Olavo Azevedo is a self-taught photographer, and a doctor by profession, living and working in a tranquil rural area. His abstract and architectural works, with minimalist tendencies, that take you to a world of metropolises, are rigorously created from lines, geometries, and dizzying perspectives, all in a characteristic atmosphere derived from a carefully monitored play of lights and shadows.
Hello, Olavo,
First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to tell us about you and your work in this interview.
To begin, where are you from? Please tell us about yourself and your passions.
I am Olavo Azevedo and I was born in Portugal and live in a small village in the center of the country along with my wife Alice. I have two daughters who are living elsewhere. With academic training in the health area, finished my medical course at the university of medicine of Oporto and I exercise my professional activity as a family doctor in the medical services of the city where I was born and where I live. We live in a rural area in a house surrounded by trees, flowers, the chirping of birds, and stunning scenery to surround it.
The photograph serves as an antidote and as an escape way for the requirement of the profession, allowing an inner peace sometimes shaken by the suffering of other.
How did you get caught up in the magic of photography?
Self-taught, I started photographing in my teens. Like the vast majority of people, I started the photographic activity by recording everyday moments with friends, family, and landscapes… serving for future memory and remembering times and places that certainly marked us and make us grow.
Then I learned that as long as there are light and shapes highlighted by it, we can create visually appealing things and styles. It was a period of research, observation, and learning collected through the study of other authors in books, magazines, and essentially through the web where we can learn through the observation of great talents, works with aesthetics always being a source of inspiration.
Essentially, I learned to like graphic photography which is often minimalistic, in which shapes, tones, contrast, and light have a great relief and an aesthetic approach of their own. In this context, architecture emerged naturally within this evolution.
The acquisition of a full-frame camera and a 16-35mm zoom opened up previously unknown horizons, realizing the power and beauty that the impact of lines, perspectives, and overwhelming vanishing points represent in visual impact.
Thus, architecture and graphic images started to have different meanings and gradually led to a refinement in the sense of observing and anticipating the final result of intended.
Essentially, I learned to like graphical photography which is often minimalist having architecture emerged in a natural way within this evolution.
What is your artistic journey, techniques, and theme you have experimented with so far? What led you to choose the abstract and architecture as forms of expression in your work?
As photographic learning in the field of architecture developed, there was an evolutionary trend in the direction of a minimalist and stylized sense toward a creative process associated with “fine art” and conceptual work and this is part of a continuous learning process based on observation and personal experience acquired over time and resulting from the aesthetic sensibility of each one.
Conceptual/Fine art architectural photography can be adapted to any subject according to its own concept and is intended to represent abstract ideas and emotions/sensations with aim of provoking a reaction from the viewer.
One of the main characteristics of conceptual/Fine art photography is to reflect on the scenes and prepare them to accentuate the message that you want to convey, whether in the view or in the application of the concept during editing, using creativity to represent it, providing an image that reflects the author’s idea and makes the viewer see what the author intends, which may not necessarily be the reality as we observe it.
The contrasts, the light, the shadows, the shapes, and the “chiaroscuro”, in truth, always fascinated me.
Although it was a primary love, reaching the objective or reaching an acceptable level for publication took its time, where learning by observation, and fundamentally by trial and error, have played a leading role in obtaining acceptable and visually attractive results.
The evolution of learning, particularly in editing in Photoshop, or any other editor that allows the application of selections and gradients, allowed the realization of conceptual results in a visually attractive, aesthetically emotional way and according to a pre-defined vision during the analysis of the base photograph whit aim of provoking a reaction from the viewer.
Please share with us what photographic equipment you use and what is the process of creation of your works.
The creative process must start on the ground. As in all areas of photography, with experience, it is important to try “create/format” the look according to our visual perception and more importantly with individual aesthetics concepts trying to anticipate the final result.
Learning to see differently was a key to perfecting styles. I learn that as long as there are light and shapes highlighted by it, we can create visually attractive styles. The photographic equipment is only the registration “hardware” to achieve an end.
After all, photography simply means having the will to do it, having access to a camera, and stepping out of our comfort zone, regardless of where we go. However, depending, on what you want, a wide or super wide angle and also a medium telephoto lens should be part of the bag, the first to enhance the dizzying lines and perspectives to emphasize the vanishing point, the second to have access to more abstract details of the scene.
Currently, most of the work has been done with a Sony 7RII, with a prime Zeiss lens of 18mm, f/2.8, Batis a zoom Zeiss 24-70 f/4, and a zoom Lawoa 10-18mm. I also use a Canon 5DMkIII and lens L series.
Your abstract and architectural works, with a minimalist tendency, attract attention through perspective, bringing together lines and geometries and the play of shapes located in the area of light or shadow. How do you find inspiration for your artwork?
At this stage, I learned that as long as there is light and forms for it highlighted, we can create styles and visually attractive things. Although nothing in my academic training calls me to the field of architecture, this is one of my favorite subjects, especially modern architecture, in which their bold lines, challenging sometimes balance and imagination become a source of inspiration and an irresistible visual appeal.
Decontextualization of the whole, transforming an obvious thing into a more abstract work and graphically more attractive and interrogative, leading the mind to flow freely to lead to a better interpretation of things according to the experienced and emotionally representative experiences.
The research, observation, and learning gathered through the study of other authors, whether through books, magazines, or essentially the web, contributed to cementing a creative process and adapted to my way of seeing things.
The spatial relationship between the lines and shapes in your architectural works creates a strong and aesthetically pleasing perspective for the viewer's eye. How important is a location in architectural photography? Do you think can be achieved spectacular results in any location, a rural area, or an old town, or do depth and angles depend on the size of the buildings, and the architectural embrace of minimalism through the simplification of form?
Personally, although I photograph diverse subjects covering several areas of photography, portrait, landscape, and abstract, architecture represents a large part of my portfolio. In any of these areas or others, it is possible to find themes that fit our style of photography and apply the editing techniques used in architecture. Editing in this style is as if we were sculpting a block until reaching the final result.
Thus, it is not necessarily mandatory to find large structures, as the technique can be applied to the landscape, classic buildings, and portraits regardless of their grandeur. After all, angles are everywhere.
Architecture, angles, and perspectives are part of our everyday life. What advice would you give to a beginner photographer who is passionate about architecture? Are there rules in architectural photography?
It is important to make a preliminary study of what we can find in the places where we are going and that we intend to photograph according to our preferences and our personal vision and point them out.
Let us waste time and look for objects with potential and don't look for a great photograph!
Put the camera down and explore the scene without it!
All the rules can be broken!
But remember that in architectural photography all the frames must be completed and remember an important thing - the frame is a geometric figure that has edges and corners and you must think about how must deal with horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines, patterns, shadows, repetitive shapes, contrasts, light and shadows within a rectangular or square frame. For all these representations, when framed, we must pay attention because they must be in harmony with the picture, according to the edges and corners.
So, work them!
Since I discovered photography, I see it as an extension of who I am, it is part of me and creates a balance with the rest of my life, with my profession. What is your relationship between your profession and photography?
At first sight, apparently, there will be no direct link between the profession that I practice and the type of photography that usually dedicate more time.
However, If we stop more closely at the matter we can see that the profession is essential attention and observation of details that consciously or unconsciously the patient gives us to reach the final diagnosis. Resides in this dichotomy between observation and processing of collected visual information, lies the success of the final result either in an area or the other.
Please share with us your favorite photographers you admire and how did they influence your photographic journey?
There was no photo specifies that has inspired me, but the work as a whole of various artists whose photographic style fits my photographic vision. It is the synthesis and analysis of works that seek inspiration having a particular influence. Although nothing in my academic training call me to the field of architecture, this is one of my favorite subjects, especially modern architecture, in which their bold lines, challenging sometimes balance and imagination become a source of inspiration and an irresistible visual appeal.
Decontextualization of the whole, transforming an obvious thing into a more abstract work and graphically more attractive and interrogative, leading the mind to flow freely to lead to a better interpretation of things according to the experienced and emotionally representative experiences. Of course, I have some favorite photographers who highlight first the French, of Hungarian origin, Lucien Hervé, which combines a humanistic look at the architecture, the influence it had on my own photographic approach, having been seduced by his work just the first time I had contact with him through Responses Photo magazine. I also appreciate the Swiss photographer Hélène Binet, very graphic works on architecture, highlighting Michael Kenna for his minimalist works, the swiss Irene Kung with his fine art and conceptual work in black and white, and many others.
Which of your own photographs do you prefer and why? Please tell us the story behind it.
One of my favorite photographs is of a glass bridge, “Over the Bridge” located in China. Its minimalist appearance and the weather conditions with rain and fog, contribute to creating a photograph of high aesthetics and a visually attractive level, directing the eye to the essentials, removing all the surrounding visual noise, a mood that in clear weather would have been impossible to catch.
How do you imagine the evolution of your artistic work and your figure as an artist in the future?
Make me better at what I do with training, training, training. Managing dashed expectations and dealing with disappointment will be a good basis for starting in the photographic evolution ... Maintain a positive attitude and open your mind to see something new and creative.