FRANCOIS PISTORIUS

THE INTERVIEW

Where do you call home?

Cape Town , South Africa

Are you self taught or schooled?

Taught through assisting various photographers

How did you get into photography?

A school tour at the age of 17 to Europe
made me fall in love with capturing moments

As you look through the viewfinder, what is the most critical moment in the capture of your image?

Finding an honest moment !

How would you describe your style?

Classic and artistic driven with feeling and sensuality

What do you think makes a truly memorable photo?

Capturing a moment or person without trying to !

What does fashion mean to you?

Personal taste constructed out of moments ,
life experience , weather , mood , color and flair

What’s the craziest/funniest thing that ever happened in one of your shoots?

We dropped a camera in the water
and it kept on working during the shoot !

What photographers from the past or present have influenced you the most?

Richard Avedon , Peter Lindberg , Mario Testino ,
Camilla Akrans , Martin Parr

What has been your favorite photo location or session?

Cape Town , I love working in my beautiful city ,
the light is absolute magic and is never the same !

What type of cameras do you shoot with?

Canon 5dmk2 , anything new I rent for a client shoot.

If you had to choose one lens which one would it be and why?

My 50mm plastic fantastic , it is an incredible
lens to photograph people , fashion , food ,
landscapes and anything that happens in front of me.

What is your favorite photography accessory, other than your camera?

550 Canon Flash

How important is Photoshop in your final images?

Very important , I retouch very natural but love
to tweak an image to the right contrast and feel
to retain my final style and touch to every image.

Do you play music whilst shooting? If so, what are you digging right now?

I shoot on the beach or in nature so I have
Cape Town as a landscape and prefer to be
in the moment and converse with the model
and client. I listen to music when I edit
and retouch.

What advice do you have for somebody who wants to pursue photography?

Be so passionate about what you want to do
that nothing or no one can ever de-rail
you from shooting your next photograph !

What lies ahead for you?

A lot of new work , connecting with bigger
clients , focusing more on portrait projects
and striving to create better images every day !

Thanks a lot Francois!