Street photography, a gambling requiring patience
By Amina Nazarli
We sat for talks with Fuad Viento, a young British-Azerbaijani photographer making a big name for himself with his stunning photography. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Viento’s works capture the soul of a city, revealing a spotless natural beauty that seems to glow with vibrancy.
He began photographing in 2002. At Cleveden Secondary School, he became interested in various artistic endeavors, and began to write and play music.
In 2012, he graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University with BA Hons Management, Technology and Enterprise degree.
His works have already been published in the Financial Times, Marie Claire, Courrier International, Le Monde and L’Uomo Vogue.
Viento is also the author of books of short fiction and short stories. In 2014, Viento made his literary debut in Russia with a short story called Wind of Change.
Viento is known for his social activism and criticism of corporate globalization. He has also written on politics, in support of socialism and Scottish independence, and on the history of Azerbaijani literature.
Question: How do you describe your own photographic style?
Answer: People often comment on the elegance of my pictures, which seems to be out of the ordinary. My photographs are not necessarily beautiful, but they do show delicate moments of the urban jungle.
Q.: How do you find your subjects?
A.: Street photography requires good reaction and observation skills. For that reason, the better photographs "happen" when my mind is free and I have time to switch to “photography mode”.
Q.: How do you get so close to your subjects?
A.: I carefully observe the scene and try to stick around for a while. Sometimes it’s called patience, and sometimes luck. The photographer needs to be faster than the subject.
Q.: When you take photo, do you have a theme in mind?
A.: I just go out with my Canon camera to capture natural moments of the urban life.
Q.: Who have had strongly influenced you?
A.: Tough question. Street photography just hit me by accident. In 2008, I bought a digital SLR and I simply started to take photographs of the streets as they seemed to be the accessible targets in Glasgow.
Q.: What projects are you currently working on?
A.: I do have a few projects like "Humans of Glasgow", which will come out by the end of year.
Q.: Will you ever leave Glasgow?
A.: Glasgow offers endless opportunities for street photography, but I can see myself leaving the city for other aspects of my life.
Q.: What continually drives you to photograph on the streets?
A.: My passion for the fine-art photography. Street photography is like gambling. You are lucky or you get nothing. The key phrase is "never give up".