Meet Guy D’Alema

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Guy D’Alema. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Guy, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I credit my ability to keep my creativity alive to my being a curious person. I tend to look at and examine my subjects with a desire to know what they might have experienced in their life that has them presenting themselves the way they do. What is “their story?” My mission is to go deeper than the outward appearance of my subject. I want to capture more than their look, more than just their likeness. And for me to get to the “essence” of my subject, I need to be curious about them. My ultimate goal is to capture their story…the story that makes them who they are.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

As a photographer for feature films and television productions, my main focus is to capture images that tell the story while remaining loyal to the look and feel of the production. We are tasked with taking a scene that is often filmed with several cameras and from several angles, and capturing all the important elements of that scene in a single frame. The exciting part is two-fold: 1) the challenge of analyzing a scene and deciding on what to include in the frame, and where to stand to capture that “money shot”, and 2) seeing that your artistic interpretation of the scene has been validated when the studio/network releases your images to the public in the marketing and advertising materials.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

While there are many skills and qualities I believe a still photographer should possess, the top three, for me, would be:

1) an open mind to all the creative influences that you will encounter throughout your day. From your inner voice to the environment you are working in, and all the talent that you are working with. They also have a vision that can add the the entire creative process and should be taken into consideration,

2) the technical skills needed to create the visual look, along with the right gear necessary to accomplish that look. This includes selecting the right cameras and lenses, and the right lighting and lighting modifiers, and

3) the right “people skills” to successfully interact with the talent and crew that will be involved in the session. There is no place in a professional shoot where your ego gets to present itself and play a role.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

The book that has had the most positive impact on my professional career as a photographer and artist would be “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron.

It has refocused my approach to photography as an artist. It deals with many of the roadblocks that an artist in any field often encounters during their journey. The book addresses those stumbling blocks and gives insight into understanding what they really are. It offers insight into how to approach these temporary delays in your creative process and how to forge forward toward self-growth as an artist.

For me, the main takeaway was that we are creative beings on a creative journey – a journey that only we can travel. We are here to create for others. As photographers, we are the eyes of those who could not be there to see for themselves. Looking back on my years as a photographer, I never imagined that some of these images would have an impact on people I have never met. I am blessed to have heard from people that I have never met, telling me that an image of mine has had a positive impact on their lives – from a photo of a favorite actor from a favorite show, or a fond memory of a location or event they were a part of, to photos of those who are no longer with us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.photosbyguy.com
• Instagram: @guydalema
• Facebook: Guy D’Alema