A fresh artistic expression from rising photography talent, Antonio Genovia

Photo by Antonio Genovia

There are many photographers who have experimented, and educated themselves, for many years in an effort to become an artist of unique style and interpretation. And then there are those who have an epiphany and discover what they should be doing creatively with their lives at a moments notice. Some people are blessed with motive and drive to become successful, while some are gifted with raw talent and the need to find direction in an effort to achieve success.

Occasionally you come across a guy like Antonio Genovia who is fortunate to be loaded with raw talent, and possess the ability to easily steer that creativity on a path to success. I don’t want to cast an impression that the clouds suddenly parted one day, and the sun shined-down inspiration through a hole in the sky onto Antonio Genovia, but what Antonio has done in two years is really quite -- inspiring.

Anotonio purchased his first camera in December of 2007. It was a Canon Rebel XTi. He admittedly says he bought it as a Christmas gift for his Fiancee, but had devilish intentions of putting it to his own use. Within two months of putting his fiancee’s gift to use, he landed the cover of a popular Hawaiian travel magazine with a photo he took of a Finch building a nest while visiting the islands. As many of you know, making the cover of a magazine is something millions of photographers, who have even worked with film for tens-of-years have tried to accomplish unsuccessfully.

With the power and desire that comes with inspiration, Antonio quickly evolved from the typical tourist with a camera to photographing models as subjects in September of 2008. He recently, officially, started his photography business in July of 2009, covering many areas of Northern California including Morgan Hill and Los Banos. He offers many services including portraits, weddings, events and more.

His work is amazing, and it is in a style that he has made uniquely his own, with the help of the Internet and online tutorials. I strongly urge you to view the slide show at the end of this article to see for yourself. You can see even more of his work at his website, agenovia.com.

I met Antonio through a social media website called ModelMayhem.com. We just happened to cross a degree of separation via a Sacramento model, who we have both worked with in the past. I recently asked him to let me profile him here on Examiner.com and he excitedly agreed. Below you will find 10 answers to 10 of my questions.

Tell us a little about the bird that made you a photographer.
Sitting beneath a solitary coconut tree just as the morning sun was eagerly breaking into the quiescent Hawaiian horizon, I was surveying the scene with my camera. I began shooting my camera for almost half an hour at anything and everything just for the fun of it. After reviewing the pictures, I was drawn to a particular photo in the pack. It was a house finch bird tending to its nestling. Although it was not the sharpest picture, I took it as a challenge to polish the photo. I experimented using Photoshop and implemented a few techniques I’ve learned from the Internet particularly YouTube.

I found myself in a zone. And every pallet of discovery in editing in Photoshop was worth sacrificing a day of vacation. I poured countless hours in completing the task and the result overwhelmed me with a feeling of amazement. I submitted the photo to Maui Travels which was coincidentally doing a photo contest at that time. Much to my surprise, my very first photo editing--my very first photo experiment emerged as the winner.

On that fateful day in Hana, Hawaii, I knew that I finally found my passion. I did not keep the magazine as a reminder that I can outdo myself.

I have a picture of that house finch bird hanging on my wall. To this day I keep asking myself, "How in the world did I do that?"

What is your creative philosophy?
Teach me and I will learn. Show me and I will understand. Include me and I will master the task at hand.

What is your favorite and least favorite word in photography or life? How do those words affect you?
The words "can" and "cannot." In life we can achieve anything with a sheer act of will.  It is the belief that there is no limit to one's potential and once it is freed, it can accomplish anything. There are times we stumble along the way. Once we pick ourselves up and utter, “I cannot do this”, we have already failed our mission in life. The word “cannot” is such a negative word to me. Once, I have almost given up on life until that day in Hawaii when I discovered that I could make a change, that I could create great things, that the pictures I take could inspire people.

My favorite word in photography is Aperture. For me an aperture is the window of life. You can always adjust the size of the aperture of a camera to increase the depth of field in a picture. As I adjust my aperture I can always focus on what is important to me while blurring the distractions that clutter my life.

How do you feel about the manipulation of photos and to what extent do you utilize it?
I think digitally enhancing photos are acceptable as long as the subject does not lose its soul in the process. I manipulate the pictures that I take because I want to intensify the emotion it depicts. Take for example the house finch bird. By enhancing the picture of the bird I was able to provoke a teachable moment—taking care of family. Utilizing photo manipulation to distort the truth is simply wrong.

I understand you offer photography workshops through your website. What kind of curriculums do you offer photographers in your workshops?
I provide a one-on-one mentorship. Every student is different and the training is tailored according to his or her skill level. The fun begins when you break rules. Once you become comfortable at a certain genre, it then becomes your photographic personality. People think that taking a good picture is simply conforming to the principles of composition or technicalities. Photography is dynamic. Photography is also art that is why I always motivate my students to become great artists.

What kind of hardware and software are you using to create your portraits?
I shoot primarily with canon bodies. Mark II 5D, Mark III ID.? Lenses include ?Canon 70-200mm f/2.8,? Canon 50mm f/1.4,? Canon 17-40mm f/4,? Canon 24-70mm f/2.8. ?Strobes include an Alienbee?1600W,? 2 Alienbee 800W, and a couple of ?Speedlights 580EX11.? My editing software is CS4 ?Lightroom and my ?Raw image viewer is Phase One.

I am amazed by the level of quality photographs you have produced in two years. What kind of training have you experienced?
As a graduate of YouTube University, I was able to untangle the complexities of photography. Kidding aside, I have actually learned how to take photos from various YouTube videos. I just needed to learn the fundamentals then I let my eye wander. As I said earlier, I liberated the creativity inside me. ??

What can we expect from Antonio Genovia in the next two years?
The unexpected. As photography evolves, I evolve with it. My approach reacts with the call of the times. Most of the time I always challenge myself to exceed what I have accomplished. I would probably restrain from digitally enhancing photos and employ conventional techniques that were used by old-school photographers before digital photography flourished. Really? Very unlikely, though. (he laughs)
I am also hopeful that I can expand my network so my work can be appreciated by a lot of people.

Do you ever have photographer's block? If so, how do you overcome it??
Of course. Sometimes it takes a day or even a week! I overcome it by changing my routine. I love gardening. If that doesn’t help, I watch anime’. It keeps me at ease. And if that still doesn’t help, I listen to Jazz. Music fills the mind with memories which arouses creativity.

Final Question. A celebrity question as usual… In your opinion, who is the most photogenic person, or persons, in today’s limelight??? ?
Rihanna. I just love her. I study her pictures one pixel at a time. I follow her every photo shoot, news and videos. You want art and class muzzled into one artist? Look at Rihanna.

Antonio's Website:
http://www.agenovia.com/

Antonio's Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Morgan-Hill-CA/AG-Photography/120777300215

Antonio's YouTube Profile
http://www.youtube.com/user/AntonioGenovia

Antonio's Model Mayhem Account
http://www.modelmayhem.com/agenovia

Other Facts about Antonio Genovia:
-Raised and a Product of San Jose, California
-Graduated in Physical Therapy in the Philippines
-Pursued the holistic field, and graduated as a Massage Therapist
-9 years in the holistic field, serving the Tri-City, Bay Area, until diagnosed, with Carpal Tunnel
-7 years working as a sales supervisor for a manufacturer and distributor of remote controlled helicopters
-Joined Michael Soo on a 10 day shoot in Florida for the 2010 NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders in May 2009

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Don't forget to check out the slide show. =)