Posted by Foto Care | Posted in Foto Care Interviews
Posted on August 11, 2010
Foto Care is pleased to present an exclusive interview with photographer Odessy Barbu. He has been commissioned to shoot some of the most sought after celebrities including Jessica Alba, Marilyn Manson, Vanessa Hudgens and Dita Von Teese, and has shot advertising campaigns for Levi’s, Chinese Laundry, Topless, French Kitty and ABS. Join us for a “photographic odessy” with the talented, passionate and creative Odessy Barbu.
Fill me in on your childhood. Where did you grow up? I was raised in Venice California and loved it! As a kid I grew up surfing and skating on the boardwalk. With so many different arts and culture I believe it helped form my passion for photography and eventually brought me to capture the images I enjoy taking with high color and textures in them.
When did you decide to become a photographer and what inspired that decision?
I decided to become a photographer in France. I moved there after high school in hopes of learning to become a master chef as were my parents. After a few years of cooking in restaurants in Paris and St. Tropez I became fond of taking photos of my girlfriend at the time whom was a bikini beach model on the beach’s of Tahiti and Voile Rouge. Between being an aspiring photographer by day and sous chef by night I had an amazing tour in France for 4 years.
Given your culinary skills, are you known for outstanding studio lunches? If only I had enough time during the shoot to be able to prep lunches for everyone… I think I would be considered Superman if I could pull of that feat.
Are there any artists or photographers that inspired your along the way?
I’ve always really enjoyed the work of David La Chapel and Steven Meisel. If I could merge their out of the box ideas with amazing subjects and high fashion it would be total bliss for me.
What has been your favorite assignment to date? My favorite assignment to date was traveling to back to Paris after I got my career going and shooting there and Milan. I love the old word feel in my images and having international models and wardrobes that makes every international shoot amazing and so creative.
Currently what equipment are you using to produce your work?
I work with mainly Profoto equipment, D4’s for studio and 7B’s on location. I just depends on the job and how big of a set or crew I need to light. I could use anywhere from 1 flash head to 15 depending on the mood and feel I want to produce.
What equipment would you most like to own but don’t yet have?
I pretty much have everything at my finger tips at the moment, the only thing I’d like to buy these days is an underwater casing for my camera and some underwater strobes; that would be fun to experiment with.
Where are you drawing your inspiration from these days?
Locations inspire me at the moment, as I drive around California for work and play I try to log in as many cool venues I run into. When I see something along the road or a building, empty lot or run down church or house; I make it a point to scout. Then ideas come to me and I get excited about shooting them.
Where is your work heading next? Where do you see yourself in the future?
I have plans to travel back to Europe this winter and I’m putting together locations and story’s for each local I plan to shoot in. I’m thinking of visiting different countries for a month at a time to keep my scenes keen. So hopping over to Paris for a month, come back to LA for a check in and off to Sydney for another month and so on.. That’s the plan for the future at the moment.
Now that video is working its way into our market, do you see yourself stepping into the Hybrid Video market in the near future?
Yes, this past year Ive noticed that more and more, the future of still photography will possibly be less in demand . The option of an all video format, where your files are so big, you can just pull a still frame from your reel. Lighting is a factor though, controlling such a big environment for motion picture can be very tedious.
What advice would you give to anyone that wants to become a professional photographer today?
Go to school, learn the fundamentals and start assisting a few photographers you like. Merge all the skills you’ve learned into your own. Make sure to capture good original images for your portfolio, work with the best crew and subjects possible. You want utter beauty for your book, people will pass up C or B grade models photos in your book so persist to shooting the best when possible. Be social– there’s to much competition out there and if you cant talk the talk your clients will not believe you can walk the walk. Give 110% in everything you do. Don’t turn down any photo assignment that comes your way. Everything come from taking chances and shooting anything will open doors down the line. Trust. The rest you have to learn as you go. Be patient and if you really want it, it shall be yours.
