  I hope to get it back up soon.

If you are interested in getting wedding photos, senior portraits and more and you are in Amy’s area or want her to come to yours then contact her about an appointment. 

Amy let me know if it is okay to share your studio information on this site.  I wouldn’t want to do it without your consent.