Today we’d like to introduce you to Albert Heisler.
Hi Albert, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Romania and graduated from a high school of fine arts where I learned to paint, draw, and sculpt. That was my first interaction with art. I loved it. Being accepted into an architectural program was my most significant accomplishment back then. After I graduated, I applied for an internship in the United States, located in Winter Park. There, a well-established architectural firm offered me an opportunity to intern, which I accepted. Once I arrived and starting learning and working, they told me they never wanted to “let me go back.”
My first exposure to professional photography started when I bought my first DSLR camera. It was an Olympus I bought to photograph buildings I was working on as an architect.; mainly architectural photography.
The architectural firm started to use those images for marketing purposes. So for me, it was another tremendous personal achievement because photography began as a hobby and skill for work.
The shift in styles happened almost as the result of a favor. I met a model, now a dear friend, who asked me to shoot digitals he needed to send to his agency in Miami.
Architectural photography is much different from shooting models because of the element of human interaction.
Fashion photography became my obsession. The more I engaged, the more I learned. I bought books on composition, contrast, and anything related to photography. With a background in fine arts and architecture, I easily connected the relative similarities.
After I published my first editorial in a Tampa Bay magazine, I developed relationships with modeling agencies in Orlando and Miami. From there, I put together a team of professionals–makeup artists and stylists—and we worked on some great editorials that were published in various fashion magazines in NY and across the United States.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Transitioning from architectural photography to editorial/fashion photography was full of lessons. I think the biggest challenge in the Orlando area is that we lack a strong, creative, editorial, high-fashion market. This type of work typically takes models, artists, stylists, makeup artists to bigger cities with more industry opportunities like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, or even outside the US.
I’m of the opinion that the last two decades have saturated the market with professional and amateur photographers. We compete with social media and cell phones. Everyone has a camera. High-quality DSLR cameras are commonplace now. Photographers are everywhere. Many of them come fully equipped with that new DSLR camera in hand, will shoot with just about anyone who inquires and for free. Everyone thinks it’s a good opportunity to learn the camera and get some great free digitals. While this is all true, that practice has the opposite effect and can actually cause a new photographer to be less comfortable with their camera. It can also water down your portfolio.
My advice is: shoot less and concentrate more on adding creative content. This is what’s differentiates you from other photographers, not the ability to use the camera. Not knowing what you’re doing is temporary and not necessarily a crippling condition.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think my photography is divided into two styles. Architectural photography was my gateway into the world of photography. Once I had a foot in the door, I discovered my passion is editorial and concept photography. I don’t consider myself a spontaneous guy when it comes to photography. I plan, gather ideas, build a team, and understand who’ll benefit from the concept.
I love conceptual storytelling through photography. When I started photography, I studied and took inspiration from Greg Kadel, Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Richard Avedon, and Albert Watson, to name a few. I was studying every image I came across, where the lighting was coming from, was it was natural or strobe, and trying to guess the camera settings. All this really helped me educate and form my eye and creativity.
One of the last projects I worked on was a collaboration with a very talented Romanian, luxury jeweler Kady’s (Gabi Dimofte). The shoot was in Bucharest, Romania. I had an amazing team. It was two days of makeup, hair, looks, and a videographer at the elegant Lido Hotel. That project will come to light early this year. It is something that I am very proud of and really excited to share.
In the future, I would like to concentrate more on editorials and commercial work.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up in Romania had its own set of challenges. I have amazing memories and a love of art that was born there. One thing that has stuck with me is Romania’s problem with orphanages. When Romania officially banned international adoptions in 2004, the state of the already over capacity orphanages worsened. This inspired a few fellow Romanians and me to start a non-profit organization. The Romanian Community of Central Florida works to help the children in Romanian orphanages to improve their quality of life. Our goal is to focus on more than just the necessities like clothes, food, and school supplies. We want to also work to support programs that fund education, which, as you know, can change a child’s circumstance significantly.
As president of the Romanian Community of Central Florida, my goal to help in any way. We have organized two festivals here in Central Florida with support from the local community. We have had an overwhelming response to the cause.
To get RCCF off the ground, we independently funded everything by organizing and mobilizing with individual donations out of our own pockets.
Last year’s festival was in Fort Mellon Park in Sanford. To have the support of the Sanford police department and the city officials makes our mission possible. I want to thank Mayor Woodruff, the Sandford City Council and its members, and the City of Sanford for their support and hospitality. We welcomed everyone to Romanian food, music, and dancers. It was a lot of fun. All proceeds from the festival go to Romanian orphanages.
What has been great about connecting with the central Florida community is that we are able to have a pulse on where we can help as a non-profit. In addition to Romanian orphanages, we have started donating to support children with special needs here in the central Florida area.
Romanian Community of Central Florida looks forward to growth in 2021 so that we can expand our outreach to help as many children in need as possible.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@albert-heisler.com
- Website: www.albert-heisler.com | www.romanian-community.com
- Instagram: @albertheislerphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Albert-Heisler-Photography
Image Credits
Jewelry: https://www.facebook.com/kadysmade/
