All images and words by Felipe Rubilar. Used with permission.
From the beginning I knew that I wanted to capture real life, I started doing photography in the streets. I kept doing it, and that was one of my biggest motivation to leave my home country to live my dream; Travel and meet the local culture of every place in my journeys, taking pictures of it through their people. I started doing photography with film cameras and playing in a darkroom, but then with the boom of the new DSLR cameras, I took the digital option complementing with my filmmaking development. As a photographer, I like to wander cities and towns in search of something unique, something or someone who reflects the local essence, to capture them in the candid shot or maybe get their trust to make a portrait.
Why did you get into photography?
When I was studying filmmaking in 2004, I had a complementary class of photography with developing and processing in the darkroom.
What photographers are your biggest influences?
Henri Cartier Bresson, Vivian Maier and Sergio Larrain.
How long have you been shooting?
Since 2004
Why is photography and shooting so important to you?
It’s magical how in a matter of a second you can capture a spontaneous moment and make it eternal like a form of art, and that’s why I’m into it.
Do you feel that you’re more of a creator or a documenter? Why?
Definitely documenter, because I focus mainly on capturing genuine moments and people.
What’s typically going through your mind when you create images? Tell us about your processes both mentally and mechanically?
Thanks to the practice of shooting, mechanically is secondary, so, my primary focus its on predict what’s going to happened if I look a situation o interesting person; if am looking to capture a portrait of somebody I try to think in the best way to approach at them, sometimes trough conversation, sometimes with a smile.
Want to walk us through your processing techniques?
I shoot in Raw to develop the picture in Lightroom with Vsco preset, mainly I use Tri-x400 in both, black and white and color, and then some adjust of shadows, highlights and contrast.
Tell us about the project that you’re pitching, or your portfolio
I do not have projects, but I have been focusing on local markets because of everything involved in it, the local culture of the place is reflected in this places.
What made you want to get into your genre?
I like to document and show the essence of the people through photography, because the world is changing so much, that many of the traditional things around the world are disappearing, but there are some places that still keep their true essence, and that’s why I like to shoot the local markets and street commerce, are places that haven’t changed so much, even some places with more than 50 years of tradition.
Tell us a bit about the gear that you use and how you feel it helps you achieve your creative vision
I have a Canon 5D Mark III and I shoot with old m42 lenses adapted, I have a 35mm Carl Zeiss Flektogon f2.4, 50mm Pentax Super Takumar f1.4 and a Tokina (Bokina) 90mm 2.5. I like to use this lenses because it has an old school look that reminds me to shoot with film sometimes.
What motivates you to shoot?
– The chance to get a beautiful and candid shot if I find it on the streets, is what motivate me to carry my camera everywhere.
Be sure to check out more on Felipe’s Instagram and 500px.
