Around Town Fridays: The Photography Of Frank Rico
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 10, 2012 6:20PM
For today's gallery we decided to resurrect something we briefly did last year and interview a specific Chicagoist Photos Flickr Pool contributor. Our lucky subject: Frank Rico, who goes by the handle "FAR Photos."
Chicagoist: When did you first become interested in photography?
Frank Rico: I have been interested in photography my entire life it seems. I've owned many analog cameras but my interest really took off when I began to combine my love of cycling with taking pictures in a digital format. I've been a cyclist and commuter for about 10 years and started to seriously pursue photography about 3 years ago and publish my work. Cycling across Chicago has enabled me to see more of the City and to see it in a different way. My Bio is also available here: http://far-photos.smugmug.com/
C: Do you prefer to shoot using natural light, or do you play around with HRD and other techniques?
FR: I prefer natural light for most photos I shoot but I do like applying filters and effects to enhance photos in post-production using software such as Lightroom and Picnik. I am not a formally trained photographer so my goal is to master my camera well enough to limit the need to edit photos and keep them as natural as possible. I am learning as I go along. Certain scenes really call for some additional effects or editing to really "make" the scene. I am very interested in working with and learning more about vintage analog camera such as the Diana and other Holga-type cameras. I really love that dreamy 1960's style of photography and it's reflected in many of my shots. I have some projects coming up where I will explore film cameras further and that is very exciting to me.
C: If you aren't a professional photographer, what are your skills to pay the bills?
FR: I'm not a pro photographer so my day job is as an IT Professional/Manager for a large state/local government organization.
C: How has sharing your work on Flickr improved your photography skills?
FR: I feel that Flickr and sharing my photos on the Chicagoist has greatly improved my work because of the inspiration and ideas I get from seeing the art of photography from others and striving to meet that level. There are some incredibly talented photographers out there like Joshua Mellin, JC Epong, Miro Ledajaks, Jeff Johnson, Don Schuster, John Caruso amongst a few and my faves. Great stuff! However, my biggest inspiration has been my girlfriend and partner, Ana. She has been my "muse" so to speak and has encouraged me to try new ideas with my photos and to develop exhibits to display my work. She is a great part of any success that I have with my work. Thank You and Love You, Ana. We make a great team!
C: You seem adept at both architecture photography and street photography. Which do you prefer and why?
FR: I love both street and architecture of course as you can tell! My goal with architecture/landmarks is of course to find that different angle on a shot of famous and not-so-famous Chicago points of interest. If I had to choose, I would say that my favorite would be street photography. Those shots are much more spontaneous and I love capturing the people of Chicago just doing their everyday thing. My favorite subjects are cyclists, commuters, and the homeless of Chicago. The Occupy Chicago folks have also been very interesting to photograph and very nice people to talk with. With all my photos I also look to add a sense of humor and irony where it can be found.
C: Do you have any websites, exhibits, events, etc? you want to promote for Friday?
FR: Best places to see my work are:
- Flickr FAR Photography stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fromfar/
- Facebook - search for "FAR Photography"
- SmugMug site: http://far-photos.smugmug.com/
If you're a flickr user and wish to have your photography considered for "Around Town" or other Chicagoist features, please tag your photos with "Chicagoist" and enter them into our flickr pool.