Choose the right lens for your needs but most of all, love what you photograph.
Alessia Piscopo
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This week, I talked to Alessia Piscopo, an Italian hobbyist photographer and full-time teacher. Alessia often collaborates with her family members, who also dabble in photography. She’s also an active member of our online photography community!
We talk about:
- Tips for hobbyist photographers
- How to take beautiful photographs of pets
- The benefits of joining an online photography community
& much more!
I hope you enjoy listening to this episode with Alessia Piscopo. She’s a very friendly person who loves teaching others about photography, so I’m sure that you’ll learn a lot from her.
Here is a preview of our conversation with Alessia Piscopo.
Q: You have a Lensbaby. What is it like?
Alessia Piscopo: It’s a very particular lens. This compact lens creates a spot-of-focus effect, surrounded by smooth bokeh that allows you to separate the subject of your piece from the background. It’s the Sol 45. It’s only manual focus and it’s a fixed lens. It has an aperture of 3.5 aperture and a focal length of 45 mm. Also, it combines both selective focus and tilting.
The Sol 45 can be tilted to move the focus to different parts of the frame. It gives you plenty of options for composition. It also has 2 bokeh blades that can be used to add texture to your bokeh. I really like this lens. It’s something very original. I think it’s so unique in its style because it gives me a new perspective and an original way to capture photographs. But honestly, I have to say that I only use it for macros and for pet portraits because I don’t like this kind of effect in landscape photos.
Q: What advice would you give to hobbyist photographers?
Alessia Piscopo: I think that the camera body you have is not so important. Lenses can make a great difference. You should choose them wisely.
If you like many different genres like me, you can use the 18-55mm or 18-105mm lenses as they are so versatile. They’re ideal for a broad range of shooting situations. I think that you should do some useful observations about the genre you want to specialise in so that you can buy the right lens for you.
I’d like to share a quote that expresses my thoughts about photography: “Photography, for me, is not looking, but it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
Q: What do you enjoy the most about being a member of a photography community?
Alessia Piscopo: It’s my first time in a community and it’s a great experience. I’m very glad that I came across your website because there, I can find advice, inspiration, and motivation.
It’s great to receive comments. Criticism can be constructive, too. You always organise such great contests. I really enjoy them. They’re always different and original. I also have the opportunity to be in contact with professional photographers. I know I can count on all of you if I need some help.
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