Daniel is a creative mastermind and simply an amazing person.
Tell us a little bit about your life !
To be honest there is not much to tell. I have been so embarrassingly lucky in life that I have almost no story to tell. I have great parents, who have supported me endlessly. I met my amazing wife in high school, who is almost solely responsible for my success in life. If it was not for her, I would likely still be living in my parents house and playing video games 24/7. She is my favorite person and I don’t know how she puts up with my insanely impulsive nature. I have an awesome daughter who shares my enthusiasm for Star Wars and science in general. I have so many incredible friends spread across this planet. When I say I have been lucky in life… I could never fully explain how deep this runs. It fills me with a desire to give back to humanity in some meaningful way. I have no idea how that will be yet, but I am excited to find out. Until then I will keep dreaming big.
Meet Addison. Daniel´s lovely daughter
and his wife Kate
What gear are you using at the moment?
It is funny to be answering this question at this point in time. For the last 6+ years I have been shooting primarily (<- that was a dad pun) with my Canon 35 1.4L prime lens. It is funny because I just broke that lens yesterday. So today I just ordered the version 2 model of the 35 1.4L which is going to be awesome.
But anyways I am very minimalist when it comes to gear. I have been shooting with 2 5d mk2 bodies since the beginning of my “career”. They have seen a lot of abuse over the years. Just last year one of them was drenched by a massive tray of Bloody Marys and Mimosas, but I guess “weather resistant” covers breakfast cocktails.
- 2x 5D Mark II bodies which are old as f...
- 5D classic recently purchased for $500 or less. #socreamy #buyone
- iPhone 6 it is scary how much I shoot with this thing
- 70-200 2.8L which I have been totally obsessed with in the last few months
- 16-35 2.8L great for party shots
- 35 1.4L New Model *Arrives by the 15th!!!!!
- 35 1.4L Old Model *currently broken
- 45 2.8 tilt/shift *also currently broken
- Instax 210 *I have broken like 5 of these
- 2x 580 exII *I lost one of these a year ago
- 1x 430 exII *to replace the lost 580
- 1x very chipped piece of glass that used to resemble a prism
- 1x huge indestructible Manfrotto tripod that weighs a ton. I love/hate it.
- that is everything that I ever use… I would like to experiment more…
How did you got into photogrpahy?
For the first time, about a year ago now, I put some serious thought into this question. I used to answer it by telling about a photography class I took in 2007 at a small art college in Maine. But after seriously delving into my memory banks, I found this answer to be completely off target. What I discovered was that I have been taking photos for almost as long as I can remember. Fresh out of high school I bought my first film camera, some cheap canon thing. I used to get my film processed at Wal-mart… so bad. Before that, during high school, I was using my dad’s kodak digital camera. I thought that thing was so cool. Before that I used to make photo albums of the summer camps I attended. Two years in a row I went to band camp. I used to play a pretty mean clarinet if I am being honest. Before that, 13 and visiting my uncle in Arizona, I remember being super stoked to try out an underwater disposable camera I had bought. It was awesome. And before all of those moments in my life, we get to a time which I believe started it all. I was 8 years old, and had the opportunity to travel to London with a family friend. I don’t remember how or why, but I had with me a small black brick shaped camera that shot 110 film. Google 80s film camera. I still have those photos… I would show them to you now but they are at my parents house and I am sitting at a table 3000 miles away from there. It truly blew my mind when I realized how long I had been taking photos. I used to think I just randomly chose photography in my adult years, but now I know that is not the case. I don’t believe in fate, but this revelation still gives me the chills.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I couldn’t begin to guess. There are infinite possibilities.
What is your favorite swear word
I love all swear words equally, but learning to swear in other languages is one of my favorite ways to swear.
What is your favorite image of all time?
My parents were planning to take our daughter to Boston via train, which would have been her first time. In the days leading up to this I was sitting around the house thinking to myself, "I can't miss my daughter's first train ride!!!” So I casually asked Kate, my wife, what she thought of taking Addison on a short trip one stop down the line, just for fun. Kate immediately latched onto the idea and that got me even more excited, so we planned a short day trip.
Day of I was quite nervous. I knew she was going to be very curious and wanted to make sure that I captured this once in a lifetime moment. I also knew that the train ride was less than 8 minutes long so I wasn't going to have a lot of time. Luckily for me she spent the entire ride pinned to the window. And the light was great, being window light and all!
His favorite image ! Addison on the choo choo
So I am shooting along at f/1.4 as I often do; and everything is a blur, mentally and physically. When it hits me that I should stop down the aperture so that I can show some motion blur going on outside. Right after that thought hits me, I remember a favorite image of my first photography instructor where a little boy is staring out a house window seemingly at himself. And then it happens. My whole photography career boiled down into one single moment. One frame and a ton of luck. Her perfect golden hair. The randomly chosen jean jacket. The perfect mixture of ambers and greens passing by. And somehow, at 1/25th of a second it is still tack sharp... I still don't know how I did that.
So I would say the lesson here is to keep learning. Keep shooting. And be ready for your moment… it is coming.
You should all start to support and follow Daniel, because he simply deserves it !
His website is not officially launched yet but he is giving us a sneak peak www.thespragues.co . I bet you have never seen a 8-bit retro photographer page !
