Bill Gekas Photography

www.billgekas.com

www.500px.com/billgekas

www.1x.com/member/billgekas

www.facebook.com/billgekas

 

 

What kind of equipment (camera body, lens, filters, flash, tripod, cleaning equipment other) do you use?

 

Currently I’m shooting with a Pentax K5ii dslr, an assortment of prime and zoom lenses, a number of manual  speed lights, a studio strobe and many different types of light modifiers from soft/octaboxes to grids and everything in between. Despite all the gear at my disposal I generally favour a one to two light setup which in most cases is a soft/octabox and white reflector.

 

What do you like and dislike about your equipment, specially your camera, and how would you improve it?

 

I’m not a fan of cameras and all their accessories, they’re just tools and the main obstacles in the creation process. The only tool that I can complain about and would like to improve is the one that sits between my ears!

 

What is your favourite lens, and why?

 

My most used lens is the DA16-45/4, a medium zoom equivalent to a 24-70mm. It’s versatile, sharp and compact and works well at the apertures I’m known to do most of my work at. For shallower DOF work I can’t go past my FA50/1.4, used correctly and with the right shoot it’s a gem of a lens. A fast fifty should be in every photographers bag!

 

When you travel, what is in your essential photographic kit bag?

 

The minimum I’d travel with would be my camera, DA16-45/4 and FA50/1.4 lenses, a couple of speed lights, shoot thru umbrella and 5 in 1 reflector.

 

What kind of software/tools do you use for post-processing, if any?

 

Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop are the post processing tools I use. Any cropping, pre-sharpening, white balance and cataloguing are done in Lightroom and then I’ll use Photoshop for finer retouching and selective adjustments where necessary.

 

How long have you been taking photographs? How do you find inspiration? How do you take your pictures?

 

I started playing with cameras and photography since the 90’s shooting and developing b&w film but more seriously in the last 4 years or so refining my stylistic approach to portraiture. The internet provides inspiration only a few clicks away but I also find a lot of inspiration from the unfamiliar and am a fan of foreign films.

 

Which style of photography do you like the most, and why?

 

I enjoy and respect all genres of photography but portraiture with a fine art aesthetic is what it’s all about for me. Having the end viewer connect to a subject that is a complete stranger to them is where your standard portraiture transcends into something a lot deeper, it’s almost a surreal experience when it’s achieved.

 

What goal are you working towards within your photography and when will you know you have reached it?

 

My personal immediate goal in photography has been always to have the freedom to create what I want, how I want and when I want without the pressures associated with the commercial side of photography. Fortunately I have that freedom in my own personal body of work and although the end goal is to master the art of photography, it’s a lifelong journey where the goal post moves past the horizon once you think you’ve come closer to it as questions answered create a whole set of new questions.

 

Looking at your own work, which piece is your favourite? Why? Please provide a link to the picture.

 

My image ‘Pleiadian’ http://500px.com/photo/6998787 is probably my favourite image and one that has been awarded and has graced the covers of photography magazines worldwide. The expression of the subject, the play of colors and lighting all work together to produce an image which demands a second look.

 

Does your work fit into any one or more distinct genres (nature, landscape, long-exposure, black-and-white, infra-red, urban, artistic, macro, vintage, vernacular, social, street)? If other, please specify.

 

My work has been categorized as fine art portraiture although I’m content with it just being called portraiture.

 

Are there any photography websites that you visit regularly?

 

Amongst all the noise on the internet it’s sometimes a struggle to find works that stand out but I’ve found the curated section of the 1x.com gallery a website I visit almost daily. The selection of works across all genres on 1x.com are at the top of the game and a source of inspiration for many amateurs and seasoned professionals.

 

What is the one most important lesson that you have learned since you started taking photographs?

 

Be your own worst critic!

 

And finally, what other interesting photographers would you like to see in this blog?

 

I have a lot of respect and admiration for the works by photographers Erwin Olaf, Dan Winters, Eugenio Recuenco and it would be great to see them featured here.