Artist Spotlight: Fred Othero

Artist statement:
I reside in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, which is one of the most traditional states in Brazil, so photographing what I do is a taboo here, especially for someone about to graduate from a Catholic university. However, thanks to the Internet I am able to produce and showcase my work to clients and viewers all around the globe.

I have always been a photographer, but I have never thought I could do something different than just capturing what there was to be seen. I did my first photo shoot when I was in seventh grade for a school project using a very simple point-and-shoot Kodak 35mm camera. In my sophomore year I got my first digital camera, which I took with me everywhere.

For many years I have dreamed of working in advertising, but in college I finally realized that I could work with what I really love. At that moment I decided to quit my job as an intern at an advertising agency. I was determined to work with anything directly related to photography, even if it meant going to work printing pictures at Wal-Mart. Thankfully, it was not necessary. I will be graduating next July, and as a graduation project I'm doing academic research on the boundaries of fashion, photography, and art.