Experience the Power of Daryan Dornelles’ Iconic Portrait Photography

This remarkable contemporary photographer captures the soul of his subjects

Daryan Dornelles is Brazilian, lives in Lisbon (Portugal), and his experience with photography started when he was a teenager thanks to his passion for music. So, it is no surprise that he's photographed some of the biggest names in Brazilian music, from Gilberto Gil to Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, Elza Soares, and Maria Bethânia.

Over the years, his photographs have appeared on the cover of over 150 magazines worldwide: GQ, Vogue, Bravo, Rolling Stone, Serafina, Trip, and Esquire, to name a few. In addition, he was awarded the Prêmio Abril de Jornalismo in 2007, and in 2016 the Prêmio Globo de Comunicação, both prestigious Brazilian accolades.

Daryan is one of the big names of contemporary photography. He creates his work using a mix of simplicity and power, and the resulting portraits are a masterful representation of the sitter and their expressivity.

In this interview, he tells us about his creative process, reference material, favorite tools, and what makes a good portrait.

What does photography mean to you?

Photography is a pleasure. It is a job, of course, but at the same time, it's also a passion.
Nowadays, photography as a practice means taking the photo and also implies a great deal of pre-production and attention to even the smallest (and big) details.

I love all of this. I feel like a child in a sweets shop.

What is the difference between advertising work and artistic work?

Advertising work has more constraints, it involves an agency and an art director, and you have to stick to that director's idea. During the process, you do not have many opportunities to experiment, as you have to follow the brief to a T.

However, when it comes to portraits, it's a different story, as you can put your artistic imprint onto this type of work.
Editorial photography is also art photography, in my view. When I get a commission, in reality, they give me carte blanche. Therefore it always turns out as an artistic piece, as if they'd asked me to write a song. I can be more in control doing art photography than in advertising. However, advertising jobs pay a lot more, and in this sense, they are more appreciated. At the end of the day, a photographer makes a living out of it.

What makes a good portrait?

You cannot become a good portrait photographer from one day to the next. You need a lot of preparation and an extensive repertoire, which you can only achieve with time. A good portrait also needs good production and research.

The portrait depends on the relationship between the photographer and the sitter, and several factors come into play in this relationship. For example, you may have argued with someone on the day of the shoot; you may be irritable and not want to have your picture taken. It's almost like a romantic relationship: you need to work on your alluring skills to get a good portrait.

Another factor is editing, which captivates many people. Some photographers take a thousand photographs in one session, but it's useless having a thousand images without good editing. I prefer to have two minutes' worth of shots than 40 minutes of images that will take me nowhere. A portrait must be simple and powerful.

What is your creative process?

When someone gets in touch with me to do a portrait, whether it be for a magazine cover or a commercial, my creative process begins by understanding how I see this person. Then, I look for reference material that can help me build the portrait, and I develop a storyline through the images.

Nowadays, this is a lot easier thanks to tools like Pinterest. I also think of a color palette, of the makeup, of the outfits... everything. It helps me to feel confident when I am shooting. Another essential element of my work is to never work with boring people. You know, those boring people who complain about everything? I avoid as much as possible having such people in my team. I'd rather have a lovely assistant who is less experienced than a super-skilled one who is negative. It's toxic.

Is it easier to work with models, musicians, footballers, or politicians?

In most cases, the person being photographed has no idea what they are doing, whereas a model already knows how things work and how to pose. Actors, footballers, politicians, and musicians usually have no idea what's going on.

And that's how it should be. A photographer would not have any idea if they were in their place. I know, as I was once on the other side of the lens.

What are your main sources of inspiration?

I’ve been very interested in Van Gogh recently, as my daughter is studying him. I am helping her with this, and I am fascinated by how he completed his paintings and portraits. I admire many people within the photographic world: all the portrait masters, for example.

There are many Brazilian photographers in this field. However, there is one in particular. I got to know his work thanks to music. It was music that drew me to photography, not the opposite. I remember the pictures in ‘Bizz’ magazine, published by Editora Abril, taken by photographer Rui Mendes. I loved his work. He took photos of famous Brazilian groups like Barão Vermelho and Raul Seixas in the 70s and 80s. At first, I was interested in the bands and did not discover Rui until much later.

Also, I always keep a watchful eye on books and magazines. You can observe how photography changes and keep up with which styles are on-trend, particularly in magazines.
A lot changes, a lot stays the same, but some details do change, and your work needs to be relevant. Magazines are instrumental in this sense.

Do you think social media has changed how people relate to photography, with portraits and with selfies?

There is always a good and a bad side. It's interesting to see how people let their creativity loose without worrying about the equipment they use. The problem today is that there's a vast amount of images around, and you can get lost under a tsunami of information. If someone loves to take selfies, let them do it and enjoy it. It would be preposterous of me not to like something that someone enjoys.

How do you stimulate your creativity?

I listen to music all the time. The only time I don't listen to it is when I am doing a shoot, but for stimulating creativity, music is critical. It is so important that I am usually caught in it if I'm listening to something and doing something else. I also collect vinyl, records, tapes. It is essential for my process.

What equipment do you use?

I don't mind what the make of my camera is, although I obviously need good equipment. Cameras nowadays have so many functions that I don't even know how to use, so in the end, I use the manual function, and that's it. I am not drawn to any particular make.

With regards to software, I use Photoshop and Camera Raw to touch up my images. For more elaborate advertising jobs, I rely on a studio here in Portugal, called Studio Nuts, that offers post-production and 3D services, among others, so I don't have to deal with more complex editing. It usually takes me one minute to touch up an image. I look at it, see what I like, and do it.

What advice would you give to anyone starting out in photography?

First and foremost, enjoy it. That's the most important thing! It may be trendy nowadays to say you are a photographer, but you must like what you do. You're going to spend the majority of your time doing it, and not all of it is enjoyable. There are challenges and problems. You will have to learn to deal with your sitters, with your clients, etc. This is all part of the job.

Also, I advise you to buy a lot of magazines to stay updated with what's going on globally. If you want to be a portrait photographer like me, start by taking portraits of your family members and begin to practice. It is much easier to practice with the new types of cameras, including smartphones, for example, whatever you have at hand. In the workshops I did in São Paulo (Brazil), most students had better equipment than me.

I like to work with very few pieces of equipment, and I want to use less and less. To take good photographs, you need less equipment and a signature vision. The best compliment I receive is when someone says: "I knew this was one of your photographs." My career took a turn when I started to hear that.

What would you tell yourself to make your life easier if you were starting your career again?

I would do the same. We need a little lightness in our life. I did many lovely things, and I also had some bad times, but I learned from it all. We have to learn from our mistakes, from our relationships, from everything. I would not change anything in my trajectory, and I would simply tell myself to keep going like this, carry on with my life.

I never thought I would be a photographer. I never thought I would have kids. And it happened. Sometimes, we have to let life take the lead.

English version by @acesarato

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