Michael Loccisano
John Strazza taught me how to think about photography. He also taught me a lot of technical things, but what sets me apart is how I think and relate to my subjects. I also am indebted to early street photographers, Callahan, the like. Alvarez Bravo had an influence on me as a street photographer. I appreciate more commercial artists like Mark Seliger because of the body of work.
How do you keep your work fresh?
I learned when I started getting paid for photography that you always have to shoot for yourself. Even if the client wants you to shoot something in a way that you think is not great, you DO that and then you also shoot for yourself; in the way you see it. Even when I shoot entertainment, and I know I have to get the full-length fashion, 3/4 and headshot, I am still shooting for myself after I have nailed those shots. It is what drives me. I can do the other stuff all day without breaking a sweat. It is when you have been doing the same thing for 6 years, day in and day out, that it really becomes a challenge to find something new. I try each and every time I touch a camera, to find something new… whether it is about the subject, the camera, the composition… you have to or you will fade away.