Roy Serafin has been a creative, a working creative, for 8+ years now. He is passionately invested in design, photography, and video – also traveling as much as humanly possible.
I hope you’ll enjoy the interview;
How did you fall in love with photography?
I was an art director at an agency (I started my career in design) and when I would send photographers out on jobs, they wouldn’t capture exactly what I was looking for. So I picked up a camera and went out for myself and then the addiction to photography began. A few years and awards later… I still can’t help but love camera work.
How important is having a unique style as a photographer? How would you describe your style?
Oh.. I go for moody edits. I used to like a lot of vibrant colors but as time has gone on I learned that I vastly preferred moody muted colors over vibrant ones. Its key to ahve your own style, but like all art your style changes over time. Mine is currently evolving and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
Where did you grow up? How have your roots influenced your sense of style?
I grew up in Indiana but Northwest Indiana. Its a little closer to a suburb of Chicago than it is an area all its own. It definitely doesn’t feel like the rest of Indiana. I don’t know if they have or not. My parents always told me to do what I want with my life. As long as it doesn’t send me to jail or cause me to be broke, they were fine with it.
What advice would you give to aspiring photographers out there?
Stop using instagram just for likes. The biggest benefit of instagram is not likes and follows, its the community and connections you make within the area you live. If you want to really grow as a photographer shoot with photographers that shoot differently than you do. Creativity pushes creativity.
Have you ever run out of ideas?
Haha, Definitely. I actually was shooting a wedding this last weekend where the weather got in the way, then the night before my alternative indoor location was destroyed (old barn, fell over), the wedding had such a tight timeline that we had to go to a beach which was also destroyed, and at that moment I was so anxious I was going to miss a shot that i couldn’t think of a shot. Luckily that group helped out and we got some great ones anyway.
How do you find places and for your shootings?
I guess that kind of depends on the shoot. As far as locations go, it really depends on what its for. Typically I’ll try and scout out spots the a week or so before we shoot. If its for my own instagram, I have been exploring chicago for years at this point. I don’t know where everything is still, but I have a pretty good idea. Wierdly enough most models reach out to me, I haven’t done a ton of outreach. When I have a shoot for work or something either I contact people I already know or have shot with since its easier on both of us.
What’s the one piece of photo gear you couldn’t live without?
The camera, obviously. I don’t really know how you would take a photo with out some form of camera. The lenses are second and then the gear bag for sure.
Do you edit your photos? If yes, which programs do you use?
Yes! I do occasionally send out for like quick retouching (whiten teeth, blemish removal) if I’m over booked.
We would like to express our gratitude to Roy Serafin for this great interview.
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