Artist Spotlight : Mahikol Torres

In recent weeks we've looked at a variety of different types of art. Including graphic design, watercolor, and jewelry design. But this spotlight is going to be looking at photography. Our photographer of interest today is Mahikol Torres. Who has an interesting photographic gallery of self portraits. His instagram also shows some of his work.

When I first browsed his galleries there were a couple of images that struck me as interesting. Partially because of the depth as well as the content. This meant that it was a little complicated when it came to selecting pieces to share with you here. But I found that some of the same ones that piqued my interest had some interesting stories.

Probably one of the most impressive images to me was this one to the left. He calls it Oberon. I was impressed and curious about how it was done. I first assumed it had been done using blacklight reactive makeup, or maybe a photoshop. But I later found out that it was just glitter that refracted creating that effect. In fact, when I asked the photographer about what his favorite image was, it was this one. His response was very thorough, and it added more character to the image by providing background.

He personally feels drawn to the Oberon photo. He classifies it as one of those pictures where he wasn't sure if it would look good. Because there was no way to know how it would turn out beforehand. He feels that it came out as great as it did, because he rolled with his idea. He's also fond of this image because it's a record of makeup that he wore in a play. This gives the image emotional value. Mahikol also believes that the dark background really pulled his face away from all recognizable objects leaving you to wonder where he is or who he is. Some people have told him it makes him look like an alien or spaceman.

That's one of the fun things about photography though. Like all forms of art it can be interpreted differently by different people. When I saw this picture, the first impression was that it was a look at having trouble getting  the camera to capture what you see in your mind. Which to my eyes seems to be a valid idea. But I had to giggle when Mahikol said it actually is a play on the idea of shooting oneself.

Playing with ideas and being creative when you're taking photographs can be difficult. Partially because traditional photography restricts the elements available. Yes there are tricks that can be utilized to make silly pictures, but they don't always work the same way.

The trick of the picture to the left is the camera angle, and the play of light. By using a candle there's a lot of the image left in darkness, so the true location is unknown. At least, that's my opinion. I think it's a lot of fun to try and figure out what motivates people to explore their art. I asked Mahikol about this, and he had a very interesting answer.

Mahikol was a theater major in high school, and realized the productions needed better marketing. So he picked up a camera and started taking photos. He realized that he enjoyed taking them, and was surprised at the positive reactions people had. This experience inspired him to look into courses and tips that have helped him to build up his photographic skill sets.

While doing this he became interested in a skill building exercise that recommended taking self portraits, removing the need for other models. Mahikol has found it to be an enjoyable way to explore photography. He doesn't have to worry about the model getting bored as he takes his time and works out the details of an image. As he's gotten more comfortable with this his interest in character creation, fueled by his time as an actor, has given him inspiration to work with makeup and get more creative in his photos.

So that leads us to one of the most important questions that I ask people. A question that I lovee to ask artists is what they would recommend to someone interested in attempting their own hand in their field. Mahikol, like the others had a positive response:

For anyone interested in exploring this, the best advice I have is to just do it. I spent so much time at first worrying about perfection. Everything had to look great. I had to know everything about the lighting and my camera before I would dare try it, but as I mentioned, some really great shots came from experimentation. 

Have fun with it! Really, go crazy! Try out new things! Use anything you can find! And don't worry if you don't "have a space" to shoot. Tons of my photos were captured in a bathroom, with the lights off. The black background allowed me to really disconnect from any recognizable objects and make it more about the character, me. 

This is a great way for an artist to get to know themselves and really find a sense of style. And these photos also make great profile pictures!

If you've enjoyed what you've seen here, please head on over to his online gallery to see more of his work self portraits: Mahikol Torres: Self Portraits. His instagram is also available as a place to view his work and see some recent pieces that may not be in the gallery yet. I know they were mentioned earlier, but it doesn't hurt to remind you. Have fun exploring!