Meet Nigel Aves

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nigel Aves. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nigel below.

Nigel, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Reinvigorating my creative spark is a journey, not a destination, and the path should be paved with exploration, play, and a big dose of rebellion! Here are some of the ways that I get my creative juices flowing:

Coming from the world of film and darkrooms, if I’m stuck on a project, I will often think back, “How would I do this using a darkroom?”. It often triggers a new idea.

Explore the unknown: Dive into a topic you know nothing about. I will read a book about anything that I know little or nothing about, and listen or watch lectures on different subjects. I’ve found the unfamiliar can trigger a trove of inspiration.

See the world with fresh eyes: I look for the beauty in the mundane. For instance, I try capturing the patterns in raindrops on different surfaces, the intricate details of a leaf, or how light dances on a wall. New perspectives can spark unexpected ideas.

For me, the most important thing is to have fun and experiment! Creativity is a journey, not a destination, so enjoy the process and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I’ve found the most beautiful creations often arise from unexpected twists and turns.

Here are some bonus tips that I use:
I always keep a notebook and pen handy.
I recharge my batteries. A refreshed mind is a creative mind.
I never judge my work. I let my ideas flow freely without self-criticism.
With a little curiosity, playfulness, and a dash of rebellion, I can keep my creativity alive and thriving!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I always try to approach photography with a unique and original perspective. The hardest part about this is accomplishing that simple task!

The problem today with portrait photography is that it’s probably all been done before, many times over! People have been experimenting with capturing images since the early 1700s, (yes, that long ago!). Still, it was not until 1826, Nicéphore Niépce first managed to fix an image that was captured with a camera, but at least eight hours or even several days of exposure in the camera were required and the earliest results were very crude. I’ve never had the nerve to ask a model to sit still for eight hours! I value my life, but it did not take long for those long exposure times to come crashing down.

By the 1850s new materials reduced the required camera exposure time from minutes to seconds, and eventually to a small fraction of a second; new photographic media were more economical, sensitive or convenient.

As you can see, people have photographed people since the 1850s, those early photographers pretty well-captured everything!

That said, I know try to do variations on variations on a theme!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For me, it was learning to be patient. In the days of film, if you were using 35mm film, you had to take 36 photographs, try and get the film into a developing tank, in the pitch dark, develop the film, and then either create a contact sheet (lay the original film flat on photographic paper), or use an enlarger to create prints. A long time to wait to see if your experiment worked! (easy today with digital).

Learning how to correctly develop and print film in a dark room is also a challenge! You are working with many a fine toxic chemical. And learning to get the best out of an enlarger, where you can start to do special effects. Sadly this is slowly becoming a lost art.

Learning how being behind the camera is not point-and-shoot. Learning to use angles, and lights are all part of the experimental process. And it takes a lot of practice to get these simple facets correct. Because creativity is a product of the brain’s right hemisphere, if you are not “right-brained”, you may never get it. But I bet you’re a wonderful engineer!

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m always looking for new (victims) models/groups/people to get in front of the camera. I believe that to produce the best photographs of a person it has to be a team effort. I firmly believe that working one one-on-one gets the best possible results, and if the person in front of the camera feels they are contributing to the process, they will always give it their all.

What is most important to remember is that there are no bad ideas, it’s just that some ideas are very hard to implement without a lot of thought and time. So some ideas have to be put on the back burner!

So, if you would like to see what it’s like then, drop me a line, and we’ll discuss what you are looking for, set up a time and place, and get it done!

Drop me a line at: [email protected]

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Monica and Shanna Kaetlyn April Teaze Lilith Jenovax Chelsea Marie Cheeky Angel Dusty Devine

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