Through The Lens

Felix Wong

July 19th, 2010, by Chelsea Coyle

In the two short years Felix Wong has been living in Toronto, he has made a remarkable impact.

Undoubtedly one of the nicest guys in the industry, Felix is rarely seen without a smile and has a reputation as one of the most professional creative types in the city.

Having already shot for both Flare and Fashion, his success comes not just from his winning attitude, but also his "willing" attitude, having been a regular assistant to one of the city's top photographers, as well as helping out Modelresource with our runway coverage.

Modelresource is pleased to shine a little more light on Felix Wong.

Name
Felix Wong or Felix the Cat, or FeFe, or Feline, or Fiesty Feline (don't quite like this one), I get quite a lot of nicknames

Location
Toronto

Website
www.felixwongphoto.com

Blog
www.felixwongphoto.blogspot.com

Facebook
I'm not special enough yet to have my own group

(article continues below)

Elise Gatschene (Elmer Olsen) by Felix Wong
styling: George Antonopolous (push artists)
makeup: Claudine Baltazar (Plutino); hair Sandy Ciuro

Describe the moment when you decided that you wanted to make a career out of photography?
I was going to pursue wedding photography until the day I saw Chris Nicholls' website, right there I told myself; that is who I want to be like one day.

Who are some of your heroes (Not necessarily in the fashion industry)?
A British motoring journalist by the name of Jeremy Clarkson with his sense of humor, ability to destroy things, and terrifying political views is probably on the top of my list. Back to the fashion industry... there are so many photographers whom I admire, each one of them has their different traits and styles that I respect. The three who form the core of my photographic philosophy are Chris Nicholls, Greg Kadel, and Camilla Akran, each one of them has an amazing ability to light the model brilliantly.

(article continues below)

Jaclyn White (Anita Norris) by Felix Wong
styling: Sansyrae St. Marten (Plutino); makeup: Sheri Stroh (Plutino)

How would you describe your shooting style?
It really depends on the situation, from the nature of the shoot itself to the experience of the model, it is about adapting to the situation and problem solving. I could be talking the whole shoot giving instructions down to the finest details to an inexperienced model while I could also be just sitting back and letting the model do their thing.

One day I could be shooting large quantity of images very rapidly to camera to capture certain moments/emotions, while another, I could be shooting less and slower directly to the computer to be reviewed immediately.

All in all, one thing that stays consistent throughout is the quality of the lighting; I just like pretty lighting.

How do you feel about digitally enhanced photography?
As long as the subject doesn't end up looking like a Japanese animated cartoon character, nothing wrong with it if it is done well and done tastefully.

What do you love most about this career?
I actually never had an interest in photography growing up. But once I started, I loved everything about it except for retouching... I hate it so much.

(article continues below)

Sydney Edmonds (Chantale Nadeau / Sutherland) by Felix Wong
styling: Mikhael Kale, Shea Hurley (Plutino)
makeup: Claudine Baltazar (Plutino) tattoo: Adriano Morrasut (Plutino)

How do you compare shooting in the studio to on location. Any preference?
Locations are generally more inspiring to be at, but it usually generates more scouting/pre-production, and production. Being in the studio with a/c is definitely nicer during the summer in the heat wave.

What would you be if you couldn't be a photographer?
I wanted to be an engineer when I was young, I loved construction, architecture and being a geek (guess I still am today) but it turned out I wasn't the best at math... so I scratched that. I also wanted to be a chef, I loved watching the food network and had considered taking culinary school.

Do you have a client/model you would love to work with?
In Canada, shooting for Flare and Holt Renfrew. Internationally, shooting for Numero, and Calvin Klein.

(article continues below)

Grace (Elmer Olsen) by Felix Wong
styling: Shan Sarwar (push artists); makeup: Wendy Rorung

What do you do if a certain shot isn't working and the shoot is not going well?
Laugh it off, break and review the images

What makes you laugh?
TV shows like, "Whose line is it anyways" and "Top Gear," and models with a personality, someone who I could talk to and just have fun.

Which rockstar would you be for a day?
I just want to be myself.

You love to ride your bike. What is the longest ride you have gone for?
I just got my first road bike recently and it's been a nice way to relax. Longest ride so far is about 30km speed riding.

Any advice for young photographers or our readers?
Taking off the lens cap and turning on the camera seems to help with the picture taking. When starting out, keep it simple, don't over complicate the makeup and clothing to try to impress. A T-shirt and jeans against a white wall can be very beautiful too.

Thank you Felix, you are amazing!