Interview with Industry Insider: Photographer Sianon Bado

                         

                                

Name : Sianon Bado of Atlanta based Sianon Bado Photography

Industry: Photography

How did this hobby come about?

I started creating art from my reality. I chose not to limit myself to taking a specific group of photos. Meaning I'm not a wedding photographer, or only take pictures of babies. If it catches my eye, and my camera is around (which it is 95% of the time) then I'm going to capture it and present my interpretation of it.

Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing, and career path?

One photographer that comes quickly to mind is Derek Blanks. That guy is so freaking awesome. His creativity in is Alter-Ego photo shoots are just mind-blowing. He visualizes celebrities interpretations of themselves and makes it addictive. The shots, the editing, the background, everything in his photos look flawless. I love them.

City Hall

Exactly what it is you want to say with your photographs, and 

how do you actually get your photographs to do that?

I want my photos to say “There’s beauty in everything. You are surrounded by art, you just have to notice it. ” Hence the saying, “Creating Art from my Reality”. Not only to do I take the photo that catches my eye, but play around with the colors and shadows to make certain aspects stand out. I want you to see what I see.

  

Clara

What kind of tools do you use for post processing? Tell us about your work flow.

Unless I'm taking photos for a client, I typically don’t upload my pictures for editing right away. But once I do, I edit them on my laptop and then upload them either on my Facebook page and/or my website. I have been playing around with Photoshop but prefer not to manipulate my photos too much because I want the viewer to see what I saw, not what I created. 

How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?

I look at a lot of other peoples photos online. I follow a few fan pages on Facebook and there are A LOT of creative photographers out there. I study the shots they took, the angles they chose, and the lighting (artificial or natural) they used. I get ideas from their photos then refer back to my own and think “next time, I’ll change the shutter speed or stand a little bit closer.” I also remember these little notes during future shoots and they usually help.

Spray

Among your works, which one is your favorite? Why? 

My favorite would have to be SPRAY because I love love love the

colors. And when I look at it I see an endless imagination of the

artist who is about to use them. I think true graffiti artists (not vandals) are so talented because they can take a blank wall and turn it into a mural that just makes you go “wow”. That is so awesome to me.

What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?

Nothing in particular, I just wish I had done a little more research on the business side of things. I kind of just jumped in learning things as I go. Hell, I'm still learning. But I don’t want to learn to much at one time because I enjoy what I do I wouldn't want it to begin feeling like a chore or another college course I have to take. I want to make mistakes and I want to learn from them, not books.

What motivates you to continue taking pictures economically, politically, intellectually or emotionally?

People. I can say I'm somewhat of a private person. I keep certain things about me hidden from the world. So, when someone I know looks at my photos and can’t believe that I took it, it motivates me. I don’t want people to know my talents all at once, because eventually they become bored with you. First people knew me as a writer, now a photographer. And I'm gonna let everyone get comfortable with the idea of me taking pictures and then BAM! I'mma hit them with something else that’ll make them say, “Damn girl, you not famous yet?”  (laughs) 

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For more about Sianon or to book her for an appointment:

Like her Facebook fan Page: 

www.facebook.com/sianonbphotography

or her website: www.sianonbado.com