Arez Prod: Best Single Photo Finalist of 2022 exibart street contest
Dear Arez,
first of all, congratulations! You are one of the 10 finalists of the third exibart street contest in Best Single Photo category. Can you tell us something about yourself and about the finalist picture?
I am a lover of photography and I always have my camera with me like a necklace… this photo was taken during a boat ride in Livorno, I saw the head of Wonder Woman in the boat and I tried to play with the spaces. Mom’s tiredness and Wonder Woman’s face are two sides of the same medal.
How would you define your photographic style?
I don’t know how I would define it… but I hope my style defines me… I am an ironic person.
Have you ever studied at a photography school or are you a self-taught artist?
I studied everything by myself, buying lots of books.
Who are the Masters of Photography who inspired you most in your photographic works?
There are too many, I love Alex Webb.
Do you ever do Street Photography with your smartphone?
No, my phone is not a good camera… but I don’t like the mood to shoot photo with a phone.
“The camera must click immediately when I press the shutter button, because often the x moment can be lost due to a speed problem.”
Analog and digital photography. Do you see these as alternatives to one another or the same thing?
I think the results are not exactly the same, analog photography has something more in the result, and the process from shooting to printing is more beautiful, digital is faster.
Black and white and color. Two different worlds. You decided to go color. Why? Do you ever shoot in Black and white?
Shooting in black and white has different rules than color, over time I have realized that my eyes react faster to color, even if I am color blind.
Do you think Street Photography has a more documentary or more artistic value?
Both are very important; the first can have an extra message and may seem more complete.
When you take photos, do you ever have a theme/project in mind?
I have two or three clichés, but usually, I shoot in everyday life without looking for something.
Do you think there are ethical limits in street photography? Do you think it’s possible to shoot everything and everybody? What is your approach in street photography?
Yes, there are limits but starting from the fact that you have no bad intentions, you can take home what you want by learning to be friendly and helpful to people.
What kind of equipment do you use and what role, in your opinion, does equipment have in street photography?
For the moment, I shoot only with 23 mm(35); I do not use other focal lengths. The camera must click immediately when I press the shutter button, because often the x moment can be lost due to a speed problem.
If you had to choose one lens that you would have to be using for the rest of your life, which one would that be and why?
I think 35mm but 27mm is not bad.
“Shooting in black and white has different rules than color, over time I have realized that my eyes react faster to color, even if I am color blind.”
After shooting, what actions do you take in terms of processing and editing?
The regular light / shadow / contrast adjustments sometimes a small cutout.
Are you currently working on any project?
Yes, I am trying to bring forward two or three different ideas, but calmly.
Which are your favorite photography books?
Hard question. Fabio Ponzio with “East of Nowhere”.
Is there a country or a city that you like to photograph more than others?
That city I haven’t seen yet.
What advice would you give to someone who is starting to do street photography?
Read up, photograph a lot and have fun!
Thank you!
AREZ PROD BIOGRAPHY
Arez Prod, born in Livorno in 1982.
He approaches photography as a self-taught documenting himself everywhere, starting to collect and study books from the great masters of the past to the most modern photographers .. he finally approaches the Street in 2017 fascinated by the possibility of immortalizing a unique moment in the frenzy of urban life trying to introduce a you have an ironic and personal tone. He is member of LEM and is organizer of Pspi festival 2022 in Pisa with his friend Mario Mencacci. In 2020 he reaches the final at the “Istanbul street photo festival”, in 2021 at the “Fujifilm Moment street” and in 2022 was a finalist of Italian Street Photo Festival and top 10 finalist in Exibart Street 2021.
“The name Arez Prod was born when, at the age of sixteen, I approached graffiti (commonly called murals). There was the need to have a pseudonym (given the illegality of the same, it is a common thing in all writers), so I chose the name Arez. It was the name by which all my friends and acquaintances began to call me; shortly after I started producing music and a dear friend of mine started calling me (Arez Prod where Prod stood for the producer) and from there this name has remained carrying it to this day” (AP)
Arez Prod Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arezprod/
