30 Days of Inspiration! Day 29: Gabriel Isak

"Renaissance"

Gabriel on Flickr!

Gabriel on Facebook!

1. Introduce yourself and the style of photography you think best represents your work.

I am Gabriel Isak and I focus on fine art photography where I play around with the concepts of surrealism and symbolism to convey a story in each image. 

2. How did you get into photography?

I received a small compact camera from my father during right before high school, and began to document the external and internal world with it. Soon I began with Self-portraiture and more conceptual photographs and have since then spent a lot of time with photography. 

3. What inspires your photographs?

Anything I experience in the everyday life, music, paintings, my roots in Sweden, psychology, cinematography – I could continue to go on but this is where I find most inspiration for my images. 

"The Flight"

4. Where are some of your favorite places to shoot?

I love shooting on location and my favorite place to work at is anywhere near the ocean. Other than that I enjoy to shoot anywhere in the nature.

5. Do you like to photograph other things, or just your main work?

I enjoy to shoot conceptual photography where I use myself of anonymous subjects in surreal sceneries. But besides the thing I post online, I enjoy to practice to shoot in new territories as well such as in the studio or anywhere else where I practice new techniques. 

"Let Go"

6. What is your favorite photo you've taken and why?

My favorite image I have taken is ‘Let Go’. It was an image I had to reshoot 3 times before I got the final result that I was looking for and was one of the first more conceptual images I posted online. The image is very personal to me and it is also an image I feel that many can relate to. 

7. What do you want your viewers to take away from your work?

I want to give my viewers the opportunity to enter the internal world many of us life in, where they can interact with the subjects and their story and hopefully learn something about themselves and bring it back to their own lives. 

8. What gear do you use? What's your most used lens and why?

I shoot everything with a Canon 5D Mark III and a 50 mm 1.4 

9. Who would you say is your favorite photographer? Why?

My favorite photographer at the moment is Tim Walker. I love the simplicity in his work, yet being so rich in concept and ideas. His style is very versatile and many times surreal – which is two main things I strive to achieve in my own photography. 

10. Have you dealt with any negativity as a photographer, if so, how did you overcome it?

Yes I have, and I would say that it mostly comes from an internal perspective. It is very easy to fall into traps where I don’t think what I do is good enough, and that has caused some negativity into my art at times. However, I feel that it is from those times I learn a lot and keep on going. After all, the biggest competitor I can compete with is myself, and it is my job to gain all the knowledge I am looking for. 

"The Forest Tale"

11. Do you plan on doing anything with your photography or do you shoot just for fun?

 I am currently studying photography at Academy of Art University and have about one and a half year before I will be done. I definitely want to pursue photography as a career, but can also see myself getting into the film world. 

12. Do you have a favorite inspirational quote? If so, what is it and why is it your favorite?

My favorite quote is from Walt Disney – “If you can dream it, you can do it”. I have this quote up on my wall and always look at it whenever I feel less motivated or inspired. We all have big dreams, and we are all able to achieve them if we work towards them and never give up – that is exactly what Walt Disney is saying in this quote that is so inspiring. 

13. What is one experience from shoots that you will always remember?

"A New Opening"

When I shot the image ‘The Battle’ which was a fun experience. I had set up a backdrop in my apartment and did a few smoke portraits. After a while the apartment was filled with smoke that wouldn’t go away, so I opened the windows to air it out. Soon enough the landlord came knocking on the door as neighbors had seen smoke coming out of my room. However, I never opened the door and pretended to not be home and soon enough the smoke disappeared and they dropped it. Just glad I didn’t get into any trouble although it was quite exiting, haha.

14. What would be the best advice you could give to a new photographer?

To produce work continuously whether it is every day, twice a week or a few times in a month. It is the best way to grow as a photographer and find your style. I also find it important to step out of your comfort zone step by step in order to find new techniques to apply to your style and discover something new.