Charles Quiles dropped by FashionPhotographyBlog.com recently and we were so glad to hear that his recent debut solo exhibition was a tremendous success. We posted an article about his exhibition, “Fais-Mois L’Amour” (translates to “Make Love To Me”) a couple of weeks ago, and since then Charles has been on fire. Charles shared with FPBlog his latest project, a series showcasing Nykhor Paul, from RED Model Management NYC titled “No Rest In The Kingdom”. We loved the series so much we had to ask the photographer how he creates his amazing images and what is his process. Fortunately, Charles was able to make time to chat with us as we did not get much of a chance to catch up last time with the lead up to his exhibition event.
So how did the photographer’s journey for this Puerto Rican born, American photographer and director began? You’d be surprised to hear that photographer was not Charles’ first passion, as he explained “First it was poetic writing and acrylic painting that became my original necessary outlet through my angst teen years. Photography just evolved on its own.
My mother was always taking pictures of my brother and I when we were kids. I use to steal my brother’s Polaroid camera from him all the time just because the technology was so fascinating, then at 16 a local boutique modelling agency approached me at a school function, which introduced me to the world of modelling.
I never really was a big fan of listening to authority, so becoming the authority, the photographer, was just my natural next step. After a few years of getting the hang of it on my own, I decided to start reaching out to photographers I admired for advice. Sure enough, I connected with UK’s icon, Mariano Vivanco, and assisted him for a few years, until branching off on my own afterwards.
My photography comes from of a place of study. I’m very curious about people in general, the human condition. “Fashion” is the outlet I chose to communicate from… I express a genuine love for the person I’m photographing. I like to photograph what I like to see, and it reflects how I feel about myself in that very moment.” Part of love that Charles shows on a set is maintaining the respect with everyone involved in the shoot, as he stated, “Mind you, if you’re being negative and/or nasty to anyone on set, I have no problem sending you home.”
I definitely agree that solid team work on set really does reflect on the outcome of photos from the shoot. No wonder the photos from his latest series “No Rest In The Kingdom” featuring female model, Nykhor Paul exude such warmth and charisma, that shines through Charles’ use of striking colors. I asked the photographer how the inspiration behind this shoot came about. He explained that “Gold is the color of success, achievement and triumph. It has always been associated with abundance, luxury, quality, sophistication, and elegance. All things we generally hope to be associated with individually. The power of intention… I also secretly have an obsession with royalty. My last name, Quiles, comes from a line of royalty, all though I was born in the slums of Puerto Rico.” To create this shoot Charles said that he used his Canon Mark II camera and a Westcott reflector.
To find out more information about this photo series from Charles Quiles and other photos from his shoots you can find everything that you need on his website (www.charlesquiles.com), tumbler for all his outtakes (http://charlesquiles.tumblr.com) and Facebook for what he wants to show his loved ones. (https://www.facebook.com/charles.quiles.x). You can also check out works from his recent exhibition in our post here and email him via charles@charlesquiles.com
Charles Quiles: “Peace and love.”
Do you like Charles’ new work? Please comment below.
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