Jan Kayas Interview
Photographer Jan Kayas from Congers NY got his start in photography 2 years ago. He started out by capturing candids and special moments, but it was a year ago where he began to study the art. Jan has a unique style and we learned a lot about his work from our interview!
BRP: What gave you the start in your photography?
I got myself an analog camera, like one that uses film and you have to develop at the lab and it made me really focus on what I was shooting, I couldn’t waste any shots as unlike in digital I had to pay for every shot I made and I couldn’t see what I took until I got it developed. I started to look at other peoples work in street photography and it really inspired me to try to capture a moment on my own terms
BRP: What kind of gear do you use (e.g Camera body, lens, tripod, filters etc.)
I currently use a minolta srt-201 with a 50mm lens and mainly use fujifilm superia or portra 400 for my film but when I use a digital camera I use my fuji xpro2 with a 24mm nikon lens
BRP: Do you have a favorite lens? Why?
I personally like using a 50mm lens, it forces me to get close to the subject and it’s something that I’m personally used to
BRP: How do you educate yourself to keep improving on your pictures?
I ask my dad who’s into photography but I’ve been watching youtube videos mainly by KingJvpes, William Verbeeck, MangoStreet and Jessica Whitaker.
BRP: Do you have someone whose work inspired you?
Mainly the YouTubers I listed above but when I got to reddit.com/r/analog there’s so many users who post really good photos I don’t remember them all.
BRP: What is your favorite subject to shoot? Why?
I really like to try to shoot couples while I’m shooting, I don’t know why but it’s just really interesting to me to capture a moment between two people and it’s most evident to me when I see two people who enjoy being together.
BRP: What is your least favorite subject to shoot? Why?
I think the hardest subject for me is like anything that moves a lot. I only use a manual lens and it’s hard for me to focus on a subject that’s moving or when I get a photo it’s always blurry since I don’t have the right amount of shutter speed going off.
BRP: Tell me about your photos, do you have a favorite photo?
This is one of my favorite photos that I’ve taken. I took this while I was in Japan and I just really like the various lights pointing in different directions and that each leading line moves from one source of light to another.
BRP: What are your settings of choice on your camera? Why? (e.g aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc.)
I usually have my ISO at 400 since that’s what most film is set to for the ISO and for aperture and shutter speed really depend but I try to have my aperture set to 1.8 to really help to give a blurred background but if I have to change that depending on the light situation and the same goes with my shutter speed.
BRP: What photo-editing programs are your go to?
I only use lightroom.
BRP: What does photography mean to you?
To me it just means capturing a moment in time and when I take those photos I want to be able to invoke some emotion with the pictures I take.
BRP: Is there anything else you’d like the audience to know about you or your craft?
Nothing in particular, but taking a photo with a camera is so much more difficult than most people think that it is and it really is an artform that takes time to learn
Keep up with Jan here:
Insatrgam @_janbajuicy and @jpkay
- Published in Interviews, People
Interview with Eli Capsalis
Eli Capsalis is filmmaker and content creator based in Kent, England. We got the chance to speak to him about his craft and latest project, “I need help” in this interview!
“My art is to create stories about life and present them. This art form was created when I started acting, I have been acting for about ten years. I also do makeup but I have only been doing that for about a year. On my youtube channel I have been watching movies, reviewing them and also creating a look inspired by the movie, but more recently I decided to go a different direction.”
BR Productions: Tell me about I need help! What’s the story behind your series?
In this project I tell stories, these stories can range from a lot of genres but horror is the main one I am focusing on. I use stock footage and music to intensify what I am saying. All of the episodes have a different story to them but it always links to the theme of someone needing help, hence the name ‘I need help’. It will also make people think.
BR Productions: I see you’re a horror fanatic, do you mainly write horror, or do you dabble in other genres?
I mainly write horror but I do sometimes write scripts with other genres. And even in this series I have written some episodes that have other genres.
BR Productions: What were some of your inspirations behind your series?
My main inspiration behind my series is Netflix’s black mirror.
BR Productions: Did you shoot and produce the trailer yourself? Talk to me about the production behind it.
I have produced the trailer by myself, and I shot a lot of the trailer but I did use a lot of stock footage to make it feel like my series.
BR Productions: Every set has its obstacles, what was your biggest challenge in producing this? Did it go as planned?
My biggest obstacle with production was to find the right way to write these stories which won’t feel fake or un-sensitive because of this I have had to scrap or readjust a lot of episodes. Even though I did have some obstacles I still feel like it has gone the way I wanted it to go.
BR Productions: What are your top 5 genres of film?
My top 5 genres of films (not in any particular order) must be
Romance, horror, comedy, musicals and thrillers
BR Productions: Who is your favorite director?
My favorite director must be James Wang.
BR Productions: Do you have a favorite movie?
I don’t have one favorite movies but movies I love must be- rocky horror picture show, moulin rouge and Saw 1
BR Productions: What other films or series would you compare your project to?
I would compare my project to black mirror with the way the episodes feel.
Keep up with Eli here!
Instagram: the_eli1
YouTube: THE ELI
- Published in Interviews, People