Interview with Marcos Lins

Interview with Marcos Lins (M.L.) by artoronto.ca Aeree Rho (A.R.)

Forgotten Places
Galleria 814
May 1– June 1, 2012

Marcos Lins in front of his works at Gallery 814. Photo Aeree Rho

A.R: Even the most ordinary image like an old, rusted car has some spirituality in it, like a spirit hiding behind the surface. Is it a Brazilian poetical touch?

M.L: The truck image is from Nova Scotia last summer. I went on a trip with a group of photographers. On the last day a family of a friend, who owned this farm, invited us over. I have a few shots from the place and the old truck image is one of them. I wanted to add a different atmosphere to my collection and here I was starting with something dark. I tried to shed new light on ordinary objects that are old and abandoned by creating a mood using HDR and giving the pictures titles which brings thoughts and feelings of the viewers.

Marcos Lins, Medieval Darkness, 2011

A.R: There is a strong unrealistic feeling in these images. French Alley looks like a fairy tale street with its pinkish hue while Medieval Darkness has a scary undertone of Dracula’s castle. But these are photographs, so real, right? How did you choose the places?

M.L: Okay, there is a tragic story behind it. I had a major hard drive crash in February, and I lost approximately 15,000 images. I already had an exhibition set up with the gallery in December, but all of a sudden I lost everything so I started to shoot new materials and go back to places that I’ve been to before to get the same image. Most of the images exhibited here are new materials. Everything was from the scratch and very few of the images are from my DVD which I had for backup.
I choose the places spontaneously. Sometimes the place happens to be a tourist attraction for example the Medieval Darkness, but usually choosing the location is improvised. My images are mostly from my trips; some from Europe, Asia, but a lot of them are from GTA such as Hamilton and Brampton. As long as you have good eyes, the sky is the limit.

Marcos Lins, Het Steen, 2011

A.R: All the images made by using filters. How do you decide on the colors and the hues? Does the place give you an idea?

M.L: Yes, naturally the places give me the ideas. First, you have to have some understanding of the qualities of the filter. When you apply the HDR filter I used, the texture and colors are exaggerated and the picture becomes very sharp. When I see a place or an object that has that kind of quality, I kind of have a feeling how good it would look like on HDR.

A.R: There is a strong mood created in all pictures. Do you have a plan ahead or a kind of a sketch? Do you touch them up later in your studio? What is your working method?

M.L: Absolutely not. Well…to be honest with you, sometimes. It depends. For the scenes I took in Hamilton. Nope. I had no plans. I just drove around industrial areas of Hamilton then when I see something, stop the car, get equipments and start shooting. But when I go for micro shots of the flowers, I plan my visit to botanical gardens and need to be aware of the weather because the light is a critical matter for micro shots. In that case, there is some planning involved, but most likely not. Just have a camera with good tripod and a charged battery then I am good to go.

A.R: Your pictures seem to be popped out scenes from video games or 3D movies. Is there any connection?

M.L: Any particular image?

A.R: The French Alley.

Marcos Lins, French Alley, 2010

M.L: Yes, that’s a good one. That is one of my very first HDR pictures. The story behind this is when I saw the alley, I was with a friend. My friend liked the alley and asked to take a picture for her. Then I looked again, I had a feeling that the scene is going to turn amazing on HDR. However, I have never done HDR at the time. I knew what it was, but I have never tried yet so I took a picture first, then I learned how to use the technique. With some practice I was able to come up with this piece. There is no connection between my pictures and video games or 3D movies, but I wished to achieve more effective image that are very detailed and realistic that often causes confusion among viewers.

A.R: Recent massive supply of smart phones and photo apps allowed everyone the experience of being an amateur photographer. Have you ever attempted to adopt or play with one of those programs?

M.L: I don’t use those apps, but I definitely use my phone to take quick pictures. I often use my phone camera to take a shot of places that I want to revisit with proper equipments. It is very handy and fun for the purpose of sharing online with friends, but usually they are not suitable for printing so I do not prefer them for my works.

Installation view. Photo: Aeree Rho

A.R: What do you do for a living?

M.L: I have a full time job and do photography on the side. Ideally I would love to do photography full time, but realistically the market is very challenging. Especially if you are an artist and you only do exhibitions then it becomes very difficult to make a living out of it. It is difficult because the way people perceive photography. People see a beautiful picture and see the price on it and think it is over priced, but what they do not realize is the cost involved to get the shot for the artist. In my own case, obviously I need good cameras and equipments, the transportation expanses, accommodations, and also computer and proper programs. When you consider all the hidden costs then not much is left for the artist and the prices on the works are actually reasonable.

A.R: What are you next plans?

M.L: It is actually my first major exhibit so for now, I will make sure this exhibition ends successfully. After Forgotten places, I will go back to the field and shoot more materials to come back for more exhibitions. There will be more stuff in the fall and I will definitely be around.

More samples of Marcos Lins images could be found on his website : www.marcoslinsphotoart.com