myself

Faustinus Deraet

photographer
Location: Austin, Texas
faustinusderaet.com

All images are copyrighted and strictly for educational and viewing purposes.

Interview

2008

How did you become a photographer?
While talking to a friend, we decided to do something totally different to what we studied at the university. We went back to school and studied photography. A couple of years later, I quit IBM to become a photographer.

Where are you from originally?
I was born in Antwerp, Belgium. But I grew up in Mexico City and now based in Austin, Texas.

Who were your main influences growing up?
My mother, education, friends and listening to music.

Did you go to art school/college or are you self-taught?
I got a degree in Computer Systems from the Universidad Iberoamericana. After working for IBM, I went back to school to study photography at the Escuela Activa de Fotografia.

Any advice or tips to novice photographers?
Be yourself.

What has been the most rewarding and challenging project you have worked on?
My own book Mientras vagaba por el D.F./While Wandering Through El Deh Effeh. After more than five years, I came back to Mexico City – I decided to do a book in the shape of a pedestrian journey using my toy camera.

What is your favorite portfolio piece? Why?
I may not have a favorite one, but I’m always attracted to my latest pieces. So far, I have an attraction to Elephant’s Path. I still need to develop my most recent work and I’m sure I’ll have a new favorite. But technically speaking “Clean Break” is my favorite – it appears to be taken with a top of the line camera.

What American art or artist inspires you most?
Keith Carter. Additionally, Richard Avedon and Annie Leibovitz.