Hello, and welcome to another episode of the fashion photography podcast with me, Virginia. 

Last week we finished our interview with the amazing beauty photographers Sarah Brown.
So today is Wednesday, and it’s time for a brand new guest.
If you want to listen to our previous interviews, you can go to photography podcast.net, where you’re going to find all of our Wednesday podcasts when we’re here with some of the most amazing people in the industry, and also our Friday episodes where I am answering your questions.
And I’m also giving you some tips and tricks on how to build a sustainable photography business. 

The guest and today’s episode has been all over the world working in Brazil, Paris, and now in New York.
Sebastian is going to tell us about his journey and why he decided to move and what were the obstacles that he had to handle during this process.
What’s the most important and valuable lesson that he learned so far?
And I really believe that this advice can be a great lesson to all of us.
Why he has to start his portfolio all over again after moving to the US is another question that he’s about to answer. 

So if you want to know more, just scrapped our podcast and continue with this episode.

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Hello, I’m Sebastian Sabal-Bruce , photographer based in New York.

Virginia Y
You’re based in New York, but you’ve been all over the world, right?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
I was born in Chile, in South America. And then I went to live in Barcelona. So I grew up in too late. But then my studies say during Barcelona, so I lived in Barcelona, like 10 years. Whoa, yeah. And then I just said, Let’s go to New York. And that’s where I am now since about four years.

Virginia Y
Why did you decide to move from Chile on the first place?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
For the most stupid reason – LOVE! 
I had a girlfriend who was Spanish. South America, you should know everyone. Mostly Chile, Argentina is European everyone like, my family’s a little bit Italian, Scottish, they have every every mix. And so this girlfriend was also Spanish mix with whatever. So she went to study there. And when they went to visit her, and I said I like it here, I’m gonna stay here. And it was much more cold to friendly than in Chile, Chile slightly economically amazing. If you’re an engineer, an architect or something is amazing. But if you’re an artist is not so good. So I left that place because of that. And then in Barcelona, I start studying. My father was a photographer. Oh, yes. But I never said Oh, I’m gonna be a photographer, too. He kind of gave me the taste of it. And I remember he said, don’t study photography, study fine art. So you will get full background of more things. And you see what you like. So that’s what I did.

Virginia Y
What would you advise someone if they want to start their photography business today? would you advise them to go and study fine art? Or photography? or something else?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Yeah, depends. I don’t know, I think you can these days, you can really, really learn by your own, just experimenting, and practicing or watching YouTube or you can always two courses, of course, is not a bad thing. But also you can assist. I also didn’t assist so much. So it all came out from me. And that was nice. But of course, it’s impossible to get rid of all the influences and things you see you see all the time.

Virginia Y
Have you ever been with your father on his photo shoot?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Yeah, many times, mostly because for example, he was always carrying the camera and shooting everywhere. We were like, We will go skiing you go with a huge bag full of lenses. And it was more open and was also portraits but not fashion. Mm hmm. Yeah, of course, I’ll tone of amazing portraits of my mother, who’s beautiful. And that gave me a lot of taste as well. Yeah.

Virginia Y
And how did you choose fashion photography?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
I was in Barcelona, shooting art photography, but a more staged photography, which means I was using people and placing them in different positions or using myself. So it was fine art photography, but with human beings. MMO came to New York in 2008. And a good friend of mine said, Why don’t you just shoot fashion? If you know how to light a person and you’re good with people? I said, No. Are you crazy? That’s gonna be like, blonde girls, kind of Victoria’s Secret like, No, no, no. What are you talking about? I don’t want to do that. And he said, No, wait, let me show you these magazines. And then he showed me ID and my things like that, that were more RFID or independent or interesting? And I said, Oh, yes, of course, I want to do this. And I started in 2010. I shut my first test in a roof top in Barcelona.

Virginia Y
How did it turn out?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
I think it was okay. Yeah, I had no idea what to ask the model to do. And I was clear on the mood, the mood I always had.

Virginia Y
Do you have any advice for the people that are in this position at the moment? What would you tell to them in order to speed up their process?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
So for me, the most difficult thing, and also the most important is that I learned maybe not so long ago to shoot what you really like, and from the heart not try to replicate or do something else? First, fine. What do you want to say? And that’s really hard to find, you know, what is your style? What are you going to do? Like? What’s going to be your your photography? Like? Why you and why are you different? And what are you going to propose to the industry? That mainly happened to me here in New York, because when I arrived in New York with a portfolio full of everything from Spain, you know, because in Spain, you have to shoot a little bit of everything, like a little bit of swimwear and this and this type of light, and then that and then a beauty. And then when I arrived here, they said, okay, but what is what you like, and what is your work, because here, I see a lot of different things that are well done. But in New York, we have the photographer who does this and who did that. So we really need you. And they saw a few portraits that I was doing, like backstage on the on the show, from the fashion week that we’re in a really, really small studio little fabric that I was putting on the middle of backstage and and they said, those we like, and that was exactly my work when I was alone. And this me deciding, and I was the art director. So it took me about two years to generate my own content and to shoot from the heart, like as they say, and only then I get the clients and everything skyrocketed in a way I still going. But for me that changed everything. Like it’s so funny, and so ironic. And when I had a portfolio that was so consistent with only things I like and I was proud of, they were sometimes just very, very produce test if you want I hate the word test, but they were maybe portraits, we would go in a minivan to the beach with a crew of five and shoots only what we like them with a great model. And that’s what every client wanted to replicate with me. So they start sending me the mood boards, but we might just, that’s when I said okay, now something changed, if the mood boards are coming here with 80% my images is because I’m kind of making it no way like in a humble way starting Yes.

Virginia Y
And what made you move to you are after so many years in Barcelona, from my research before the show, and before this interview, I knew that you’ve been to Barcelona, but at the same time, you’ve also had photo shoots in Milan, and also in France.

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Yeah, so I was in Barcelona. And Barcelona, of course is a great city to start because it’s cheap and good weather. And you can do test portraits, wherever and the beach and elite. Barcelona was giving me a lot of models to practice

Virginia Y
The modeling agency. For those of you that don’t know,

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
There, you can only do a couple of brands that are very famous brands. But it’s only that the main reason that I started going to Paris and Milan was the type of woman I like the type of woman I want to project and propose in my photography. What’s the opposite in Spain? Let’s say in Spain if I was to shooting for example, a cover for or an editorial for something I was struggling with the makeup, the food and the posters and the jewelry and the hair and maybe was the time as well. I don’t know 2012 13 and I was even thinking maybe I’m not a fashion photographer because I’m really really don’t see this woman I don’t like it. Maybe I’m not for this or no. And then I saw Amanda things like the gentle woman. There was very very little makeup and strong woman and different. I said all this what I like but I can do this here. There is no market for me here. So I started going to Paris still based in Barcelona. Paris is very nice photography, but so hard to penetrate is like, who do you know? Are you friends with kind of like more close circle like not easy to get in if you’re new. One day remember Dolce Gabbana called me to shoot look book in Milan. So I went there to shoot. And there I saw someone was based in New York that was working. And I remember chatting with this person. He said yes, you should totally go there and check and, and basically could be because he told me about the the visa programs and all that guy. So there is an option. And then I start coming to New York, I remember like for three months just for meetings, and it was totally the opposite of Paris. We like your work come to work straight to business, because he’s so fast and so big. There’s just no time to plug in your best friend or your girlfriend. I mean, of course there is some of that as well. It’s like, lobby everywhere. But it’s much more direct and Wall Street thinking like we can use this person this work with him. And we like his word. They love to discover the sky. He comes from Europe, so exciting. It’s going to be more energy and movie and editorial, you know, so much faster. And I really liked that was more talent based. So fast. So New York is so ironic, because for everyone is like the hardest and the the end, and actually is very easy. If you come with a good portfolio, and you meet the right people is actually fast, because there’s so many clients, so many things to do here. very competitive. But

Virginia Y
Is it true that the European artists are really that very moody?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
That’s why they think here? I mean, yeah, I understand that. Because here is a very commercial, you have a lot of brands here, so many brands that I didn’t know they exist, and not so many nice magazines, because all the good magazines are in London or Paris. Of course there are more and more now, every now and then a new magazine comes out on is great. 

Virginia Y
It can be very difficult to go to another city that you don’t know, just shoot.

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
That’s my favorite thing to do. Honestly, for example, it will inspire me much more to shoot in STD that I’m from there, because I like everything I see on the street or the nature like oh, this is amazing. And a local person will sit Oh, that’s just light here. You know, like, that’s normal for us. But But for me, it’s amazing. So I get double sensitive and double inspired. So for me, it’s really nice.

Virginia Y
And have you ever had a situation when you’re not completely sure? Where exactly can shoot or what exactly you can shoot? Have you ever been in a situation when you’ve even been kicked out from location?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Yeah, I’m very well known for having a very small crew and not attracting too much at tension. Sometimes claimed will rent the entire beach or get the permit for the full block. And that’s good. But I always sneak in in locations and even in museums and places that sometimes they just go alone with the model and the whole crew is waiting somewhere else. And I really love to do that because they love the unexpected and all the moment. I think if you also have a good producer or even if you’re alone and you talked to the police or the person you just go to the next location and I don’t think that’s a problem. There is a lot of people that get very very scared like oh, what if they kicked us out? problem if you get arrested that’s different or you get a fine You ever been arrested? No, no, but I had a client that one day they get a fine like a 500 euros fine for being in a beach in Barcelona summer. Not with me but because it was clearly production a really hates the permit thing. And in LA in California, they’re very strict with that, because everyone’s shooting movies there. They’re so used to the permit, and the whole cities are set. So there you have no other choice.

Virginia Y
So we already got some hints from you on how to be very quiet and not be kicked out of our locations. For example, we can be with a small crew and we can be just with the model. Is there something else then we can do?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
If you bother the pedestrians, like if you have a lot of things there in the middle of the street, they don’t like that. And someone’s gonna tell you something. But if for example the stylist is carrying some of the looks in a in an Ikea bag even or something like that, and no racks and nothing you can totally get away with him. No try butts and maybe your assistant is carrying reflect or light or something like handheld is itself okay. Always look like students.

Virginia Y
So guys, I came back in be your new best friend. Right?

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Yeah, of course. 

Virginia Y
You should quite often on beaches.

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Yeah. Yeah.

Virginia Y
It’s not that easy to shoot on a beach, there are many things that people don’t consider in advance, for example, the whole dusting.

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Oh, yeah.

Virginia Y
Are there other things that maybe people don’t consider. But since you have so much experience, maybe have

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
little checks for these, if we have permit, then in the equipment least we always order a beach cart card that have big wheels for Sunday, and you can put all the gear inside, and you can fold them. So then you can put them back in the motorhome or in the van or wherever you’re carrying your gear. And those are really nice. Also, never ever shoot in the beach, when the sun is right on top. Of course, maybe some photographers like the top he light, but for me, it’s not the best. I always shoot very, very early or very, very late. And in the meantime, we do lunch, or also if you have some shades and stuff, you can play with that or with filters or diffusion. So then you can also shooting the middle of the day. But for me, that’s the big problem of the beach, the middle of the day. Yeah, if you have no permits, you should look very just a couple of friends shooting there. Not too much gear. What else? Bring some towels? If you’re gonna go in the water. Oh, that’s a great tip, actually. And of course, never make your model very cold. Yeah, because that will ruin everything.

Virginia Y
I love that advice. And also like the fact that we suddenly went to gear, which is so nice, because on most of your photos, the light just looks so natural.

Sebastian Sabal-Bruce
Yeah, yeah, usually try to not use much. The main thing I should say, for everything I do is I’m trying to get rid of this set, you know, like, okay, here’s the set, go there, stand there, click, click. OK, now move there. I’m tired of that. I don’t know what that is anymore. And I don’t do that since I think since I arrived in New York, I was always doing it. But you always had the pressure of the set, or the studio like that the feeling of the studio is there’s where I struggle the most because there is no story and there is nothing to do. And so the model is either posting or not posting. And I never should posting. So it’s difficult and the gear is the same. If you do a setup like a light setup, that the model can only be standing in that spot. It’s very limiting. And the way I shoot is very, very spontaneous and organic and relating with the space and doing them the most real as possible. And, and basically after the truth of the moments unexpected. And so that’s why else we get far away from the crew. Or when I’m in studio, I don’t shoot theater connected to the screen. I’m 80% shooting in film, but with clients a have a digital camera to show them like the little screen in the back of the camera like okay, this is how it’s looking. Do you like it? Yes, okay, maybe this maybe that. But then I’m gone. I do my thing. And I’m grateful that I got quotes to that level where clients, let me just go and do my thing. Because it was not always like that. And it was very stressful before to have someone directing you over your shoulder or looking in a way with the screen that the problem is too many opinions and too many, oh, maybe that’s not so nice. And you’re trying to build something with a model going for it building searching, maybe it’s not looking good in the first moment. But you’re going there, you’re you’re building something and suddenly someone screams or said, oh, maybe this like that, or maybe the dress or the bag or whatever. So that kills everything in my approach. What’s your, like the process of communicating with your model? What do you usually tell them?

Virginia Y
Because for many people in the audience, I know, the guiding process is very, very hard, so maybe you can help them a little. You’re going to find out the answer of this question next Wednesday when we’ll be here with part two of our interview with Sebastian. And before that, don’t forget to come back again on Friday. And if you have any particular questions that you want to hear answered in this podcast, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on photography podcast.net or in our Facebook group called the fashion photography podcast. Thank you guys so much for being with us today. Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and I cannot wait to see on Friday.