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The Photographer Interviews: Adam Ali

The Photographer Interviews Adam Ali

Where do you look for inspiration?

I look for inspiration in several different places - whether it is my colleagues on instagram that continue to push the limits, a movie director that takes a risk on a color grade, or a store owner that has a meticulously cohesive design, I always push myself to notice the details in an artists effort. These details give me ideas on how I can incorporate how others are pushing the limits into my own work.

The Photographer Interviews Adam Ali

What type of camera and lenses do you use?

I mainly use a Canon 5D Mark IV with the holy trinity L-series lens kit (16-35mm/f2.8, 24-70mm/f2.8, and the 70-200/f2.8). I also shoot with the Canon 7D Mark II for action/sports photography and a Mavic 2 Pro for aerial photography.


The Photographer Interviews Adam Ali

How did you get into photography?

I've always had an interest in photography since I got my first flip phone with a camera and was taking photos of skateboarding tricks in high school.  I asked to borrow my dad's very old Canon to film some business presentations years later and the camera was stolen from my car in San Francisco. I had it replaced with the new Canon and he gifted the camera to me so that I can take it along my business travels. This is really where my love for photography began. I was traveling to new cities multiple times a week and experimenting with taking photos with the help of some mentors that were very talented photographers.


The Photographer Interviews Adam Ali

What's your favorite image you've captured?

This is a photo that I dreamed of for months. I wanted to take a photo that represents my feeling of this pandemic - suspended in time, a dark bottom discovered, and rays of hope as the real focus. It was taken inside a cenote in Tulum, Mexico using underwater housing for my Canon5DMarkIV. There is nothing more nerve-racking than having 10K worth of electronics underwater, so I was not only stoked that my gear didn't drown but also that shot came out exactly how I pictured it.

The Photographer Interviews Adam Ali

What's the secret! Are there specific types of equipment for taking these kinds of photos?

The ND filters have helped tremendously in taking long exposure, fine art photos! I highly recommend looking into using one of those if you're working with a lot of clouds, fog, or water in your photos.

The Photographer Interviews Adam Ali

What advice would you give to someone starting a career in photography?

My biggest advice would be to shoot often since it usually takes several attempts at the same spot/idea to get the ideal shot. I usually try to bring 10-20 specific ideas to a shoot so that I can try different things and see what works best. It helps to plan in advance so that you can take advantage of good timing/light when it hits. When it comes to editing, it helps to have a specific style that you're looking for so that you can have a cohesive color palette for the work that you present.

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