Rafael Avcioglu is a 24 year old photography/ creative director. He currently resides in Paris, France but travels world wide for work. He has experience in most genres of photography but specializes in portraiture and works with lots of musicians doing concert work.. Rafael enjoys shooting both digital and film formats. "Film grounds me and helps me to stay patient. You cannot ignore the history of photography and it helps to to visualize the future of where the art form is traveling." Rafael enjoys traveling and attacking hard assignments with creativity and innovation, approaching things from all angles. "I spend most of my time traveling from place to place, continuing to grow and figure out the world. Order and routine can kill one's spirit, and inevitably make one's life fly by in the blink of an eye. What is unfamiliar or uncomfortable, humans tend to consciously or subconsciously avoid. Most would run away; I do not. This site is just a small portion of what my artist/life career includes." "There are no professionals - in fact, they are far from it. As amateur as amateur gets. But this is what makes them real - they are real, with raw candid feelings brought to life by the cause and effect of what they encounter and endure within every day. Though controversial issues are a matter of opinion that often will be countered, the images displayed and the models relaying the messages are a definitive projection of the world in which we live." -Norman Jean Roy Facebook: Rafael Avcioglu IG: @rafael.avcioglu @rafa.film
In this folder there are 4 sub folders with different self portraits using different mediums of photography. I will continue to add to these as I create.
Another flagged post :( for tomorrow’s class I will be making a google drive folder to share with the class. They are so strict on here...
Fresh off the scan. Another successful developing session. I know I said I was going to maybe be shooting during the day but I wanted to give the night time one more try. I really enjoyed the ability to control where I wanted the light with such long exposures.
Shot using #kodakektar100 4x5 film.
This was a 45 minute exposure.
3 separate exposures. 15 minutes for each. Using my self built pin hole camera which has an fstop of 256.
By far one of my favorite self-portraits shot so far. Stay tuned for more photos like this.
This is the first 4x5 color negative that I’ve shot on my own, developed on my own, and that’s me in the photograph! The feelings are real towards this. The process was important to me. And I’m happy to move forward from here with confidence in both handling, shooting, and developing this film. It’s fascinating to me to look at my body and see how distorted it is in the pinhole camera and the light reflections. The camera was about 4 feet above me and I laid down in the water below not sure if it was going to be able to fit me in the frame but it fit me and much more. Such an odd camera to use.
This is the 3rd 4x5 color negative photograph that I have self developed. This is the 1st one to actually come out visibly proper. I can’t tell you how good that felt. I think a lot of people a nervous about developing at home. Color or black and white. It’s a bit uncomfortable but I promise you, it I can do it, so can you. It wasn’t hard at all and it’s extremely cost efficient. I don’t think I will ever use a lab again unless I really have to.
I decided since I already had the Polaroid back taped and rigged up that I should just finish off the pack outside. Here were the results. Much more pleasing than before.
About a year ago tumble decided to go from being as free and open as twitter to being even more strict than Instagram when it comes to nude work. So I am sorry to say, for a while now, it hasn’t been my favorite platform to use because I shoot a lot of nude work, and so much of it, even when sensored was getting taken down and removed. I am now finding this to be the case with some of the work I have tried to post for our class. Just wanted you guys to be aware. That being said. I am sharing a lot of it on Instagram @rafael.avcioglu and my analog Instagram @rafa.film and it seems to be no problem. So if you’re curious. Go check it out.
So this is the re-cap from the polaroid experiment. My first time slapping that Mamyia back onto my pinhole. After this I get a bit tired of all of it, and decided to settle for going outside in the daylight. This is something I did not plan for this project. I wanted to shoot in the dark. At night. With crafty light control, double-exposures, etc. But sometimes things change. I am not saying I will no longer try shooting in the dark, but after 7 shots on the Polaroid basically “wasted” and 2 shots of 4x5 unreadable because they were so underexposed, it’s time to re-think some game plans.
I look at the Polaroid back set up I had going. After a few shots did not come out, I made sure to use gaffer tape and tape every single opening or possible light leak. Turns out the photos were not coming out over exposed, but rather under exposed. I was fooled by one random pink shot that you will see in the next video.
These are the digital photographs that I edited for the bathroom set up. I think my mind wanted the Polaroids to come out so badly because the colors in that set up were very cool so I added the border ;)
This was the first in depth set up using my my polaroid back, 4x5 film, and digital camera. All that came out from this set up was the digital shots. I will keep it real with all of you and the reality is, that even with all the meter readings, and proper set up, things can just come out under-exposed. I was disappointed but it was another lesson to really blast that light if I am going to be shooting the pin hole inside without big strobes and only speed lights for light.
My final project has been moving along. I have decided that some of the digital photographs (not necessarily the test pin-hole digitals, but the ones done with an actual glass lens) are in some ways equally important during this time of self-exploration. So I will upload and share them with you all, along with my 4x5 negatives, 35mm, or any other format that involves the self portraits I have been working on since arriving back the USA.
Sorry I have been away from this for a little bit but I have been recording a bunch of BTS and have plenty to upload so now an advanced apology for all the uploading i am about to do. This is some BTS from the other night of shooting. The temp outside was around 35F and the water was... idk cold. But the experience and photos made it well worth it.
3 more digital, non-pin hole self portraits. Just to get the juices flowing while I wait for the last of my equipment to show up to start shooting the large format pinhole project.
A well known commercial photographer Ryan Mcginley definitely sparks inspiration for me as I first discovered him years ago and was effected deeply by his early works. For me they embrace the free spirit rawness, and stand for what it means to be young, free, and nude!
Check out his work if you get a chance.
Into The Void @rafaelavcioglu - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag