Alexi Portokallis on Leica

Alexi Portokallis on Leica

Mia Ziervogel
Photography

Alexi Portokallis is a photographer and content creator based in what he calls “the crazy city of Johannesburg”. He is passionate about the city streets and enjoys sharing a unique perspective of his city as well as the awesome people who live in it. He has worked with multiple brands from all over the world, from fashion to architecture and lifestyle - creating unique content and bringing brands to life.

We asked him about his rather huge Instagram following and shooting on Leica. This is what he had to say:

I am a photographer, social media consultant and content creator.

I started taking photos using an iPhone 4s in 2012 and I never thought I would ever grow to become a photographer. I started taking random photos of my life using an app called Hipstamatic. A close friend then asked me why I am wasting my time using Hipstamatic and told me to use Instagram. At first Instagram didn’t make any sense - take photo, add filter and then post a photo? Weird. But I tried it out. Soon I started noticing there was a community in this app, a community of friends - and I connected with them, sharing photos, asking for advice and then got inspired. This group of friends then grew into a community called @igersjozi - started by @garethpon. @garethpon aggressively started facilitating Instameets - where we would meet up and shoot together. It became a game of how best to exploit iPhone lens and sensor. It is during this time I started realising my sheer love for photography- it gets you to go outside, forces you to have experiences, to engage with people and it opens doors.

One day I borrowed my friends SLR and realised it was time to buy a camera - this was in 2015 and I haven’t looked back since. I now shoot for multiple brands, creating content for social accounts ranging from food, lifestyle, architecture, brands, skincare & alcohol. People ask me what kind of photographer I am? The type that is able to capture a brand in an image.

My passion for Leica started when I experimented with film. I bought myself a Leica M6 and a 35mm summaron lens and fell in love with the system. I then attended the launch of the Leica M10 and couldn’t believe how similar it was to shooting film, it had the same magic but in digital format. Its small, unassuming and changed the way I see and capture the world.

Alexi Portokallis





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