Meet Adrian Frost. Meet his lovely girlfriend Jax. Jax has been dying to show off her boyfriend Adrian's incredible photography skills; so she sent us a mail, asking us to feature FrostFoto on our blog, in celebration of his business being almost one year old - and we thought it was a sensational idea! This is the first ever photography feature that we are sharing with you, and a great one at that. Adrian is currently from the little town where we studied our Journalism & Graphic Design degrees: Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, so this feature is quite close to our hearts. We absolutely love the diverse range of his photography. So without any further ado, here is our interview with the man himself: Adrian Frost!
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| Adrian Frost and Jax Lotter - so in love after so many years! |
How did you get into photography? Was it a hobby that expanded into a business, or has it been a dream since you were young?
For as long as I can remember I have been intrigued by photography. I’ve always had a little point & shoot camera and enjoyed taking photos. A few years back a couple of friends said that my photos were really good and that I should do more with my photography, it was at this point that I decided to take the plunge and get myself a DSLR camera and see where my photography would take me...and man oh man it’s already been an adventure!
Do you do it full time now? If so, how long has your business been running?
I have been doing the photo thing full time for almost a year now. July will be the 1 year anniversary of FrostFoto...and I love it!
What were you doing prior to becoming a photographer?
I had a bad-ass career in the Navy for 8 years before I decided to move onwards and upwards. After that I was in the process of looking for a job, but quickly got over doing something just for a pay cheque at the end of the month. I was about to shift my photography to the back seat again when I decided to go all out, and with the support of my awesome family and friends, started doing what I love.
What did you study?
I never actually studied photography, everything I know I taught myself via the internet (YouTube is amazing!), books, and carefully studying the work of my photographic heroes. I am STILL busy with a BCom through UNISA on the side, I hope this will add an edge to the business side of FrostFoto.
I am currently based in Grahamstown. I’m originally from wine country in the Cape, but moved to the Eastern Cape for...well... love (sweet)! I recently went to Joburg to shoot a 3-day wedding combining traditions from Ghana and Kenya, it was fascinating and an honour. I also had time to do a couple shoot with the beautiful Nikki and Olympic hopeful Chris and shot some very talented B-Boys. I’m not sure I would ever want to live up there, I am far too laid back, but the time I spent there was a lot of fun and I would definitely like to go back and do some more work there. I got to see a different side of Jozi and would love to explore that a bit more.
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| Some stunning shots from Grahamstown |
How would you describe your photography "aesthetic"?
My favourite thing in the world to shoot is live music. The energy and honest raw emotion is what drives me to wait for that perfect moment of artistic expression. My abstract work seems to sell pretty well and I believe that I often see things from an interesting angle. I decided to challenge myself at the end of last year and shot my first wedding. It was super exciting and I really enjoyed it. I think my love for live music and abstract photography has influenced my wedding photography in ways that allows me to see things in a different light and from unique, often unnoticed, angles. I try to capture the unique moments in time that you will always remember, but don’t always notice as it happens.
What inspires your photography?
Life. Wine. Love. Angles. Light. People. Braaing Music. Colour. Emotion. Beauty. Difference.
Besides photography, what are your other loves?
I love to teach myself stuff in Photoshop that you would never use and spend far too many hours looking at the blogs of fellow photographers Steve Gerrard, Zack Araias and Dave Jackson! Besides photography I love to spend time in creative, fun environments, drinking too much wine and doing some people watching. I’m a sucker for a braai and watching sport with mates. I love to travel and meet new people and discover new beers and cultures...making my way to Mozambique with a back-pack, my girlfriend and best friend on local taxis, living on the beach and eating out of the sea are some of my best memories!
As a design and wedding blog, we have to ask: do you enjoy photographing weddings?
I consider shooting weddings an honour and kind of see it as living on the edge. You have to give everything creatively and give total concentration all the time because there is no going back if you miss something. I think the thing I enjoy the most about weddings is the fact that there are no do-overs-it’s so real! You have to shoot what you see as it happens and deal with different challenges, ranging from difficult mother in-laws to misplaced wedding rings, sometimes all at once. I try to stay true to my own style when I shoot weddings and hope that this honesty is conveyed in my work.
If you had to choose a photographer to take your own wedding photos, who would it be? Who inspires you?
For my own wedding it would have to be Steve Gerrard from the UK. I love his unique, slightly off-beat wedding style AND what really sells it is that he also shoots music! Steve’s talent means that he now gets to shoot some of the biggest bands in the world on a regular basis.
What do you see in the future for yourself in the next few years?
Hopefully I will be a little further down this road knowing a lot more and being more confident and settled in my photographic style. My dream job would be to work for a company like Red Bull, shooting everything from extreme sports to live music events...and many more weddings in between.
And what are your wedding/engagement shoot rates?
My wedding packages are tailor-made to suit individual couples. I don’t like putting people into a predetermined box, so I usually work with the client and see what works best for them. I always include an engagement shoot, and also offer FotoBooth. Everything is negotiable.
Tell us about yourself in three words...
Laid-back. Awkward . Awesome
How can people get hold of you?
You can see all my work on my website or on Facebook, where you can also keep track of my projects for the year. Also if you are into Twitter you can catch me there. For rates or inquiries, email me at adrian@frostfoto.co.za.
{We'd like to add in here that Adrian is running a cool campaign on his Facebook page, where he puts up a photo a day, every day of this year called "366". So follow him on the link above above so that every day you can be inspired by something beautiful that he has shot.}
Please finish these sentences:
Right now I'm happy about... the help I am getting from my girlfriend and cat Teddi to answer these questions!
Photography... is expensive!
Coffee... is essential!
I'm so...running out of things to say!
People would say... that I'm kind!
I get annoyed when... people jump in front of me with their camera phones just as I am about to take a winning shot of the bride and groom’s first kiss!
A photograph is... a statement!
When I wake up in the morning... I need coffee!
I don't understand... Photoshop!
I'm terrified of... Photoshop!
Tomorrow I will... shoot better images
If I had a million Rand I would... buy a ring and put it on that lady mentioned above's finger! Oh and maybe get some killer gear. {All together now - aaaaaaw! We love a romantic man!}
All photographs credited and copyrighted to Adrian Frost and Frost Foto. His permission has been given for these photographs to be used on Ruby & the Swallow Design Collective, but not for them to be replicated elsewhere.
Labels: Adrian Frost Photography, Facebook, Frost Foto, photographer, photography
