Andre Wormsbecker is a professional photographer and Wirestock contributor from Curitiba, Brazil who specializes in portrait photography as well as events and ceremonies. He has been working as a photographer for 15 years and teaching photography classes for beginners. His beautiful photos reflect his passion and experience in the field. We are thrilled to ask him some questions to inspire other Wirestock contributors.
How did you get started in photography?
Actually, I started a little differently than most people. I began working professionally in Curitiba as a videographer for a few big companies. One day my friend (another videographer), told me: “get ready, you will fall in love with photography one day”. He was right, and in 2005 I began taking photos and fell deeply in love with it. Since then, I have been working as a professional photographer.
How did you discover Wirestock?
I received a referral invitation from someone to sign up for Wirestock. It was sensational for me. I made my first sale in the first weeks.
What are your inspirations for your photos?
Capturing female beauty in my photos has always inspired me. I used to look at incredibly beautiful portraits from famous photographers and I always imagined that one day I would do that too, and here I am! I studied hard to reach a professional level in photography. And to my surprise, the more skilled you are in your craft, the more you must study to improve in the details. I love my job and am always grateful for all the beautiful women who have passed through my lens.
Do you have formal training or education in photography?
I don’t have formal training for photography specifically. I have a degree in Arts and Scenic Direction. However, in Brazil, this course is broad and reviews over many topics. In addition to that I spent two years studying with two great photographers here in my region.
What is something you wish you knew as a beginner photographer that could have helped you in your career?
In the beginning, you need to believe in your perspective and in your potential. There are many gimmicks that people try to sell you about “becoming a professional photographer overnight”. This does not exist! You should prepare to study hard. I was fortunate to have two professionals training me and so I wasn’t deceived about how much work professional photography really takes. What has helped me is believing in my work, trusting my studies, and always being kind and honest with the people who I photograph. It is important to treat everyone you photograph with affection and respect. You must have a passion for your work because there always is more to learn. In the classes I teach, I always say: “If you think you know everything about photography, come back tomorrow and we can start from the basics again”. Photography is magic. Your professional photos reflect your attitudes with your own personality, the care of your equipment, and your motivation to improve your craft. A lazy photographer is not credible and will not get anywhere.
You take beautiful photos of women that capture their spirit and beauty. What is your philosophy when taking photos of people?
First of all, you cannot see beauty as a superficial thing. Beauty is the reflection of the soul of a woman. When she pours out her inner beauty, the photographer must know how to extract a beautiful image from it. Most importantly, this beauty has no color, race, size, religion, or social status. It is important to love your subject. I love feminine beauty and believe they give our planet more shine, light and beauty! I learned how to take pictures of women following references from great photographers and learning how to direct the models in photoshoots. Incidentally, this is the other great aspect of portrait photography - the photographer needs to know how to direct the photoshoot so that the model feels more comfortable and confident at work.
How has Wirestock helped you in your life and career as a professional photographer?
I believe more and more in the digital world we are in, we increasingly need tools, applications and platforms that connect us to more with less. This idea that Wirestock has is sensational. With just a few clicks you can already put your photos for sale on various platforms with little effort and most importantly, with little red tape.
With the pandemic, many events are postponed, and editorial photographers are affected with limited jobs. How have you adapted to the current situation? Have you found other ways to make money remotely as a photographer?
Obviously the pandemic has left many segments of photography down. Especially with events, everything has been canceled or postponed. After the initial quarantine period, some women decided to still do photoshoots (of course carefully: wearing masks, gloves and keeping their distance) and that kept me still in the mainstream. If not, I don't know what I would have done. Maybe I would go to work part time at the pharmacy near home (laughs). Of course working from home, selling photos online is a great way to survive the crisis.
Anything else you want to share to inspire beginner photographers?
The photographer who is dedicated, studies hard, and values his profession has a very important mission: to capture the history of the planet. From microorganisms to the immensity of the cosmos. We photographers are the vehicle of many stories that will last forever!
