Dark and Intense Self-Portraits of David Uzochukwu

David Uzochukwu  is a young self-taught photographer whose work has metamorphosed into sheer brilliance since the inception of his photography career. Self-portraiture a niche mostly dominated by female photographers it is so exciting to see guys like David emerging towards the limelight.

His self-portraits are conceptual and enigmatic, which elicits a certain zeal inside you to know more about the thoughts and the stories it relates. Being so young he’s been featured in many popular photography sites and magazines like thedphoto, PHlearn, 121 Clicks, Photo Vogue Italia, Kwerfeldein Magazine, Five Thôt, Lost Freedom Magazine, etc. we are yet to see the true potential he’s capable of.

Continue reading.. to know what David has to say about the things we asked him about his self-portraits.

About David

My name is David. I’m 15 and was born in Austria. I have an obsession with storytelling, traveling, creating, and Nutella.

I started taking pictures when I was 10. I was following different photographers online and was fascinated by the portraits and self-portraits they produced. After two years of shooting everything that came in front of my lens, except people, I tried self-portraiture myself. I got addicted and everything developed from there. I never had formal training but taught myself using the internet.

From the first idea to the last photographic retouch thought process behind the awesomeness

Thank you. I can’t really tell where my ideas come from, they just hit me and don’t let go until I’ve scribbled them down somewhere and started planning on how to make them become real. The process of photographing is really simple – I get myself whatever model and/or props I need for a picture, look for a location that is somewhat like the one I imagined and go out to shoot. In post-production, I tweak the image until it looks right.

Things he enjoys about self-portraiture and the difficulties he had to face while capturing it

Self-portraits are immensely personal and intimate. That’s the best thing about them, in my opinion. The viewer feels a greater connection to the image, because the character in it is completely in his role.

Of course, in the beginning, it is difficult to focus properly on yourself or to get the composition right at the first try – but with time, a certain flow develops. It gets easier, and you learn what works and what doesn’t.

Camera and Equipment David Uses

A 5D Mark II with a 50mm 1.4, a simple tripod and one of those external timers that are usually used for long exposure photography.

How David overcomes a creative block

By forcing myself to produce work. Otherwise, I just sink into a slump that I’m never getting out of again.

Being so young how he manages time for photography

I usually photograph on the weekends. I get up really early and shoot outside until my whole body is numb (winter) or the sunlight get’s too harsh (summer). Shooting early has proven to be the best method for me since there aren’t many people around and I can concentrate on photographing.

Self-portrait photographer he admires

Laura Zalenga is my big sister in art.

His Advice to Fellow photographer on getting good at a self-portrait

Do it a lot? It honestly just takes practice, I think.

Here are the few glimpses of David’s Amazing past work to whet your appetite for weekly inspiration!

Beside Self-portraiture David has also done a great job capturing some great photographs of his loved ones especially his sister with whom his chemistry seems absolutely fantastic, to see that you’ll have to visit his Flickr photostream. And to learn more about David you can also visit his website and get the latest updates by liking his Facebook page.