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Giving something back - part 1 of 1 2 3

by Adam Alex Published 01/12/2011

The name Adam Alex has been everywhere over the past year or so as the photographer has forged a reputation built on exquisitely executed social portraiture and an impeccable list of contacts. He can count the likes of Jerry and Nick Ghionis and Yervant amongst his friends and mentors and he's the man behind the British XSiGHT operation, which carries all the clout that comes with being associated with a big name international operation that can boast an outstanding string of awards to its name.

To many it might seem that Adam Alex has come from nowhere to achieve his success, but in fact it's the time-honoured story of a photographer paying his dues and learning his trade behind the scenes before breaking cover. The high profile and the accolades that have come in recent times - including winning over 45 awards and hosting six sell-out workshops over the past 12 months - is simply a reflection of the effort that underpins the whole operation, and as a firm believer in education the photographer is now determined to start putting something back into the business he so clearly loves.

"My background in photography is fairly classic really," he says. "I studied photography at school and then headed to university to take it on to HND level. However, I became impatient to start my career and decided to leave half way through the course because I thought I could make a go of things with the skills I had already learned."

Adam Alex made the decision to move into retouching to earn his crust and he then worked for two years as a digital assistant for two highprofile fashion photographers, splitting his week between them and picking up invaluable insider knowledge of the way that a professional studio should operate. All the time he was planning a future as a fashion photographer himself, considering that social photography was a little too mainstream to hold much interest for him.

All that changed thanks to a couple of lucky breaks that helped to show him that there was room in social photography for some personal interpretation. Firstly his future father-in-law was running a business shooting wedding videos and he encouraged the young photographer to look closer at the possibilities. While he was still thinking about this Adam Alex came across the work of Yervant and suddenly everything started to make sense.

"Yervant's the guru," he says. "If it wasn't for him I probably wouldn't be doing what I am today. His imagery made me think I want to do it now, if I can do it like this guy. Then I actually met him and I was even more touched by his love and his personality. He was an awesome man: he really drove me on."

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1st Published 01/12/2011
last update 09/12/2022 14:54:46

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