Official Dweeb Blog: February 2009

While Obama is doing all he can to get us out of this economic crisis, dudes still need two jobs just to make ends meet. Ask Rafael Rios. He’s a photographer and a photographer’s assistant. I caught up with him in between shifts to talk to him about birthday cakes, self-publishing, and Walrus dildos.

Dweeb: So I’m basically winging this. I thought of the questions at like four this morning.

Rafael: You don’t sleep?

D: Nah son! No sleep! So when did you get into photography?

R: Probably like in the 10th grade. I had a photo class in high school.

D: and from there you were just like “fuck it! This is what I want to do.”?

R: Well I just like printed then. Then senior year it was time to apply to college. I was gonna go to culinary school. I was vegan at the time and I was like “I’m never gonna get a job. Then I realized I spent all my time in the dark room so I was just like “maybe I’ll go to school for photography. So I applied to all these colleges…two of them. Got into both and I went to SVA. Then I transferred after one-year cause I was like there is no point in spending $100,000 to take pictures. It’s not like I was gonna be a doctor or a dentist. So then I transferred to hunter.

D: Sweet! Who are some of your favorite photographers?

R: I have a bunch. Right now it’s this Czech photographer Iren Stehli who’s really good. He did this book on this gypsy in Prague in the Czech Republic and pretty much just documented her whole life, which was pretty amazing. Then there’s Nigel Schaffen who is pretty good.

D: Who are some photographers that you hate?

R: HATE?

D: Yeah. Who do you think just really sucks.

R: I don’t know. I just ignore them. I don’t waste my time. But there is definitely a lot of bad photography. Like fashion photography. That fucking jump photo, I can’t stand it. How many times are you gonna make that lady jump.

D: (laughs) What’s your favorite type of pics to take?

R: I honestly just like taking pictures. I’ll shoot anything. It doesn’t really matter. I just like pressing the button and pretending I’m doing something.

D: I saw on your site you had a lot of portrait pics. Those were dope!

R: Oh thank you! Yeah I did that cause I’m trying to get into editorial photography. So I can start actually making money instead of taking pictures of birthday cakes. I am going to make a birthday cake calendar though.

D: That’ll be dope!

R: 12 months of cake. I like doing documentary photography. I do like fashion photography. There’s a lot of good fashion photography when it’s done well.

D: What’s your inspiration?

R: I look at a lot of photography. I look at paintings. T.V., movies. Everywhere. Just walking down the street.

D: What’s the worst part of being a photographer?

R: Being a photographer! Yeah! Everyone is a photographer. Especially now that there is digital photography. You go out and be like “yo what do you do?” and they’re like “ oh I’m a photographer.” I be like “yeah I bet.”

D: Do you fuck with digital photography?

R: Yeah. If I get a job that I’m not gonna need the pictures or they need the pictures right away I’ll shoot digital. I bring both cameras though. A film and digital and if I see something I really like I’ll shoot film. But um…yeah. You kinda have to shoot digital.

D: Any weird shit ever happen while you were on a shoot?

R: Um yeah. I used to shoot products for playgirl. The person that was helping me at the time…it was this vibrator we were photographing…and I don’t know but this shit shocked the shit out of her. It was pretty funny. Then there was like this walrus dildo.

D: A walrus dildo?

R: Yeah that shit was nasty.

D: What was your favorite shoot to be on?

R: I don’t know. I don’t really have a favorite. I like it when it’s really uncomfortable. When the shoot is really uncomfortable I secretly smile inside.

D: So tell me about your book.

R: Oh the book I just made. Um…I guess it’s a book. It’s kinda just like 10 or 15 pictures. I went to Tennessee a couple of years ago. I was actually going through negs looking for pictures for this other book I wanted to make. I found these three rolls of film, which had a bunch of good pictures so I figured I’ll put them together. I never scanned them before. I don’t know, every once in a while if I don’t shoot for a while I’ll just go through negs and see what I got just to do something. This book is kinda random, but it all sort of connects. I would say it’s kind of depressing. I felt Tennessee was a little depressing. I don’t know. I got good pictures out of it. It’s kinda gross though. Look at this…it’s a urinal. A group urinal where four dudes can piss together. Kinda weird. I guess that’s how they do it.

D: Do you travel a lot for your photography?

R: Yeah cause I’ve also been an assistant photographer for the past three years. I’ve pretty much traveled across the whole country. So I see a lot of stuff.

D: Dope!

R: Sometimes I take pictures and sometimes I don’t shoot shit.

D: Who do you assist?

R: Danielle Levitt. She shoots a lot of celebrities. She just came out with a book called “We are experienced: Teenagers across America”

D: Are you gonna try to get your book published?

R: This One? Nah, I probably just make a few copies and just send it to random places and see what happens.

D: You should try to sell it on the streets. D.I.Y. style and shit!!

R: I’ll probably try to send it to Dashwood. It’s this pretty popular bookstore. I kinda just want to make a few of them and have them accumulate and then make one big one. Then spend all my money and try to get it actually published. Self published. Made in China (laughs).

D: (Laughs)

R: Make it official!

Check out Rafael’s work at RafaelRios.com