We were lucky to catch up with Tony Fernandez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tony, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The risk involves making decisions on creative work.
Specifically, when is an artwork worthy of sharing?
One works diligently on a piece…let’s say, a photograph. I have worked hard taking the picture. Then, at the computer (or in the darkroom), I work on it further…until I say, “That looks ok.”
But subsequently, after letting the piece sit awhile, I’ll return to it and ask,
“Is this really OK? Is this worthy of showing?”
And answering that question as a “Yes,” that to me is risky.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’ve been interested in Photography since Jr. High School in Miami, Florida, while watching a neighbor develop and print in the darkroom. Subsequently, over the years, I became interested in the images created by the f-64 group, namely, Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. Eventually, I was fortunate to study the medium with two master Photographers who were also excellent educators: Jerry N. Uelsmann and Aaron Siskind. Today, although my images show the influence of Adams, Weston, Uelsmann, and Siskind, I hope that they are perceived as being fresh and unique.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I don’t know why taking pictures has always been interesting to me…don’t know the motivation behind it.
I continue to make new photographs, but recently I’ve been looking back at images made in the past, images that span many years. Consolidating those images is now a major goal.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The following three propelled me to pursue Photography as a creative endeavor:
1. In class Jerry Uelsmann showed two original Edward Weston prints (Pepper #30 and Two Sea Shells), and then he
2. showed the 1948 motion picture documentary on Weston, “The Photographer,” by Willard Van Dyke. Seeing the two original Weston prints and the movie motivated me to
3. read “The Daybooks of Edward Weston,” written by Weston.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tony-fernandez.pixpa.com/