Interview with Enrique Olvera | GBPW Episode 77

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Enrique Olvera.

Don’t be afraid to shoot with equipment that is old.

Enrique Olvera

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This episode is all about the talented Enrique Olvera, a wedding & family photographer based in Italy. Enrique takes stunning photos of other people and his family. His photographs are warm, cozy, and full of life!

Enrique and I talk about:

  • The do’s and don’ts of film photography
  • Family photography techniques
  • How he achieves a unique look in his wedding photographs

& much more!

Enrique is a very positive and open-minded person with an outstanding portfolio. I really enjoyed finding out about his approach to wedding and family photography. If you’re interested in any of these genres, you should definitely listen to this episode!

Here is a preview of our conversation with Enrique Olvera.

Q: When you moved to Italy, was there anything specific you did to find new clients?

Enrique Olvera: When I moved to Italy, I was like, “Okay, and now what?” So I asked myself a lot of questions. Was this the path I wanted to follow? Do I want to continue with families and weddings?

I had the opportunity to come here and say, “I don’t have anything, I don’t have clients, and I can start from zero. Do I want to keep shooting families and weddings or maybe something else?” The answer was yes. I wanted to keep doing that. I love it. It’s something that makes me feel good, makes me feel alive, and gives me satisfaction.

When I started here, the first thing was creating a network. I contacted other photographers and studios. I offered my services – like a second photographer or an assistant – for the shootings to try to get involved in the community. Also, I tried to contact wedding vendors, sometimes offering my services for free. I did this to create a new portfolio.

My portfolio was from Mexico, from the Caribbean. To try to create that work here…okay, we live in Italy. We don’t have palm trees or the ocean. You need to be consistent. If you want to show your portfolio to someone, do it in a way that helps them imagine themselves in that place. So when I arrived here, the first thing was making a portfolio.


Q: What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a wedding photographer?

Enrique Olvera: I’ll start with the least favourite. As a freelance photographer, the part I don’t like is all the background work I need to do. Marketing, all of that stuff. I don’t like it that much. But it’s very, very important. You need to do it.

The part I love about my job is working with people, that’s the best part for me. I have the opportunity to work with people, to share their happiness with them. When you’re working in a wedding – this is a cliche, but it’s true – you’re working with people on one of the best days of their lives. To me, it’s something priceless. I have the opportunity to share this time, these memories, with them.

I approach wedding photography very intimately. So you’re really sharing those memories with people. That’s the best part of my job. Also, you can travel and get to know other cultures. You have a lot of things to do. But for me, the most important thing is to share memories with people.

Q: What film camera equipment do you use?

Enrique Olvera: I have a few 35mm cameras as well as medium format cameras. I have a Mamiya 645, which I love because it has almost the same ratio as a 35mm camera, and I also have the Rolleiflex 6×6 camera. I like that one a lot because the format is square, so you need to really think about the frame. That’s something I love about film cameras.

Check out Enrique’s work:
Website
Instagram

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Taya Iv is a portrait photographer, 500px ambassador, and host of Great Big Photography World podcast.
Taya Iv is a portrait photographer, 500px ambassador, and host of Great Big Photography World podcast.
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