Interview

of

Henri Prestes

Others Magazine talks to cinematographer/photographer Henri Prestes about his colorful, moody landscapes, his technical process, and his relationship with photography.

Initially published in Others Magazine print issue 2.

How did you first get into photography? What drew you to this medium?

About five years ago I was working as a cinematographer shooting local commercial jobs when I got my first stills camera. It was a small point and shoot that I would carry around with me everywhere. The main reason I got into photography was to improve my composition skills and visual awareness of my surrounding in all kind of lighting scenarios. Once I started going out at night to take photos I immediately found myself in love with this medium. There was something about it that pulled me in; the ability to have full control of the output, and not having to rely on so many variables like other mediums: it was only myself and the camera and the motivation to go out to explore my surroundings, and the potential to create stories with single still images.

What’s an average day like for a photographer/cinematographer like you are?

On non-shooting days I spend most of the time editing my images and doing and planning harsh weather conditions like fog or heavy rain I try to pay close attention to the weather pre- dictions but most days I usually go out to shoot on an impulse if the weather outside feels out of the house to shoot. Most days I come back with no many interesting pictures but I always en- joy the process itself; the feeling of being creative is something I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of.

“My eye changed immensely mostly due to the amount of visual exposure I had these past couples of years”.

Which keys elements must be present for you when you are creating?

Like I said previously, the weather is an important part of my work; I believe it adds another layer of texture to the images; a sense of drama and mood that I find interesting to explore, so the conditions outside must be right for me to be enough inspired to go out to shoot. I tend to prefer fog or rain or even snow, but lately, I’ve been experimenting with sunnier d ays and clear nights, which require a bit more work to get a certain atmosphere but I’m looking forward to exploring its possibilities in the future. In terms of locations I tend to prefer more secluded parts of the countryside, mostly because those were the kind of places I roamed as a kid, exploring the woods around the small town I grew up in the interior region of Portugal. So I’ve always been attracted to the kind of isolated feeling that’s present on so many of these forgotten places, which I try to explore with my work.

Has your eye changed over the years?

It has changed immensely mostly due to the amount of visual exposure I had these past couples of years, from consuming a variety of different mediums like films and paintings and because after shooting and editing thousands of pictures your eye tends to evolve. Like any other art medium, the volume of work you do and having an open mind to keep learning new things is the key to growth as an artist.

Which lens do you prefer?

I mainly shoot with a 35mm prime and lately, I’ve been using a 27mm, which is becoming my favorite focal length for everything since it allows wider compositions, which I tend to prefer to better show the environment but doesn’t suffer from extreme distortion.

Which color do you gravitate towards the most?

I don’t think I gravitate to a single color or combination of hues; I try to work each image individually and not force a certain color scheme. But at the end of the day, it’s always about warm and cold color temperatures and how they interact together. It takes bit of experimentation and several different versions of each image before I end picking up my final edit.

In terms of your creative process, do you create as you go or set out with a plan?

I tend to create very organically, and my images are not so complex that they require a ton of pre-production so at the moment there is not a lot planning involved. It’s mostly about getting the right weather conditions in the right location and then go explore with the camera, either alone or with people close to me. When I’m on the chosen location, my shooting process is never static, I tend to always keep moving, experimenting with different compositions and angles, and let the culling part of the process to later when I’m sitting in front of the computer.

Do you associate your work with a particular genre of photography? If yes, how would you define that genre?

I don’t think I have a particular genre of photography. My main goal is to present an hint of a possible story with each picture, and the way I enjoy doing it is to try to create images that feel like a merge of painting and photography; by that, I don’t mean I put elements into the photos that were not there or use composite techniques, I simply mean I use more dramatic lighting and saturated color palettes to further push the emotion of a picture. I’ve read someone comment on my recent work as “sad people in colorful landscapes” and even though it’s a funny description, I think it’s somewhat fitting.

Do you have a specific narrative in mind when you are shooting? How do you work around the scenography and colors?

I never have a specific narrative in mind beforehand. When I’m out shooting I’m mostly focused on capturing interesting compositions within the environment or to capture a specific mood and let the viewers create their own narrative when they see my pictures.

The colors and light present on the scene I think of them as a base, almost like a sketch that I push further in the editing, so a lot of my images might not have the most realistic lighting and color as I feel that it’s not always needed to create an emotional impact, in fact, a bit of surrealism can add a powerful effect to a mostly grounded image.

How did you make the image below?

I was exploring some woods at night in the outskirts of a Portuguese village when I noticed this strange light that was coming from a cabin in the distance. And even though I felt a bit nervous to be spotted I knew I had to take a photo. I set out my tripod and took a few long exposures. This particular picture was a 10 second exposure, and I edited it in Lightroom. I shifted the tint and temperature to the colder side and used a few local adjustements to bring out the texture of certains areas like the water puddle and the ground plane. I played with a couple of color variations until I ended up with a greener version, that to me represented the otherworldly feeling of the place when I was shooting it.

Where would you like to see your photography take you in the future?

In the nearer future, I’m planning on releasing a book featuring most of my work these past years, after that I’m not sure what I would like to do, the only thing I know for certain is that I want to be constantly improving and pushing myself further creatively, whether in photography or any other art medium that allows me to tell stories.