I genuinely can’t remember how I discovered Caesar’s photography, but I’ve been a huge fan of it for a while now, following his flickr and blog avidly. He has this fantastic way of capturing the energy of big electro shows and at the same time produces incredible portraits full of calm and trepidation with his film cameras. Through chance I added him on facebook and got talking and luckily he agreed to answer a few questions and share with us some of his favourite photos!
First things first, how did you get into photography?
Initially, I was really into illustration and got submerged in the world of graffiti. I began to photograph at an early age but I never pursued it as the medium I wanted to evolve with. Slowly but surely my random snaps began to satisfy the area of my artistic expressions, just like illustration did. My perspective about photography completely changed and now this is what I do.
You shoot in a lot of different mediums, which is your favourite?
I love the analog effect of film. The organic quality of its texture, colors and feel. I never disregard digital and its advancements, so its always a tough call to say I have a favorite.
You obviously shoot a lot of nightlife stuff, especially DJs, is this a by-product of already being into electro music, or simply a money thing?
I’ve been going to raves since the late 90′s. I’m actually a huge fan of electronic music, whether it’s a dirty house track, experimental electronica, or a choppy-grindy electro break down.. I’m down with whatever sounds good. I love the energy that a massive crowd transmits at these events, so I like to capture this.
Who are your favourite DJs to shoot?
I love anything that demands a crowd over 1000, preferably 20k and up. So, my favorite Electronic Performers are the ones that can rock these huge crowds.
What’s it like shooting at big festivals and things like Coachella and Hard, is there a lot of pressure?
The politics of a huge event can really tear down new photographers. I think the people with pressure are the people that put these things together, we are just documenting it. I like getting lost in the crowd and documenting the experience. Getting on stage takes a little bit of persistence at times, but once you seal the deal then it’s all you at that moment. I hate when I see a shit load of photographers on stage that clearly don’t know what they are doing and totally miss the opportunity to take incredible photographs. I see this all the time and it becomes a nuisance.
I’m also really drawn to your portrait stuff, some obviously a little racey, how do you get models for these?
Yes, this is my personal work and what I am working on at the moment. For my own sake, I will explore photography as fine-art and also commercially. The people I work with are friends.
For you, what makes the ‘perfect’ photo?
Knowing that you are photographing what others can’t see.
(‘I love this photo above because it was taken literally last week, and it’s of Drop the Lime, who I got to DJ and party with last year and the guy is crazy good at what he does, and a super talented DJ, singer and producer. He also parties HARD’ – Tom)
The above photo was shot during the making of this video
