If you happen to find yourself in Mississauga between now and October 12, do yourself a favour and drop by Vistek to take a gander at the latest Gallery on display.
Meet Alyssa Katherine Faoro (akFAORO)!
How long has photography been a passion?
I can remember back when I was 12 years old, my Nonna gave me an automatic point and shoot film camera. Recess in the school yard would never be the same again. No one was subject to lens immunity. I took pictures of everyone, even the older kids who probably thought I was a little weirdo, since none of them really knew who I was. But I would collect their photos anyway.
What genre is your favourite to shoot?
I love to experiment, but I really enjoy environmental portraiture. I love meeting and learning about new people. I don’t find anything more interesting than a person in their own space or comfort zone. You can learn a lot about people by witnessing what kind of things they surround themselves with.
How did you get your start?
In 2008, I lost my full time job and was looking for a new start. A good friend of mine found a posting on Stillepost (a no longer existent garage/punk music nerd forum) and the art director from the late Eye Weekly was looking for new photographers for the publication. Timidly, I sent out an email and got an interview, which led to me shooting small projects for them for the next two years. I guess that’s when I knew I wanted to photograph for a living. Going out and getting assignments was and still is all very exciting to me.
What is your background/education?
After graduating high school, where my favourite professor told me I should involve myself with art and computers, I decided to go to school for Digital Media Arts at Seneca@York to get a taste of what kinds of things I could do in the field. A couple of years later, after realizing that photography was what I wanted to do, I decided to head back to school for Sheridan College‘s two year Applied Photography diploma, where I have recently graduated. Currently, I am enrolled in the bridging program at Sheridan College, and working towards my Bachelor’s of Applied Arts degree for photography.
What/who (where?) inspires you to shoot?
Life and light are the two things that inspire me the most when it comes to photography. I am a firm believer in Susan Sontag when she says “to collect photographs, is to collect the world.” I like to have fun while collect experiences and stories in the form of photographic images. Places, people, objects; they can be quirky, thoughtful, or explosive. It doesn’t exactly matter as long as there is a viewfinder for me to look through while it’s happening and I am creating something to look back on in the future. I like to create my own history.
Want to see more of akFAORO‘s current Gallery Exhibit?
In Ontario you can, at:
- Vistek Mississauga | September 3 – October 12
- Vistek Ottawa | December 3 – 31