Creative Coffee Breaks: Q&A with Dave East

As part of our Creative Coffee Break series on YouTube we caught up with Dave East, a successful photographer and filmmaker who has captured striking landscapes, up and coming music artists, global fashion brands and much more throughout his career.

Check out his tutorial and answers to our quick-fire questions below….

Adobe: Hi Dave! Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became a photographer?

Dave: I got into photography and filmmaking while studying at university in Cape Town, South Africa. I was involved in the music scene and used to go on tour with my friends who were in bands, film them and take snaps. In terms of my inspiration, I think Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places in the world, so it seemed natural to capture the landscapes and culture.

A: Do you have a stand-out moment from your career so far?

D: Shooting Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest denim campaign was definitely one of them.

A: You have shot breath-taking images at locations all around the world. Have you got a favourite location and why?

D: Recently, I visited Iceland and the place is unreal. I really can’t describe how insane if feels to be there – as if you’re on another planet. It blew me away from the moment I landed!

A: We can see lots of aerial shots on your Instagram. How does shooting from a bird’s eye view differ from shooting on the ground?

D: Shooting from the sky is amazing, you get a whole new perspective and angle of creativity which makes you feel incredible. Most of my aerial images are shot from a helicopter, I haven’t experimented with drones that much.

A: Do you have any tips for any up and coming photographers trying to break into the industry?

D: I would say: “just keep shooting.” Get your head down and do something original to get yourself noticed. Most of all… keep creating.

A: How do you edit your shots? Which Adobe program would you say is your go-to? Are there any features that are especially useful to you?

D: I edit my content on Lightroom – every single shot. I love using the Curve and the Grain features to add the finishing touches to my images.

A: Have you got any exciting projects lined up for the year ahead?

D: I’ve got some content coming out featuring footballer Thierry Henry and I’ve also been shooting a heartfelt story-project in Cape Town. Not only that, I have a short film coming out in a few months… keep an eye on my feeds!

A: What’s the one word you think of when you think of Adobe and/or it’s Creative Cloud? And why?

D: I would have to say…USEFUL! I think that Adobe does a great job providing cutting-edge software that assists professional creatives as well as the everyday user.

Massive thank you to Dave for catching up with us! You can keep up with his content and scenic journeys on Instagram, and Twitter. Read the latest updates from Adobe on Twitter at @AdobeUK!