TPX05: João Guedes – Committing to a Personal Photography Project

Photography Xperiment Podcast

João Guedes of http://joaoguedes.com was raised in Brazil but lives in Canada today. He's been working professionally as a photographer for the last ten years and describes his style as a mixture of portrait, lifestyle and sensual photography. His work is absolutely gorgeous and after committing to a personal photography project, his work was elevated to a whole new level.

Music and movies are his main sources of inspiration and he's been focussed on The Diaries Project for the last three years which will be culminating in a book, hopefully. We cover a lot of ground in this interview with a big focus on the importance and affect of starting and committing to personal photography projects.

A big thank you to The Image Salon for sponsoring this episode of the show.

Here’s some of what we cover:

• Working with advertising agencies and how much creativity will you really have
• Working on ad campaigns can be the most frustrating thing fro a creative photographer
• Why most photographers shoot personal projects or should be
• Why João believes commercial photographers in Brazil have no style
• What is the Diaries Project and why did João start the project
• Does a photographer need a vision when starting their personal projects
• João's past projects
• The regret of using strobes with early photography projects
• Doing personal projects will help you build your own identity as a photographer
• Why it is alright to seek inspiration from other photographers' work
• How The Diaries Project was born
• Empowering women in João's boudoir photography is the last thing on his mind
• Why João doesn't want to be seen as ‘that' photographer who just shoots naked women
• How women are stereotyped in Brazil
• How João's wife reacted when The Diaries Project started
• Photographing naked women with a wife at home
• Pursuing a personal project, financially, despite having little to live on
• Having a photography business is not all glamorous
• How to find your own voice and style
• Why João pursued his personal project despite having insufficient cash flow from paying clients
• Is outsourcing a viable option for your photography business?
• Why João would consider outsourcing instead of doing it on his own
• How João found the models who would pose for his project
• What to consider when shooting your first nude photography session
• How to handle model requests on certain photo nudity restrictions on social media
• The challenges of shooting boudoir photography
• Why João requires his models to be 19 and older instead of 18
• What do the models get out of all this
• Is there a need to have an end to a photography project
• The pressures associated with having your own personal projects
• Why João is not confident about releasing a book showcasing his work
• Scouting the locations for João's Diaries Project and how he finds these places
• How João executes the vision he has for his shoots to get what he wants from each session
• How long it takes to finish one Diaries Project shoot and the number of shots taken
• Treating lighting as an essential part of a photography project
• Future projects for João

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to read your feedback and comments. Was there something from this interview that struck a chord, inspired or motivated you?

Will you take any kind of action after hearing what João had to share?

Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

I just wanted to shoot something that I love and not worrying about money or the pressure of having a business behind it – João Guedes

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask João or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below too.

We have to, at some point, start growing and building our own identity – João Guedes

I never saw myself as a boudoir or a fine art or a nude photographer. I never saw myself doing that – João Guedes

I didn't want to be seen, at that time, as the guy who just jumped from advertising into shooting naked women – João Guedes

I wanted to do something that I would never do and that would push me to, like challenge me – João Guedes

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

João Guedes Website

The Diaries Project by João Guedes

João Guedes on Instagram

João Guedes on Facebook

Episode 164: Nathan Elson – Building a Successful Commercial Portrait Photography Business

Episode 053: Fer Juaristi – Success and Happiness as a Wedding Photographer

The Image Salon

I love to see my work in exhibition, you know, to be shown to different people. I love the idea that I was not getting paid to do that, there was not a business part of it – João Guedes

Equipment:

Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras – Fixed

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening to the show and thanks to João for coming on and experimenting with a new and different format for this photography podcast.

Also, a big thanks to The Image Salon for sponsoring this episode of the podcast and making the show possible. If outsourcing your editing is something you're currently doing or considering, please put the guys at The Image Salon to the test… I think you'll be blown away!

I didn't want just to shoot something I wanted. It should have some meaning for me. It needed to be meaningful and I wanted to achieve something or have a goal – João Guedes

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me, hope everything is going well for you in life and photography!

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew

The post TPX05: João Guedes – Committing to a Personal Photography Project appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.