My name is Mario Tarantino, and I am a professional fine art photographer.
Being a black-and-white artist, I prefer stripping away what I find to be colourful distractions, entirely focusing on the essentials: light, shadow, textures, shape and form.
The principal genres I enjoy photographing are:- architecture, landscapes, street photography and, more recently, seascapes.
In this article, I will share my architectural work.
Now based out of Spain, I have been fortunate enough to make a living following my passion for the still image.
Being a perfectionist who is borderline obsessive translates into my everyday life as an artist.
Everything must be perfect or as close as humanly possible, from camera work to post-production and through to the printing process.
On the one hand, I plan my shoots, taking the time to scout potential locations. I work the scene, exploring different angles and photographic compositions, whilst I also enjoy going out on a photo walk and taking some candid shoots.
Most of my photo creation is done at dawn or dusk, as I prefer working in low-light conditions, which allows for more evocative images.
“Less is More” is one of the principles that hugely influences how I create. My photographic style is primarily minimalist, and my artworks are characterized by their simplicity, use of negative space, and lack of clutter.
Depending on the visual narrative I wish to convey, I will sometimes feature a silhouette, either demonstrating scale or, more particularly, to illustrate how people interact with their surroundings.
I am a Canon user and have been since my first steps in photography. Even though we are very much in a mirrorless era, I still love working with my reflex cameras.
The camera I use most is a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, nicknamed the Daddy Cam. I have added the Canon BG-E20 Battery Grip to it, which allows for added battery life because nothing is worse than running out of batteries or memory cards. It also makes it a bit chunkier, which is something I like.
Besides its robust design and excellent ergonomics, I love its fantastic resolution with its 30.4-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor.
Now, there are faster cameras, but it is pretty quick for my work with its seven frame-per-second bursts.
The second camera, which I call the Baby Cam, is a Canon EOS 600D, certainly not as powerful as the Canon EOS 5D but much more compact and still packs a punch with its eighteen million pixel CMOS crop sensor.
Photography is an art of scale; taking a photo is the first step in the creation process. From there comes the next step, where I spend time on post-production.
This is where my 16″ Apple MacBook Pro is a class act with its ultra-fast processor and true tone screen, enabling me to reveal all the shades, tones, details and textures of the image.
For me, the creative process ends once the photograph is printed by an expert printer, using archival inks on premium fine art papers.
All of my photographs are printed in large format, museum-quality prints. I think fellow photographers, artists, and art collectors know the special feeling one experiences when standing a couple of centimetres away from the print and seeing up close all the different textures, the details in the shadows and the kaleidoscope of tones.
When it comes to lenses, a lot of my work is done using a wide-angle lens, more specifically, a Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM.
I find this lens perfect for both architecture and landscape.
I particularly like its wide, without the heavy distortion of other wide-angle lenses. I also have a Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art lens for going even more expansive.
I love my wide-angle lenses, but my Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM is right up there with them and is always a part of my packed photo kit. What I love about this lens is its versatility, sharpness, speed, and across-the-frame contrast.
The only drawback is the lack of image stabilisation, which can be overcome by increasing the lens speed or mounting the camera on a tripod.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II – I only have one prime lens, and it’s among the first lenses I bought; it is far from expensive but over-delivers for its price. I should think about getting another prime.
It is a highly versatile lens that is fantastic for all types of photography, from portraits to street photography.
It performs well in low light conditions, and I think its bokeh at wide apertures is impressive!
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM – From time to time, I use this lens to get close-ups on subjects that are far away. I am currently working on a new series that focuses on the ocean and all that goes with it. I find it pretty helpful for shooting waves, boats, etc.
Manfrotto 290 XTRA Tripod – I work in low light conditions, which means I am married to my tripods. The Manfrotto is my go-to tripod, and until recently, it travelled the world with me even though it is a bit heavy. It makes it very stable for long exposures and swivels horizontally for look-up shots.
I recently added the Rollei Carbon Compact Traveller to my collection, and what I like about this compact tripod is that it’s perfect for travelling, hiking, and long photo walks.
Manfrotto Pixi – my baby tri, which fits in your pocket and is fantastic when wanting to shoot ultra-low angles. I enjoy using it when doing water shots.
My relentless desire to capture the surreal drives me to keep exploring and creating.
This love of exploration, adventure, and still images has led to some new projects I am working on. I will be launching several photo expeditions in the coming year.
Credit : Source Post
