Get to Know Artist Moy Dumadag!

Moy Dumadag (@moy_photo) is a Maryland based photographer. He has dedicated his time to shooting portraits that feature symmetry and approach a unique take on the locations in relation to the subject. His signature work focuses on natural and artificial light in portraiture. Along with following him on his instagram, you can find more of his work at https://www.moydphoto.com.

Are you self-taught or classically trained, or a little bit of both?

 I am a self-taught photographer. I learned most of my abilities through videos and photography related articles online. Many Instagram users that I look up to share their tips and tricks online, so those have been really helpful to me as a reference point. Even though self teaching myself got me to where I am right now, I would still recommend people to take classes online or in school to have a better understanding of the art, and also get different perspectives from professors and other students in the class.

What’s your favorite lens? Why?

My current go-to lens is the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art. The open aperture helps me achieve a well-exposed photo in low light. Most of my photos are taken during blue hour or later, and the need of the open aperture is very important to me. The sigma 35mm also allows me to have a really shallow depth of field in my photos! It is also a wide enough lens for those low angle fashion shots, or in tight space locations. I recently purchased the 85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, and I started using it more than my 35mm.

Explain your workflow and how you know when you’re done editing an image.

After booking a photoshoot, I ask my clients what concept they would like to do for the shoot. I sometimes ask them to send me a sample photo from online so I can have a better idea of how I would like to approach the photoshoot. On the day of the shoot, I like to do the shots the the clients wanted to do first. If time permits, I suggest experimenting with other poses, angles, locations, etc. For post production, I transfer all my files to my computer and to a backup hard drive. I fire up Lightroom and start working on the basics and get the color theme going towards the photo set. And then I go on Photoshop for skin retouching, photo manipulation, and sharpening. Lastly, I get back on Lightroom for final color correction. I export the files into my main hard drive and to the back up hard drive. I use dropbox or google drive to send out the photos for my clients to view and download the files at full resolution.

What are things you look for when composing your shot?      

Location. Location. Location. I could not be more specific about how important the location is to me when it comes to composing a shot. Even obliterating backgrounds with shallow depth of field lenses, I like to approach the background as part of my subject, and the subject part of my background, both complimenting the other. My photos are heavily composed center weighted and symmetrical. I think its just a very simple composition style and I kept that same approach towards many of my photos until today.

When shooting portraits, what are you favorite props to keep in your toolkit?

Props and any sort of accessory are always helpful to make my photos come to life. I always incorporate some sort of light bending in my portraits, so prisms and crystal drop pendants are always in my camera bag. My second favorite prop are string lights. I enjoy using them because they help me create a path of lights that leads the viewers eyes towards my subjects. The prisms are used mostly to manipulate the location to make the image look like its from a complete different world or universe. I also use the prisms to blur out any areas of the background that have objects that would be considered as a distraction to the composition. 

What is your best photography/videography tip or secret?

I honestly think that artists need to remember why they started taking videos / photos in the first place. We pick up art because we enjoy it, and it defines us as who we are as people. Have fun at the photo shoot! Learn new things in post production! Experiment new photography styles!

What’s something about you that would surprise our readers?

I never really took photography seriously until around 2016 when I bought my first DSLR (Canon 70d). I went to school for music education and have been extremely passionate about music ever since I was introduced to it at a younger age. I went through college for music and ended up falling in love with the other art study actors the hall, photography. I still do enjoy playing music and listening to classical music, but not as a career.

Do you see aspects of yourself, your identity, or journey shine through in your work?

I would like to say so. I’m constantly improving my style and my approach to photography. It makes me really happy when people run into photos online that has a similar style to mine and they say “thats a Moy_photo photo”. I don’t think I will ever be satisfied with where I am as a photographer and editor.

What kind of messages or emotions are you trying to convey with your work?

I like to say that my photos are like a “slap in the face”. Using lights and explosion of colors in each of my photos really give the photos life and uniqueness. I would like my photos to stand out and get recognized as what they are when my audience go through social media. I think that my work has a lot of excitement and drive! Keeping the clients engaged for portraiture is very crucial to me since a single photo can only capture that short moment. You want to tell your audience a story, not just a single dialogue.

Focal Collective: Artist Interview Series

Focal Collective would like to thank our contributing artists! This recurring propensity to create and growing community continues to inspire us. Are you interested in sharing your story? Feel free to apply to our Artist Interview Series with your portfolio, IG, and a brief introduction via our contact page. We'll look out for your message!

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