Interview with Anton Rodriguez

Message: Hi Anton

My names Rebecca, I am a third year photography student at Canterbury Chirst Church University and am currently working on part of an assignment where I need to contact a photographer and ask a few questions regarding their professional practise.

I have myself been working over the last two years within a tower block in Margate and looking closely at your project at the Barbican-(which is fantastic by the way) and I wondered if I emailed over a few questions if you would be available to reply?

Thank you so much for you time already.

Kind regards

Rebecca Littlechild

(Sent via Anton Rodriguez)

Anton Rodriguez <hello@antonrodriguez.co.uk>	Feb 17

Hi Rebecca,

Thank you, yeah sure feel free to send over some questions.

Kind regards

Anton Rodriguez

antonrodriguez.co.uk

On 17 February 2016 at 11:45, Squarespace <customercare@squarespace.info> wrote:

Email Address: becs.littlechild@gmail.com

Hi Anton

That's brilliant, thank you so very much. 

What do you think of social media as a platform to out put your work? Does your opinion of social media as a platform change from your commercial work to your personal projects?

What style of portfolio do you use for your commercial work and why?

Do you market yourself as a brand, if so, how?

Have you considered contacting galleries to represent you in your personal projects?

What type of camera do you use and does the camera type inform your photography?

How do you meet the people you photograph? (Mainly the Barbican Project)

Do you find being embedded within the community useful for this project and why? Mainly the Barbican Project)

Do you meet with your sitters and discuss the shoot or just arrive on the day? Could you tell me a little bit on how a typical meet/shot would go?

Thank you again for your time Anton, I am currently writing my dissertation around photography in brutal architecture and this will help be a great help. 

Kind regards 

Rebecca 

Anton Rodriguez	Mar 1

Hey Rebecca, sorry for the slow reply, find my answers below.

What do you think of social media as a platform to out put your work? Does your opinion of social media as a platform change from your commercial work to your personal projects?

I think using social media to out put work is great and very important, Its gives your work a wider audience that may have not been seen your work else ware. I use social media for both commercial and personal work, I also gain a lot of new commercials jobs from people seeing my personal work on Instagram,

What style of portfolio do you use for your commercial work and why?

For commercial work I often show my website, instagram and will create a portfolio based on the type of job. I haven’t used a printed portfolio for many years as most of my clients have seen my work previously.

Do you market yourself as a brand, if so, how?

No, I do no marketing other than posting on social media, where I mix my personal lifestyle and commercial imagery.

Have you considered contacting galleries to represent you in your personal projects?

Yes, hopefully with my current project, Barbican Residents, I will be printing a book and doing a few shows.

What type of camera do you use and does the camera type inform your photography?

I Use a DSLR, the camera for me is just the tool. Obviously I use different lenses based on certain jobs but they are all just an extension of my eye and arm.

How do you meet the people you photograph? (Mainly the Barbican Project)

In the Barbican we have a online forum for residents, I put an informal advert online and asked if any residents would like to be part of my current project.

Do you find being embedded within the community useful for this project and why? Mainly the Barbican Project)

Yes, many of the subjections I’ve photographed are creative, or work in the creative industry. Usually we end up chatting for hours before taking any pictures, its nice to speak to like minded individuals and helps the subject feel more relaxed.

Do you meet with your sitters and discuss the shoot or just arrive on the day? Could you tell me a little bit on how a typical meet/shot would go?

I meet them for the first time on the day of the shoot. Usually we will chat beforehand for a good hour or so and talk about the Barbican, their profession and how they’ve found it living in the Barnican, this relaxes the subject and helps them feel more comfortable.

When photographing the subject, I always ask them to sit where they would usually relax, I don’t want the subject to feel awkward. The interview part of the project is done afterwards, I email the resident the questions to answer in their own time.

Anton Rodriguez

antonrodriguez.co.uk

Notes on interview

In reviewing Anton's responses, I find it really interesting that he said he gains commercial work from potential clients seeing his personal work via social networks such as Instagram. This has made me think about how I use my Instagram and how I could use this to my advantage. 

He also shows his Instagram as part of his portfolio along side his website. He said he creates portfolios depending on what type of job it is, however, he has not dealt with printed portfolios for many years. It is good to be mindful that at any point a potential client could ask to see your work and the likelihood is that the internet would be available. I say this for two points, firstly, to ensure that I have work ready, coherent and easily accessible via the net.  But also, in cases such as Instagram, to be mindful what is uploaded as potential clients may have access to this, so it should be kept individual, but professtional at the same time.