An Interview with Luke Collins

Recently I had the privilege of interviewing and modeling for Luke Collins, the Photography Club president at my school. With much excitement, I met up with my friends early on Thursday morning to get ready for our photoshoot. After morning brunch and small talk about exams, we met him in downtown Tryon, North Carolina. We quickly hit it off, discussing anything from teachers to tumblr. After he took some photos, we finished off the shoot with ice cream and pizza. His artistic vibes carried through to the photos he took, and I'm glad I got to have such an amazing opportunity. You can find a few of my favorite images from our photoshoot and his interview below.

WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

My sister has a similar interest with photography and really got me into it at a young age. I started by taking pictures of literally everything and it just bloomed into what it is now.

HOW DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS?

The landscape around me and the people I surround myself with are huge inspirations for my photography.

WHAT PHOTOGRAPHERS INFLUENCED YOU AND HOW?

The photographer Sam Stoich has been a big influence on me and my photography lately. The way he captures the natural beauty of humans in his images is breathtaking. Brandon Stanton, the owner of Humans of New York, is also a huge inspiration in my photography. I think what he does is beautiful, capturing the various people who roam the streets in New York City (and other places) and telling their stories.

 

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE AN ABILITY TO CONVEY EMOTION THROUGH YOUR WORK, AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

I believe that I do have an ability to convey emotion in my photography (more or less). I like to capture a sense of darkness in my photographs. I do this through various angles that create cool shadows and highlight certain facial features of the people I photograph. Another thing I do is add filters that add to the dramatic effect of my images.

 

WHAT CAMERA DO YOU USE, AND HOW DO YOU EDIT YOUR PHOTOS?

The camera I use is a Canon 70D. For editing, I primarily use VSCO. I try to do as little editing as possible to keep a more natural finish, so the most dramatic thing I do to edit my photos is to add a filter.

 

GIVEN THE TRANSITION FROM FILM PHOTOGRAPHY TO DIGITAL, THIS ART IS NOW EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE A PHOTOGRAPHER. DO YOU THINK THIS HAS DIMINISHED THE ART OR FURTHERED IT? HOW?

It depends on how you look at it. While it's a beautiful thing that more people are becoming aware of photography as a means of expressing themselves, it also comes with the downside of the art being diminished to more of a hobby. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having photography as a hobby, but for someone who sees it and uses it as an art, it is somewhat annoying when people who don't take photography very seriously call themselves photographers. With the iPhone and other smartphones coming with high resolution cameras, it's very easy for one to call themselves a photographer without even thinking of it as an art.

 

BLACK & WHITE OR COLOR? LANDSCAPES OR PORTRAITS? WHY?

I personally believe that both black & white and color are relatively equal. Black & white creates a mood in images that I love, so I guess there is some favoritism towards B&W. I enjoy portrait photography over landscape photography probably just because with photographing people, you can capture any flaw, any emotion, or any detail that you may not realize upon seeing a person.

 

DO YOU WANT TO PURSUE A CAREER IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

Of course. I knew that when I picked up my first camera, I wanted to do something with it and continue doing something with it. I'm unsure what branch of photography I'd like to pursue, but photojournalism probably interests me the most at the moment.

 

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO CONTINUE PHOTOGRAPHY?

Probably my family and just the satisfaction that comes from it. There's something about capturing a specific moment in time that is so beautiful to me.

You can follow Luke on Instagram here.

Thanks again to Luke for the incredible opportunity!

XOXO,

Sadie