Today we’d like to introduce you to vo_lare.
Thanks for sharing your story with us vo_lare. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My love for photography started at a young age. I must have been twelve, or so, when I first started experimenting with a camera. I remember roaming around the gardens around my house, at night, looking for something “worth” photographing. Then I came across a pink lotus flower. My surroundings were so dark, the camera of my first gen iPhone almost didn’t even pick up the lotus. So, I did the most immediate thing I could think of: turned on the camera’s flash function.
The flash ended up reflecting off the lotus flower, creating an artistic effect of vertical, pink lines laying over my photo of the lotus flower. Somehow, with the fluke of luck I had managed to capture a unique photo.
Since then, I picked up photography recreationally. I began with an avid interest in macro photography and flora. Gradually, I became interested in capturing landscapes with a film-still-vibe. I experimented with the latter when I traveled to New York City for the first time as a foreigner.
Now, I am interested in growing my skills as a film photographer. I think, as a photographer, being able to capture, and create “a moment” is the most fulfilling feeling. I always tell my models to wear whatever they feel most comfortable in, so that I can capture them in their most confident, comfortable state. Ironically enough, I have found that beautiful people are also the most camera shy. So, to me photography is about finding a way to connect with someone (or a group of people) and help them find their “beautiful.”
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Photography with a 35mm film camera is challenging because you can’t immediately see your photos. So, you may not realize your camera settings have over, or under, exposed your film until it has been developed. By then, Photoshop can only do so much to correct exposure. To make things harder on myself, I love shooting my subjects in low-light!
Basically, without all the technical jargon, operating a film camera can be tough. All my life, I relied on preset functions built into my digital camera and camera phones. That’s why I wanted to pick up film photography, and force myself to embrace the difficulty of the art, but it comes with setbacks and road bumps.
In the beginning, I had amazing shoots where I thought the photos would “for sure come out great.” And sometimes the exposure was so thrown off, 80% of the film would be unusable. Those moments taught me that every shoot is a learning experience, and skill doesn’t develop over night. It also taught me that the most important thing in a shoot is the vibe because even if only 20% of Shoot #1 useable, good vibes almost always result in Shoot #2.
Please tell us about vo_lare.
I started a professional Instragram account to learn, explore and showcase my film photography. All of the content on there is taken with my Olympus OM1 film camera. Choosing models is definitely the most difficult, and most important, task I plan my shoots.
What sets me apart is the aesthetic that I bring, I am very inspired by effortless style and passionate people. I love being able to capture someone’s joy when they talk about the apparel brand they started in their college dorm room, or their love for music, or their vision for their new startup. Sometimes it’s the way someone’s eyes light up when they talk about a person they love. That’s what I love the most about photography, being able to immortalize passion in a fraction of a second.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Going to the beach with my parents. We live by the beach, so we used to go often. I remember walking by the sand holding my parents’ hands. The view was beautiful, we loved watching the sunset. Whenever I visit home now, my parents and I visit the seafood restaurants along the beach. We watch the sunset and listen to the sound of the waves over dinner – it’s our favorite family pastime.
Contact Info:
- Email: volare818@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vo_lare/?hl=en
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