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Speaking with Photographer, Assaf Frank
Monday, 14 December 2020 15:10:00 Europe/London
Assaf Frank is an incredible photographer who captures a huge range of subjects both in the studio and out in the world. In our latest artist interview, we chatted to Assaf about his move to photography from IT, how he finds the perfect shooting location, his image post-processing and much more.
Keep reading to find out what he had to say and to see a selection of his beautiful photographs.
Hi Assaf, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Can you start off by introducing yourself and telling us a little about your life?
After a successful career in computers, I began to combine my technical skills with digital photography to produce high-quality creative images. I enjoy sharing my time between photographing locations around the world and my home-based studio in Surrey, UK. I have become well known for my landscape images which convey a story and colourful florals.
I was born in 1971, where I was brought up in a farming village near the beach in Israel. I moved to the UK in 2002 and fell in love with the place.
I photograph an array of subjects in locations around the UK and International cities such as Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, New York and London.
So, what’s an average day like in the shoes of Assaf Frank?
Similar to any self-employed person, running the day to day aspect of the business. I start the day with emails, then schedule me time to work on my images for example editing and creating collections.
I spend a huge amount of my time in front of my computer. The highlight of my week is to go on an outdoor photography shoot either at dawn or sunset to catch the best light. Most weeks, I photograph something in the studio depending on which flowers are in season.
What kind of kit do you use?
A medium format camera, Fuji GFX 100, which enables me to produce high-quality images suitable for printing on large murals.
What kind of post-processing work do you do?
Sometimes I layer images in an HDR (high dynamic range) style to achieve extra details. I create an array of colours to give my customers more options to keep up with interior trends.
How do you find the perfect shooting location?
Getting out there as often as possible is key. I research different locations or sometimes clients commission a particular location.
Often, the best shots are not planned but randomly happen by being in the right place at the right time. I can be on the way driving to a beauty spot when a burst of light hits a cornfield so I will stop the car and begin to photograph.
Many times, there are no amazing locations. It is up to you to explore where you are and make a shot out of nothing. Even in the most boring light or location, you can go macro to find close up shapes and colours, there are endless possibilities.
It is easier when you get nice light or special weather conditions, but some great images are only discovered in post-production. On the other hand, wind in low light conditions can be a real pain.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
My client’s requests, travel and gardening programs
Is there anywhere on your photography bucket list you haven’t been to yet?
Locations such as India, Morocco, Prague, Ireland and hiring a helicopter above New York.
To you, what makes the perfect photograph?
The ones that become bestsellers unexpectedly, that you only discover later and you never thought about at the time of photographing. Top elements include good composition, telling a story, the light, the subject and colours being on-trend.
You create both in-studio and outdoor works. How do they compare and which do you prefer?
I like both as you need balance. If I do too much of one, it either wears me down; physically, in the case of outdoors, with early starts or late finishes and long stints of trekking either in cities or landscapes or mentally, if I’m in a studio shooting long hours without seeing proper daylight for a few days.
If you weren’t a photographer, what career would you have pursued?
I used to work in IT and loved it until I decided it was no longer for me as I wanted to do something more creative, but if I had another chance, I would choose to be a helicopter pilot.
What advice would you give to an aspiring photographer?
Keep your day job before you become a full-time photographer. It is very hard to make a living from it in the beginning. Invest in a self-employed and marketing course on how to run a business as you will also end up spending 80% of your time running a business and only 20% taking photographs. Be flexible, of course, do the photographs you love but also be prepared to photograph what sells or what clients ask for.
What’s the future looking like? Anything big on the horizon?
On the horizon, I’m looking to travel more and be able to work from different locations. I’d like to live in different places for a month or two in different areas of a country or maybe around the world.
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