Our next showcased teen photographer is Mateo Llosa from Lima, Peru in South America. We met Mateo via Flickr. His portfolio featured various ethnic South American groups, their deep culture, and amazing landscapes; most impressive was his Macchu Picchu series of photographs and asylum photographs. Mateo is an honorable mention winner in the International Photography Awards contest, one of the largest photography contests for amateurs in the world, and earned 4th place at the Anne Frank Sources of Inspiration Contest, another widely renowned photography competition.

 

MATEO LLOSA, 17

LIMA, PERU

1. What camera equipment do you use?

I used a Nikon D7000 with a 50mm f/1.8 lens for the portraits and a Sigma 10-20 for the two sepia pictures. I used natural light for the daylight pictures and an ‘external camera-flash’ for the picture of the man at night. Having only my built-in flash available, the frontal ‘in your face’ illumination that this kit tool gave me failed to capture the emotions and the grandness of the moment. The issue was I did not have an external flash device I could use, thus, I asked a man at the scene to aid me with his point and shoot camera. I entered slow-shutter settings on my D7000 and asked the man (standing on my far right) to take a picture as my camera’s shutter recorded the photograph. The result was a decent imitation of what one can do with a speedlight.


2. When, why, and how did you start photography?

I started photography at age 12 when my mother bought her first digital point and shoot camera. I realized how the small device could capture not only the visual proportions of a scene, but the entire sensory vastness of a moment. Thus, I developed a passion for photographing especially portraits and landscapes, which I believe are two of the most emotionally expressive styles of this art.

3. Where did you get inspiration for your Macchu Picchu series?
Inspiration? First off, I had to take advantage of the situation – a beautiful sunset over one of the Seven Wonders of the World and natives from the town of Machu Picchu in their native dresses. But beyond that, I felt like all these elements could come together to assemble a photographic homage to the culture of the Incas and the grandeur of Machu Picchu. I hope to have achieved that to some degree.

4. What do you plan on doing in the future with your photography?
Although I’m not planning on studying photography, I know the ‘syndrome of the photographer’ (general symptoms: feeling guilty every time something worth shooting comes up and one doesn’t have a camera, or feeling worthless after months of not shooting) will feed my drive to keep pursuing it as a passion and a hobby. I would like to keep working independently on travel photography or photojournalism parallel to any career I embark on, because as writers feel a need to tell stories and journalists, opinions, I find photography to be a way of ‘channeling out’ a personal perspective on the world and our surroundings.

NOTICE: ALL PHOTOS ARE COPYRIGHT OF MATEO LLOSA, Please do not copy or distribute without his express permission

 

Visit Mateo Llosa:

You can visit Mateo Llosa’s Flickr photostream here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mateollosa/

Portfolio: www.mateoll.carbonmade.com

Video Portrait Portfolio: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9HQygVbfGM
THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE FEATURED AS OUR NEXT TEEN PHOTOGRAPHER?

Email Us: justin@teenagephotographer.com. Send a short bio about yourself, 5 photos you think best displays your portfolio, and your name, age, and country/state/province of residence. If we’re impressed, you may be featured as our next Showcased Teen Photographer.

Justin Lai

Justin Lai

I'm a sixteen year old photographer from Austin, Texas. I launched Teen Photo in the summer of 2011, the first website dedicated to the growth and collaboration of young photographers. Since then, the site has grown enormously and garnered a lot of support in the photo industry. You can check out my other project, a new magazine for young adults and adolescents at www.neosmagazine.com.