Yohan Terraza Photography @ Interesting Photographers

Feb

14

2014

Yohan Terraza Photography

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

I use a D700 and a D300s camera. Because of the different subjects I work on, I have to possess some different lenses such as a 24mm f/2,8, 35mm f/2, 50mm f/1,4, 85mm f/1,8 and some zoom lenses like a 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8. I also use a tripod especially for night pictures. No filters, no flash, only natural light except for some fashion shootings.

I also use a photo bag (of course) and good mountain shoes!

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

I use the D700 almost every time. Even if it’s getting older slowly compared to new DSLR, it’s still a very good FX camera. However, it happens sometimes that some pictures are more difficult to do than I would because of the AF and the high ISO noise rendering. Otherwise, this camera is perfect and I use it for 5 years now. A D4 is probably coming in a couple of month to replace it or to replace my D300s.

What is your favourite lens, and why?

Once again, that depends of the subject. For landscapes, my 50mm (yes, my 50mm) is really cool and so is my 24-70mm because it allows me to move my frame on the field when I can’t move myself. Plus, it’s stabilized. I’m not really a “zoom fan” but sometimes, you can’t avoid it.

For fashion and portraits, My 50mm and 85mm are really cool. When you get closer with a 50mm, it can deform a face while a 85mm keeps the things natural.

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

For mountains and other wild expeditions, I carry my 24-70mm and 70-200, my tripod, some compact flash cards, food and my flask.

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

I only use Lightoom.

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

I started photography when I was 27 in 2007. I never touched a DSLR before so it’s been more than 6 years now.

I wanted to take picture of Nature (landscape, lights, atmosphere). Even more, I wanted to capture my own nostalgia with the forests. Nature guided my trough photography and humans keep me in to tell stories with pictures and texts.

I don’t have any secrets in the way I take pictures. I just form a line from the subject and the suggestion I put on it. You know when it works, always.

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

I would say a style that makes you going beyond the scene to find your happiness, no matter the subject is, no matter if it’s in sadness, nostalgia, pure happiness or more.

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

I probably won’t reach it… I simply try to exist through me. Photography, such as writing, is just a way to do it, even if it’s my job.

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

Definitely this one, from the series Sylkho : http://www.yohanterraza.com/sylkho#4 because so many people believed it was the Moon whereas it’s actually the Sun. This pictures was called “This is not the Moon” and, in my opinion, people gave it that name. I like the fact that photography is definitely NOT the really and won’t ever be.

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.

One day, I was working as an assistant for Cyrille Weiner, a great architecture photographer, who told me that a photographer should be able the take pictures of anything. The only link between my different subjects, is my artistic evolution’s vision. I could say I’m a landscape photographer, a human or social photographer or even a fashion photographer, but the reality is I’m a photographer. That’s it.

Are there any photography websites that you visit regularly?

I look at “Show me your Pictures”, “La boite verte”, or all the photographers I’ve subscribed on Facebook and Tweeter. Usually I visit art website, not specially photography website.

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

Patience becomes smile, smile becomes light, light is the subject.

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

Sylvain Norget for his fantastic portraiture work, Constant Formé-Bècherat for his live concert pictures and his project about travelling on his own in Iceland, François Constant for his street photography film work, Cindy Jeannon for her vision of Nature and her positivity in loneliness in the wild which I’m totally agree with, Alexandre Deschaumes for his amazing mountain landscape work, and many more. All this people are real photographers, but all this people are travelers first.