Interview With Photographer Tori Buck Of Karma & Effect Photographix
May 8, 2009
Enjoy this artist interview with Tori Buck Of Karma & Effect Photographix based in Huntington West Virginia!
Q: How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
A: My creative process just starts to flow, so many ideas come and go, my camera is one of my best friends, we have a blast together.
Q: Do you like to talk about yourself or your pictures? If yes, about what aspects of photography? If no, why?
A: My photographs, my inspirations…
Q: How would you describe your attention span?
A: When it comes to photography you have my complete attention :-)
Q: When did you decide to become a photographer?
A: Three years ago professionally, always had been a hobby of mine.
Q: What does photography mean to you?
A: Photography is a creative process, it is my life, it is how I express my inner art.
Q: Can you recall the first photo you took that made you go WOW!?
A: Yes, it was a photo manipulation of my daughter in B&W.
Q: Do you have any formal training regarding photography?
A: No, although I am a graphic design major, my graphic design skills has helped me a great deal with photography because graphic design principles are a lot like the principles of photography.
Q: How technical is your photography?
A: My photography can become technical when it comes to my editing.
Q: How do you feel about cropping?
A: I try not too, I don’t want to effect my size because I have it set on my camera and this is the size that I pre-set for many uses in printing and selling my art. I try to keep all of my photos “right on” and centered to avoid cropping.
Q: Where is your favorite place to live and work as a photographer in the World and why?
A: Amsterdam, because it is just a beautiful place and so differ from my world here.
Q: Define the word “beauty”!
A: Something that takes your breath away….
Q: What is your most favorite and least favorite word in photography or life? How do they make you feel?
A: I don’t think I have one really….
Q: How do you feel about missed shots which cannot be recreated?
A: Bummer…
Q: Ever concerned about failure?
A: Actually, no.
Q: Who are your influences?
A: Annie Leibovitz (photographer/artist) , Gia Carnagi (model)
Q: What is your favorite image, either your own or someone else’s or both? Describe its creation or meaning to you?
A: The famous Rolling Stone photo of Yoko Ono and John Lennon by Annie Leibovitz, because it shows just how differ they were as individuals and as a couple.
Q: Describe a day in your personal or professional life.
A: I have a little Starbucks, and start either my classes or start the day be editing or doing a shoot. My life is pretty busy..
Q: What are the biggest personal or professional challenges you face on a daily basis?
A: Getting our name and our image out there…
Q: What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer in whole?
A: My location.
Q: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
A: People, I love people all differ ages, races, and cultures. I find people like a fingerprints, no matter how many differ people you shoot, not one of them are the same.
Q: Tell your funniest, scariest, most bizarre, most touching story from a photo shoot!
A: N/A
Q: Have you ever thought about or actually stopped doing photography? What were the circumstances?
A: No, because there would be no other way I could express myself in an artistic way. My personality strives to be creative and I could never see me stop shooting.
Q: Do you ever have photographer’s block and if yes how do you deal with it?
A: No, I pre-plan and do my homework before a shoot to avoid this problem.
Q: What types of assignments are you attracted most?
A: Portrait Photography and Nature Photography
Q: Describe what black and white photography means to you?
A: B&W photography to me does more to evoke an emotion and freeze a moment in time than any other medium.
Q: Do you think of yourself as an artist and what do you think of the word artist?
A: Yes, I do think of myself as an artist, I think any photographer is considered an artist. An artist to me is some one who creates something artistically, a painting, a photograph, a graphic, etc.
Q: How do you describe your photographic style?
A: Some say they can see a sense of Annie Leibovitz’s style in my photography, which actually did not surprise me, because she is one of my fav influences in the trade.
Q: What has been the most surprising or most predictable reaction to your photographs?
A: The Annie comment above…same answer…
Q: Tell a little secret about yourself that no-one knows …
A: Your kidding? Right?
Q: Who or what would you love to shoot that you haven’t already?
A: Someone like Kate Nash, my top pick would have been Janis Joplin, but not living.
Q: What would you have done differently during your photography career so far and could this be an advice to others?
A: Keep doing what you love to do no matter what!
Q: What are your thoughts on the paparazzi and their effects on photographers and photography?
A: I think it is a shame how they act, it is like an animal preying upon it’s kill, it is revolting. Gives us a bad name and makes us professional photographers look bad to the general public.
Q: How do you feel about digital manipulation and to what extent do you utilize it?
A: I love it, it has endless possibilities. I use manipulation on portrait shoots usually.
Q: What other thoughts would you like to share?
A: Thanks for the invite and for this interview. Much appreciated. It was a lot of fun.
Visit Tori’s photography homepage and MySpace page.
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