Good day fellow photographers!
"10 Quick Questions" is our new format where we introduce and highlight some of the great photographers around the Hive Blockchain. We will release new Episode every Sunday of the week. Make sure to not miss any of them out!
We are finally back with a new Episode of our interview format. In this weeks 6th Episode we had @lightcaptured joining in. An amazing Travel/Cultural/Landscape photographer from Bulgaria. I think I can call Damian already a friend from the interaction over the past few years we had and I'm super happy to share his story with you guys!
Introduction
DH: Hey there! Damian Hadjiyvanov here, a.k.a. LightCaptured, I hope my name brings out for you some positive vibes and great visual memories of vivid pictures. I would describe myself as a pro photographer-crypto-blogger and a citizen of Europe – my beautiful home.
1.) What does photography mean to you?
DH: Now that is a difficult and an excellent question. Until 2013, photography was just a hobby for me. Nowadays, it is my lifestyle or perhaps a way of living as photography teaches me how to see, each and every day.
2.) What is your favourite subject to photograph?
DH: That would be another difficult question to answer, hehehe. I do not want to limit myself within a particular subject but in general, I prefer to make travel and people photos. I love traveling around Europe, there is so much to discover and trust me, culturally there is a lot of diversity on our old continent. Let me mention that I intentionally avoid the most commercial photographic subjects like weddings, fashion, product photography as I want to keep my pleasure doing what I do now. Money should not be the driver of any business, in my humble opinion and I always search for a better balance, if you know what I mean.
3.) How would you describe your photography style?
DH: My friends and clients say that when they see several photos, they could tell which of those are mine. That obviously means I have a style. However, describing it is impossible for me. I just try to develop and learn and tune my skills further. I often find “errors” in my photos and the way I post-processed them just a few months ago. Doesn’t that also mean my style is changing and developing?
4.) What inspires you?
DH: People, their stories and diverse/beautiful places. Sometimes pieces of other arts too.
5.) What is the most difficult part of being a photographer for you?
DH: Probably finding the best home for my photos. The world is changing so rapidly so virtually every month I have to find an answer to questions like, “Should I sell to stock agencies”, “Should I upload to social networks”, “Should I be looking for an extra job”, etc.
Obviously, as presently everyone is a photographer, carrying a decent pocket camera integrated within their smartphones, there are financial challenges for those who decided to make their living only with photography. The reality is I spend the most of my time in front of a screen and probably only about 1% of the time actually pressing the shutter button.
Let me also mention that in order to be a good photographer you have to be in a good physical shape as carrying a backpack with 10 or more kilos of gear and tripod for hours is challenging as well!
6.) How do you educate yourself to get better photos?
DH: There are plenty of great photographic books and tutorials online, most of them available for free. However, I believe the best way to educate yourself is to try to be better compared to your yesterday version.
7.) What kind of gear do you use?
DH: I have several bodies and lenses; I am a huge fan of Canon. While their prices are a bit in the high specter, I have to tell you that I haven’t visited a repair service in more than eight years and that clearly speaks for the quality.
8.) What is your favorite lens and why?
DH: That would depend on the specific subject that I am about to shoot.
For travel – street, landscapes, architecture, events, I depend on 16-35 f/2.8. For portraits, I prefer my prime lens 135 mm f/2.0. For wildlife I usually use my 100-400 mm (it weights almost 2 kilos, only this piece, by the way).
Let’s assume if someone or something forces me to use/have only one lens, I would probably get one 50 mm f/1.2 and use a body that supports shutter speeds of 1/16000 or more!
9.) What is your suggestion for beginner photographers?
DH: Focus on what inspires you and don’t be afraid to shift subjects. Try to find what you’re best at. Do not focus on equipment. Probably 90% of all photographers I met start talking about gear right away and that is so boring. What we should be discussing, are ideas and concepts. Gear is just a function and a tool to execute your ideas and projects. Don’t pile up money to buy gear, rentals are a great option too!
10.) Do you think Hive is a good platform for photographers?
DH: Let me be completely honest here. After being about three years on the platform, I can’t tell for sure yet. Hive has its Pros and Cons. Even if you are the best photographer on the planet, posting your best single photos, one per day will get you nowhere. Unless there are whales who would support you no matter what. Or unless you invest a lot of money. Hive is considered to be a blogging platform, so if you blog about photography then it is a good place for you, probably. What I like about Hive is that it allows you to monetize your passion and good content. What I don’t like is there are so many unwritten rules and stigmas. Moreover, those rules are not applied equally to everyone.
Another side I love about Hive is that plagiarism gets punished here, generally speaking. Presently, there are plenty of platforms based on blockchains that monetize good photographs but the major problem with almost all of them is the massive plagiarism / intellectual theft. I am happy this doesn’t generally happen on Hive. What I also love about Hive is that it is a relatively safe and easy way to enter the thrilling world of the crypto investments.
PF: Thank you so much for taking your time on this 6th Episode Damian - It was a pleasure having you on!
Beneficaries for this post:
50% - Lightcaptured
45% - PhotoFeed
5% - PeakD
©Damian Hadjiyvanov (@lightcaptured) holds all rights on the images used in this post
