We recently caught up with travel and lifestyle photographer Christopher Villano while on the road in San Antonio, Texas. We asked him a few questions about his photography, his work and what led him to pursue this very demanding career.

ephotos: What type of photography do you do and where are you based?

CV: I'm a travel and food photographer based in New York City.

ephotos: When did you realize that photography was your thing?

CV: Pretty early on...in high school.  Not long after high school, I went to London and assisted Arthur Meehan, who was a travel and fine arts photographer.

ephotos: Did he have a big influence in your career?

CV: Yes, along with many others. When I came back to New York I assisted fashion photographers Tom Shank, Gille Bensimon, and Rod Spicer. I had an opportunity to work with Steven Maisel as a digital tech. From that experience I realized I didn't want to be a fashion photographer as I didn't didn't share a passion for the clothes that they have. However, I learned a lot from Rod Spicer about the creative process and lighting. Rod had a lot of impact on my career. I also worked with travel photographer, Matthew Wakeham, and Scott Schaefer who photographed celebrity portraits, as well as architectural photographer, Paul Warchol.

ephotos: So how did all of these influences come together for you?

CV: When you shooting travel, you have to have be good at shooting a variety of things, such as food, architecture, moment, women, landscapes, as well as having a good understanding how food and art influence the place your visiting. I'm also dealing with places that are exotic or luxurious or both and I'm trying to represent them correctly, but in a new and interesting manner. With that in mind it’s important to be sensitive to the place, its light, and the differences that not only make it unique, but also fit what I'm shooting. 

ephotos: What camera do you use?

CV: I mostly use a Canon 5D. I use tilt/shift and wide-angle lenses.

ephotos: Do you have a website? Is it flash or HTML?

CV: Yes, I have a website at the url http://villanophoto.com which was built using flash. My site was created using liveBooks which uses flash based templates for creating photography websites.

ephotos: Do you have a rep or agent?

CV: Yes, the Bruce Levin Group

ephotos: Are you represented by any stock agencies?

CV: Yes, Glass House Images, diverseimages, and Image Source.

ephotos: In a good year, how much time do you spend on the road working?

CV: Six months.

ephotos: Where have you been lately?

CV: I’m in San Antonio now. Over the past month, I’ve been in Monterey, Tahoe, and Huntington Beach. I’ll be going to Hawaii soon to do some work for Hyatt.

ephotos: Are you shooting at all outside of your commercial work?

CV: Yes, through my church I started shooting portraits of people with HIV. My plan is to travel to destinations to speak with and photograph people with HIV. I’m afforded a good life through commercial photography, but I have a higher calling. I’m creating these images to raise money to positively affect the lives and their communities. I’m not making any money from it.

ephotos: Thanks a lot Chris and good luck with your shoot.

CV: Thank you