Name or know as: Oliver, @olimakes
City Based - Washington Heights, NYC
Instagram: @olimakes
What got you into photography?
I was diagnosed with a health deficiency as a young kid and I was forced to stay indoors most of the time. I was never really allowed to play sports or run around like most people do. This sparked an interest in me to work around not being able to do what I wanted to do with my friends. To express how I felt everything going on and found that visuals can do just that. At first it was an escape from my health situation, but now its an addiction.
What equipment do you prefer?
My main “Run n’ Gun” is my Canon 77D with a 50mm F1.8 lens on it and hit the streets. I really love the way unposed and unexpected photos turn out. There is a ton of rawness and emotions hidden to behind the image and 50mm is amazing at capturing just that.
What do you prefer to work with brands, people, landscape, etc?
To be honest, I love to touch on everything I feel I can share a story with. I started out doing landscape / architecture but soon realized that people have a different feel to the image. Something that might look cool like a sculpture is cool and all but it lacks something very important, which is story. Photography goes hand in hand with story. The image will speak to you and share an emotion. I still love architecture though, but not as much as street portraits.
If you could do a photoshoot with any brand/person in the world who would you choose and what brand use?
If I could do a photoshoot with any brand or person in the world, it would be with Ta-Ku and his Create Explore community. I feel that Ta-Ku has a very unique eye, sound and sense of community.He is the one who really sparked this fire in me to create and shoot.
If you have worked with brands which ones?
I was given the opportunity to work with “The Since 1982” as as model for one of their up and coming windbreaker jackets. Funny enough, I was actually supposed to be an assistant photographer and ended up modeling…
What drives you to be great at your craft?
I believe that what makes a good photographer good is one that is unique and has/her his own sense of style. There is not wrong or right in visual arts or even arts in general, what defines you as an artist is how different and unique you are. This motivates me to be as different as possible and keep on improving every single time I grab my camera.
Who are some people you get inspired by?
I get my inspiration from music a lot. When I go out and shoot, I close out the world and again, Ta-Ku because of his unique eye and taste for photography and music. Ta-Ku has served me as great inspiration and help over the years.
What advice would you give to a new person in the game?
If I were to give just one piece of advice to someone new to the photography scene, it would be to just shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot! Portraits, landscaper, nature, even products around your home. Shooting will only improve your eye and further define what you like shooting. This will also serve as great practice to get your exposures right in different lightings and environments.