Gabrielle Motola is a portrait and social documentary photographer and writer with a background in motion pictures, photography and psychology. We spoke to Gabrielle about how her own life events shaped her photographic journey as she put our full-frame mirrorless SIGMA fp L camera to the test.
My journey began on my thirteenth birthday when my mum bought me a Minolta x700. I had no idea how to use it, but my dad was a keen photographer and had a massive collection of Time-Life books all about the technical aspects of photography. At first, it went straight over my head. Although I experimented with the camera, I didn’t have much luck exposing my photographs properly.
I chose to study psychology and film (motion picture) at university. It wasn’t until I had completed my freshman year in college that I decided to enrol in the fall photography course. I wanted to be a cinematographer, but the film program didn’t offer any such course. So, I signed up for stills to learn more about lighting and composition.
That summer before my sophomore year, I went to France with my girlfriend for a month. It was my first time in Europe, and I was blown away. By this time, I’d figured out how to expose film. When I returned to school in the fall with more than 20 rolls of film, I got stuck in learning how to develop them. The first time I saw an image from that summer come up in that glowing red tray, I was hooked.
Even though the JPGs from my camera are quite good, as a colourist, I want as much control over the image as possible, so I primarily shoot in RAW. The comprehensive information in the files allows for more nuances to be adjusted in post-production. I grade my photos in Adobe Lightroom and only use Photoshop for my infrared work to channel swap or if I have a photograph which needs to be more heavily retouched. I take a lot of inspiration from the colours created in my infrared work. I also use references from films and paintings to inspire me. I think of all the visual aspects of life and art as food for my palette. I help develop it by absorbing examples from a variety of materials.
I am currently developing my next personal project. I haven’t worked on a comprehensive one since “An Equal Difference”, which took me three years to complete. My street portraits are just one of the strings to my bow, and it’s what I tend to share on Instagram. Street portraits are more of a meditation and a practice that keeps me sharp and give me a lot of joy. I began teaching workshops this year, which help people overcome self-doubt and their fear of photographing strangers. People who enjoy my work and want to connect further can support me on Patreon, which is constantly evolving.
Using any new camera takes some getting used to, but once I’d spent time with the fp L, I became very comfortable operating it. I was impressed by the tonality and richness of the images, especially the blacks, which have a glowing quality. If I ever have an upcoming project that involves darker skin tones, I would likely opt to use the SIGMA fp L. Each camera is a tool, unique and different, and none are objectively ‘the best one’. That said, there is always a camera that is best for you or for a particular project depending on your style and the project’s requirements.
I shoot with a telephoto lens for landscape photography at F8 (or narrower) and a 35mm lens at F8 (or narrower) for candid street photography. I’m partial to a 50mm lens for my street portraiture work. I like the slight compression the lens affords, as I don’t like to distort the face. I don’t usually use anything beyond this focal length for street portraits because it may require me to stand too far away from my subject. The connection I want to establish and maintain at that distance gets lost. I usually shoot about two stops above the widest aperture to ensure the entire face is in focus. I sometimes open up to maximum apertures, but focus can be problematic. I might get only the nose or cheek in focus at the expense of the eyes.
Do not be discouraged if your work is not as good as you’d like it to be at the start. It takes a lot of practice and time and will differ in length for each individual, but just keep doing the work. When you hit a wall and don’t see improvements or see setbacks, push through them! It usually means that you are about to have a breakthrough.
The ultra compact 61mp full-frame mirrorless camera compatible with L-Mount lenses. Fine detail can be captured allowing for precise editing.
Create beautiful portraits with creative background with a bright F1.2 aperture. Ideal for using in low light environments.
Compact I Series prime lens with a long focal length that creates unique portraits with expressive results.
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