Something new today, an interview with a terrific photographer that I know through Flickr. Lakshal Perera, or as most people know him, Lucky, has been kind enough to spare some time and answer a few questions I sent him.

Thanks for taking part in the 1st of what I hope is a long line of interesting interviews Lucky. Firstly, can you tell us a bit about yourself. Things like age, job, where you live etc.

I’m 27 and live in Wollongong. I’m still a uni student, I’ve just about finished my PhD in Medical Physics. We do a bunch of research into the treatment and detection of cancer using radiation. I’m working on a new scanner that can pick up brain and breast tumours when they’re a little smaller so I consider that my contribution to society. 🙂

What started you out in photography and how long have you been into photography seriously? To make it easier, when did you buy your 1st L series lens?

I honestly can’t remember why I bought my first camera (a Canon 350D) 2.5 years or so ago, but I started out doing a lot of live music photography. It was fun and meant I could get into gigs for free which sounded like a good deal to me. I’ve been getting into it a more seriously in the last 18 months or so which roughly correlates with the start of me having no money… Interesting…

As anyone who watches your Flickr stream knows, you are coming to the end of the 52 weeks project. How have you found it and what drove you to do it? Also, what is your favourite image of the nearly completed series? I was really hoping for a Baywatch themed photo. 🙂

It started off as an exercise for me to teach myself how to use flashes and set up lighting. After around 5 weeks or so, I came to the realisation i could actually tell a story about myself, and my ideas, through these photos. I try and keep them funny if I can, and generally I’d hope they’re informative to people as well. I’m starting to feel the weight of expectation with each coming week, it’s becoming harder and harder to produce something that I’m happy with, and also something other people will like as well. At the end of the day, I’m doing this experience for myself, and the fact other people enjoy it is something that gives me great happiness, but doesn’t actually motivate and drive the project.

I think my favourite photo is Week 29, Approximately Twenty Seven Years and Nine Months Ago, Two People Did Something Very Silly

Sorry to disappoint you but my boobs are slightly smaller than Pamela Anderson’s so I probably won’t be able to pull off a Baywatch one anytime soon!

What do you find challenging in photography? And what comes easily?

My biggest challenge is being visible as a photographer. I feel uncomfortable with people watching me work, or even being aware that I’m there. I’d much rather prefer to be a totally invisible photographer because I think 90% of people react differently when they see a camera in my hands. I guess this fear comes out on a large scalewhen shootings weddings; I make sure that I ask everyone to pretend I’m not there to make things a little easier for me.

The positive aspect of this is that by pretending I’m not there, the natural style of a lot of my portraits (especially wedding ones) show how people look in real life. Cameras can be so misleading in representing how a person looks so I think it’s really important to make the photographic representation of someone look as close as possible to the memory we have of that person in our mind. I find that I’m becoming better at doing this and a lot of people appreciate that kind of image I think (well I hope they do!).

What lens cant you do with out?

I don’t really have a lens i can’t do without, so to speak. I shoot with all primes (except my 16-35 2.8L) so most shots require me to zoom using my legs. Ideally, I can take any photo I want assuming my legs can get me close enough or far away enough. 🙂
But if we’re talking favourite lenses, I can’t go past my 135mm f2L. I don’t use it as much as I’d like to as it’s a little too long most of the time, but I don’t think I’ve ever taken a photo with that lens that I haven’t liked. It’s super fast focusing and when it hits the focus, it’s the sharpest lens in Canon’s range, even when wide open.

Is there a style of photography you don’t enjoy?

I’m not a hater of any photographic styles, but there are many I’m not good at. This includes landscape photography and ones that require organisation of groups of people. I haven’t had a go at macro stuff, but it doesn’t really interest me that much to be honest. In terms of the end result, HDR is truly an abomination. In the hands of a tasteful photographer it can be a fantastic tool and a great enhancer of images, but 95% of the stuff out there is the exact opposite. I’m also truly despise the “Happy Bokeh Wednesday” phenomenon that’s huge on flickr. While I accept that playing with bokeh and depth of field as part of the learning process in photography, it’s nothing that’s new, nor is it particularly challenging. I don’t mean to be a “hater”, it’s just that there is so much great stuff out there that people deserve to see, but having 80 out of the first 100 shots on flickr’s explore being shots of flowers with bokeh doesn’t allow that kind of widespread viewing to happen. Explore is the main way that a lot of people get their stuff seen by people outside of their contacts and it seems sad that there are so many great photographers who don’t get the exposure they deserve.

When taking a photo, what do you concentrate on mostly? Composition, lighting, focus?

I honestly tell everyone that I point and shoot. I’m not being dismissive, it’s the truth. I’m comfortable with choosing my exposure and depth of field so I tend to just get my camera settings right for where I am and then click away. Composition comes relatively easily to me, I guess I don’t think about it that much. My style generally involves shooting with my lens wide open most of the time so I tend to fiddle around with my auto-focus point quite a bit to get the composition I want while maintaining focus on what I want. Besides that, I really encourage people not be scared of using the Aperture and Shutter priority modes of their camera, they can help you pretty significantly in a lot of cases.

You obviously know more than the avergae bear about Photoshop. Could you survive with out it, and how important is it to get the shot right in camera?

I can probably survive without Photoshop, but I wouldn’t have to enjoy it! A digital photo is only an interpretation of reality so that extra step of fudging the image in Photoshop isn’t a huge moral dilemma for me like it is for some people. But at the end of the day, you can only fix up small flaws in Photoshop, the composition and the exposure (as a whole), come straight out of the camera without much leeway for manipulation. You can’t polish a turd. 🙂

Apart from photography and romantic walks on the beach, what do you enjoy doing? Obviously music plays a big part in your life.

Music does play a large part in my life, I’m surrounded by it for nearly 90% of my waking day. It’s in my room at work, in my car and on my computer at home. I used to get into it a lot more in the past, but there’s so much awful rubbish out there now that finding new music has moved from the world of radio onto the internet.

I hang out with my girlfriend Soph most of the time, we both have a passion for football (the real one you play with your feet) and we play together on an indoor team. We both also play outdoor football in the winter and we tend to go and watch each other play on most weekends.

I also don’t mind having a noodle around on my guitar at home when I get some time off. I bought my dream guitar about 2 years ago, a Butterscotch coloured Fender Telecaster, so it keeps me happy. I’m also a bit of a guru at Guitar Hero. 🙂

What is the best photography advice you have been given, and what best life advice?

Hmm, my best photographic advice isn’t so much a technical bit of advice but it came from a good friend of mine who’s a very talented artist. She said to believe in your work and to never ever denigrate it in front of other people, it puts a certain level of expectation into their minds. If you’re not happy with something, don’t release it into the public, wait for something you’re happy with.

My life advice is “Be good, and good will happen to you”. I stick by that each and every day I’m alive and it’s my modified version of the fundamentals of every religious and moral teaching throughout history.

Who are 3 other Flickr members who you admire, and why?

I guess my favourite photographers on flickr come from different backgrounds. Firstly, ex-Triple J photographer Matt Booy. I’ve been lucky enough to become friends with him over time and he was probably the person I moulded my style on when it came to live music.

Another of my favourites is another Aussie fella called AAGCTT who shoots exclusively on film, and a lot of the time on medium format. He can take a photo of pretty much anything, as mundane as it can be, and make it look fantastic. I really admire photographer who can do that, it’s definitely not something I can do yet.

Finally, I can’t go past the local master Rich, aka Yorrick. I really like Rich as a person, he’s got a warm heart and is always willing to help out. I’m not sure if knowing him and his personality biases me, but I have a lot of time to check out Rich’s work. He’s another person who can take photos of the mundane and make them look interesting, and he always has a new way of looking at things that have been photographed to death.

When you grow up, what do you want to be? Or who would you like to be? Australia’s 1st president?

I’m really happy I’m working in cancer research so I’d love to be able to continue making a difference there. In terms of photography, I’m happy keeping it as a hobby that occasionally pays a bit. Payment comes with obligation, and obligation is a sure fire way to lose the desire you have for something.

But if we’re not talking reality, i’d love to be Monkey from ‘Monkey Magic’. He has awesome sideburns, a cloud to transport him around everywhere and a pig for a friend! What more can a man want!?!

And lastly, a quick fire 5 questions. Just tell us what springs into your head when you hear these words.

Strobist. the fundamentals

Bokeh. sometimes overemphasised

Composition. knowledge is power, mould the knowledge yourself and break rules

f/1.2 yummy (but expensive!)

5D MkII. soon! 🙂

A big thanks to Lucky for taking the time to participate. I hope you found it enjoyable.

If you want to see more of his work, check out his blog.