LPB Spotlight: Constantin Cerdan
March 11th, 2008, by Tom
It’s been almost two months since our previous Spotlight*, so it’s about time for another one: Constantin Cerdan of Ilikephoto.
(* if you have any recommendations for people you would like to see here, get in touch)
Tell us a little about yourself
My name is Constantin Cerdan, I’m 22, and am originally from Zürich, Switzerland but have been living and studying in London (South Kensington) for the past 10 years. I’m currently doing a foundation in Photography at the London College of Communication which I hope will take me on to a degree. Being a student I earn my money through jobs that work with my schedule such as catering or bar-work.
When did you get interested in photography?
As a child, I remember thumbing through my father’s vast collection of National Geographic magazines and being fascinated by the images and as a result I have always been aware and appreciative of photography for years. Oddly enough though, in spite of my inclination towards the ‘visual’ I never showed any interest in having a camera or trying to capture my own images until I began to take an interest in cinematography. It was only after I had completed a course at the New York Film Academy that I began to take an active interest. Although they were two of the best months of my life, something didn’t feel right. I recall being more concerned about the shot, what it conveyed and whether it had any symbolic meaning to it and used drastic lighting and colours in my Mise-en-scene and throughout most of my projects. So, I purchased a Fuji Finepix S9500 Zoom, started experimenting and eventually (rather quickly mind you) fell in love with photography.
When and, more importantly, why did you start photoblogging?
29th of May 2006 was the day I posted my first image; so that would make it roughly two years. I started photoblogging because I was inspired by Kathleen Connally. I had been following her site for roughly a year after stumbling across it and was fascinated by what she was doing with it and how she was progressing as a photographer. Wanting to do the same, I had mine up and running roughly one week after I purchased my Fuji. That aside, I did this because I felt it would give my photography a sense of purpose and belonging as well as wanting as many people as possible to see it. I like feedback, in anything I do.
Can you describe the style of your photoblog?
Initially it would have fallen under the urban category as I mainly took photographs of inanimate objects, buildings, etc around London, often at night. It is now a mix of landscape, portraits, street and whatever else I choose to photograph. I post a photo every so often, some months I don’t post at all; it depends on how often I get around to actually taking photographs.
What has your blog brought you so far?
My blog has brought me what I intended it to bring; a place for my photographic work, which also doubles up as a learning forum and a timeline for my progression in improving myself as a photographer. It’s also given me an identity in the photography world, something that is mine that nobody can ever take away.
What camera(s) do you use?
I use the Canon 5D with the Canon EF 24-105 F4L IS USM and Canon EF 70-300 F4.5-5.6 IS USM lenses. They are my children.
Which tools do you use for post-processing, and do you use a lot of post-processing on your shots?
For post-processing I use Photoshop CS3. I keep my processing to a minimal as I’m very much against distorting and processing it to such an extent that it’s no longer true to the original. Through various tools I mainly adjust overall contrast and colour tones.
Do you ever have any lack of inspiration and, if so, what do you do about it?
Of course. Sometimes it varies from not being bothered to actually going out and doing photography to being frustrated at the end of the days’ results. However, I wouldn’t say that I lack inspiration in the sense that I often find myself unable to capture or notice something that is visually worthwhile. I draw my inspiration from the world around me, and depending on what it chooses to reveal to me day to day influences how creative and confident I feel about my work. I enjoy stepping back from trying to photographically force a creation and instead simply capture what’s presented to me, allowing all the elements to fall into place as an observer, without interference, from my point of view and way of seeing things. I mainly look at photography from a photojournalistic point of view, and this can be my main weakness, especially when it comes to the projects we are given at university.
Would you like to share one or more other photoblogs with us which you personally like?
These are just a few. Not all of them necessarily inspire me, but are of interest to me and I visit them as often as possible. In no particular order:
March 20th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Great interview! I’ve really enjoyed Constantin’s photography for some time. It is well worth the time browsing through his archives.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:42 am
I second what Lorissa said.
Keep up the great work.