Welcoming NYC Fashion & Beauty Photographer, Jonathan Fasulo to our Artist Spotlight. Join us as we dive into Jonathan’s innate talent for turning faces into captivating canvases.
Website: jonathanfasulo.com
Instagram: @fasulo
How did you come to finding/developing your current style?
This feels like a harder question than it should be. Probably a combination of childhood traumas, art school, and a desire to be praised. But I have been so fortunate to have worked with many incredibly talented photographers as an assistant, and I have been able to pick up some great techniques along the way. And then I just try to make people look beautiful.
What drew you into beauty?
I love photographing people’s faces!
When I was younger, and I picked up a Minolta XE-7 I began with taking photos of my friend’s faces, and since then, I’ve always gravitated towards portraits. Faces tell so many stories, and beauty photography has always been compelling to me because of the drama. We use fashion and makeup to express ourselves and tell a story of who we are or who we want to be. Portraiture then becomes so much more about me than who I’m photographing, their faces become a canvas to project onto. Also, I love the collaborative nature of working with hair and makeup artists. Working with such incredibly talented people makes life so much easier.
What advice do you have for someone aspiring to become a successful commercial photographer?
Practice your craft, take the business side seriously, and be nice to people.
What are your go-to resources for keeping up with industry news and developments?
Sometimes I wish there was a site that covered more of the new photography-centric aspect of the fashion and beauty world, as difficult as that may be, like adsoftheworld.com. But the closest thing to that, which is my go-to, is definitely Models.com and of course Instagram.
What do you find to be your most effective marketing tool?
Instagram has been a pretty effective tool for me, besides that, I suppose just emailing people.
What role do retouching and image editing play in your commercial photography, and what software do you prefer for this?
Photos have always been retouched, at least professional photographs, sometimes a little bit, and sometimes a lot a bit. All photographs are real, but none of them are necessarily the truth. So every image gets retouched a least a little bit. I’m not a fan of changing people’s bodies too much, but I like to think of it as, you don’t always have a pimple, so why let a pimple live forever in a photograph. So I’ll use Photoshop to remove blemishes and add drama. Ultimately, it’s about using the tools to make the art match the vision.
What have you learned from past mistakes or failures in your career that have helped you grow as a photographer?
Mistakes, I’ve made so many, again and again…too many to mention.
What’s a personal goal or aspiration you’re currently working toward?
I am currently engaged in a project of self-transformation, crafting my reality to suit my self-actualization.
If money wasn’t required, what would your dream job be?
Being a photographer is my dream job. If I had unlimited budgets, I’d take photographs, and maybe I’d venture into telling more stories in more mediums, and more exotic locations.
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