| Biography |
| |
The photography of Alex Lemus captures the living detail and sheen of his subjects in simple stunningly lit compositions brimming with a narrative light. The resulting texture is remarkable, and is certain to be one of the distinctive elements of the photographerâs artistic legacy.
An Upper West side native, Lemus used to escape inside the pages of his motherâs fashion magazines for hours. Seeing her boys fascination with images, his mother, a textile industry professional and administrator at New Yorks Fashion Institute of Technology, bought Alex his first camera at age 11. Lemus honed his hobby into a passion at Manhattanâs High School of Performing Arts, where he studied Fashion & Photography.
It was an internship with the legendary fashion photography icon Francesco Scuvullo, famous for his work with Vogue and Cosmopolitan magazines, that opened the door that Alex bolted through. I started off cleaning toilets at Scuvulloâs studio, and I was thrilled to do it. The growth I experienced observing the ensemble nature of the business was invaluable,â Lemus recalls.
Subsequent assistant positions with heavyweight photographers Sante Dâorazio and Walter Chin, helped Lemus broaden his vision and refine his technical skills. Three years at the Fashion Institute of Technology and a BA in Photography from the Academy of Art College completed Lemusâ formal education, and consummated his personal commitment to the craft.
We spoke with Alex at The Zephyr Lounge.
Q: Are you as comfortable doing location work as you are in the studio?
A: Gordon Parks famously said, âAll photographers are arbiters of light. The Sun is Gods studio so for me location shoots create an opportunity to improvise.
The crystalline granularity of Lemus dark lit portraits is groundbreaking. Check out his work at www.alexlemus.com
By Oliver X |
|
The photography of Alex Lemus captures the living detail and sheen of his subjects in simple stunningly lit compositions brimming with a narrative light. The resulting texture is remarkable, and is certain to be one of the distinctive elements of the photographerâs artistic legacy.
An Upper West side native, Lemus used to escape inside the pages of his motherâs fashion magazines for hours. Seeing her boys fascination with images, his mother, a textile industry professional and administrator at New Yorks Fashion Institute of Technology, bought Alex his first camera at age 11. Lemus honed his hobby into a passion at Manhattanâs High School of Performing Arts, where he studied Fashion & Photography.
It was an internship with the legendary fashion photography icon Francesco Scuvullo, famous for his work with Vogue and Cosmopolitan magazines, that opened the door that Alex bolted through. I started off cleaning toilets at Scuvulloâs studio, and I was thrilled to do it. The growth I experienced observing the ensemble nature of the business was invaluable,â Lemus recalls.
Subsequent assistant positions with heavyweight photographers Sante Dâorazio and Walter Chin, helped Lemus broaden his vision and refine his technical skills. Three years at the Fashion Institute of Technology and a BA in Photography from the Academy of Art College completed Lemusâ formal education, and consummated his personal commitment to the craft.
We spoke with Alex at The Zephyr Lounge.
Q: Are you as comfortable doing location work as you are in the studio?
A: Gordon Parks famously said, âAll photographers are arbiters of light. The Sun is Gods studio so for me location shoots create an opportunity to improvise.
The crystalline granularity of Lemus dark lit portraits is groundbreaking. Check out his work at www.alexlemus.com
By Oliver X
