Gerard Estadella / I Can Teach You How to Do It Interview
Gerard Estadella is icanteachyouhowtodoit. What can he teach us how to do? We’ll get to that later. All you need to know now is that this DJ slash party photographer has shot everybody from Mary-Kate Olsen and Kanye to Agyness Deyn and Kate Moss. He’s everywhere. Hailing from Barcelona he travels more than a circus and always makes sure his camera is along for the ride. Not only do his photos take on an edgy documentary style, they are the ultimate in what we all want to do, stick our cameras in people’s faces to capture subtle, raw moments that would otherwise be uncaptured. This interview is special. It is probably the most waited-for interview I’ve ever conducted, and it represents a party. A party with party photography (more here). Why? See Like Me has surpassed 10,000 visitors since it’s prime birth in September of last year and this is my 25th interview. It’s all you, my friends. It’s all you.
Name: Gerard Estadella
Age: 28
Occupation: Retired PR, now Photographer and DJ
Currently Resides: in Barcelona, but i think of myself as a citizen of the world
Favourite Song: that changes every 2 weeks!
Trey Taylor: I have a feeling you have a super interesting background. Can you tell us some major events that have brought you to this moment in time? Starting with childhood.
Gerard Estadella: Mhh.. i don’t know.. my life as a teenager wasnt fancy at all. i’m from a small city 2 hours from barcelona, and i was sort of the obese freak weirdo no one payed atention in high school. I decided to study comunications and i moved to barcelona when i was 17. After finishing my degrees and working at some major PR firms, i decided that i was not meant to be in an office from 9 to 5. Plus i was DJing occasionally at the time, and wanted to do it more often. So after stuggling for 1 year with almost no money, things started to work, i was getting booked more often and somehow a little blogspot that i created while ago was starting to get more attention than i ever would have expected…
TT: Your photography is, as you must have heard, very fresh and sort of a spin on the usual party photography we see. How would you describe what you do to someone who has never heard of you?
GE: Gosh. i’ve tried to explain in few sentences what I do for a living, so my parents will stop asking me.. let me see. I basically go out with my camera everywhere, and when in parys and events, try to take photos to things that i like. people´s faces, bodies compositions, celebrities and non celebrities, fashion, things that happen very fast but the world should see that happened. I then make a selection of about 150-250 photos, make it into a gallery, and place it online on my website. Always based on my own criteria with no pressure from sponsors or media groups. it’s just me. DIY.
TT: How often do you shoot? And how do you decide what to shoot and where to go?
GE: I try to shoot everytime i go out or when somethings worth publishing. I decided what where and who to shoot dependeing on what i like. After all icanteachyouhowtodoit its just me. so whatever i feel like doing I will do.
if i want to make an update one day with a gallery of 200 photos of my right hand, I’ll do it.
TT: Sticking your camera in people’s faces can be quite the risky business. Do you usually ask the “subject(s)” if you can take their photo before snapping?
GE: Depends on the situation. Sometimes people who think of themselves that they are too cool for photos can easily be snapped while they´re dancing, that´s ok. but if you ask them they´ll say no. But nowadays it just turned upside down. sice people do ask me for photos. I try to shoot everyone that asks me for their photo. If they´re gonna end up online on my website, well, that´s a different thing
TT: So by now you probably have quite the address book of interesting fashion contacts. Who’s been one of the most interesting people you’ve met? And can you describe the encounter?
GE: Almost everybody in the fashion industry is an interesting person. For what they do, or how they got there. The amazing encounters happen when i get introduced to someone fashion related and they already know about my work. that feels good.
TT: Would you categorize what you do as fashion photography?
GE: I guess so.. after all there´s photos of people as goodlooking as models (well, sometimes they actually are, models) they´re wearing crazy fashions and with their hair and make up done by sometimes professional people.. so.. what´s the difference.
But seriously. I´m glad that something that started as a party photography website slowly turned into something more fashion-related. It’s very easy to stay in the field of urban trendy brands and events when you run a website like that. I certainly try to give another spin at the party photography by turning it into that, fashion photography… but with loads of alcohol
TT: So many people might not know this, but you also Disc Jockey. Can you name us 5 songs that we should never pass up?
GE: Right now, as of July 2009….
1. MAJOR LAZER / Keep it goin’ louder
2. SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM / Pictures (that could easily be the soundtrack of my website)
3. THE PRODIGY / Omen (Clockwork Remix)
4. THE GOSSIP / Heavy Cross (Fred Falke Remix)
5. MARIAH CAREY / Obsessed (hehe :P)
TT: What do you hope to try and do with your work? And do you find it difficult that your photography and DJ-ing is your only source of income?
GE: TThis year the website will go from the internet to art galleries. Some gallerys around the world showed interest in producing and selling some of the photos from the website in large format. Exhibitions and art pieces.. i guess thats the future of my party photography. As for my other photographer duties, i`m shooting lots of fashion editorials those days, it’s something that i’ve been doing since the beggining, but never promoted it in the website … i’m working in my own personal website where i’ll show my other works and my portfolio.
TT: Leave us with something you’ve learned.
GE: it’s all about Karma bitch. Be nice to others, and others will be nice to you.
Thanks Gerard! Hopefully one day I’ll be at a super sick party you’re shooting at and we’ll meet up for a brewski. You rock and Dee Jock. g
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