Nick Tippmann
I first met Alvin while on the first PhotoWalk put on through Google+. It also happened to be my first ever experience around photographers and the art in which I’ve grown to love. Alone that one day I learned more in just those few hours than I’ve learned my whole life. Alvin was a big part in that as he helped me with random questions I had, even though I only had my HTC MyTouch4G(Taking photos with) and my Motorola Xoom(For all the notes.) Since than we’ve been on more PhotoWalks together and I knew I had to interview him not just for me, but for others to be enlightened by him as well. So we sat down for our Beyond The Lens feature and here it is.
1. Tell us a quick back story as to whom you are and what you do
My name is Alvin Toro (a.k.a Japho). I’ve been pressing the shutter release for about 20 years and started doing it commercially around 10 years ago.
2. What was your original interest in photography? Was it a photo you saw or a photographer who got you into it
My dad is an old large format film shooter, so camera gear was always laying around the house. But it was my obsession of freezing time and creating visual record of my memories that pushed me into grabbing a camera.
3. Do you do this full time or as a hobby and have another paying job that you do
It’s really a hobby. I just happen to get paid for it once in a while. I shoot photo & video full time and really look forward to doing absolutely nothing else for the rest of my life.
4. Your favorite thing to shoot, and location
My favorite things to shoot still to this day are those snapshots that make life worth living. They really don’t have a place or a name. Occasionally I’ll be lucky enough to have a camera in my face when they happen.
5. What is your dream shot(model, location, event, etc) and why
I would really, really love to make a portrait of Cher, in full diva outfit, while suspended through the air with cables, in the middle of one of her Cirque themed performances in Vegas. Why? Well because it’s Cher, she’s cool, and it’s never been done.
6. Do you think with the recent improvements of mobile devices such as the iPhone and Android phones that they’ll ever replace the point and shot cameras
My phone IS a point and shoot with a SIM card. So for me that day came and went. Last point & shoot purchase was circa 2008.
7. With the likes of Cannon and Nikon having the ability to shot from your iPhone/iPad/Android phone do you think it’ll help people get into photography more with DSLR’s or do you think they’ll just stick with their mobile phones
It depends on what you’re after. Commercially speaking it’s still hard to walk on set with nothing but your phone. Although you can make great images with them, they still lack some of the more advanced functions/features that allow a photographer to translate what’s written on a brief to the image the client is looking for. For personal use I think converged devices like phones are a great tool to make beautiful images and should not be underestimated. I know there is a lot of hardcore debate against the subject but I’ve seen enough people blow my mind with their phone-tography to know better.
8. What phone do you have and your reason(s) to that over another model. Also, how much do you use that phone when it comes to shooting. IE, help find locations, prep shots, etc
I’ve been an iPhone/Instagram user since each came out mainly because of the eco-system built around them. The phone is my visual diary and I make more images with it than what I talk/text/browse combined. Although in my view I’ve always seen the iPhone’s closed software/hardware architecture vastly superior in terms of ease of use, app availability and 3rd party accessory support, I recently got my hands on a new Nexus and have been slowly migrating out of all things Apple. I really feel for the first time Google has a very worthy competitor to iOS with Ice Cream Sandwich and the seamless integration to all the Google services was just too sweet to live without.
9. What do you mainly shot with? Camera(s)+Lenses
DSLR wise:
If I had to brake it down to percentage on DSLR/lens usage it would probably look something like this:
D7000/Nikkor 50mm 1.4G 80%
D7000/Nikkor 85mm 1.4G 10%
D3S/Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8 & 70-200mm 2.8VR II 10%
Phone wise:
iPhone 4 with Instagram
Nexus with Pixlr-o-matic
10. What tips could you give to people who are just starting out and wanting to get into photography
a) F$%& the gear. You need a fancy camera to make a good image as much as you mom needs a fancy stove to make a good meal.
b) Don’t pixel peep. You have a lot more useful things to learn than your gear’s DxOMark rating. (and if you don’t know what that is, don’t worry. It has zero bearing on the content quality of an image)
c) Stay away from photography forums. Specially DPReview. Best way to learn is by shooting and from other photographers that are also shooting. Go on photowalks, assist other photographers, hangout at your local camera store, etc.
d) If you are still serious about taking forum advice, look at how serious that person is about THEIR work before you decide to take their advice seriously.
11. Where can we find you? Websites, Social Networks, Locations as to where you mainly shot, etc
My home is at G+: http://gpls.me/alvintoro
My Instagram feed: http://instagrid.me/alvintoro
