Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil) – Interview (10 questions)

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): My photography journey began at sixteen when I subscribed to Playboy. The visual content was certainly motivating and led to relentless mockery from friends and family. “I guess you subscribe to Playboy for the articles!” is the typical patronizing comment. I can honestly attest to reading every issue from cover to cover. There’s still truth to an otherwise sarcastic dig, especially considering that less than ten percent of the magazine has nude content. It didn’t matter. I dreamt of being a Playboy photographer. In high school I even convinced a few girlfriends to photoshoot with me and my humble Ricoh 35mm. I bought my first Nikon F90 SLR in 1996. This kicked off a semi-serious journey into the creative arts. At the time my girlfriend worked for Ogilvy & Mather. She invited me to participate as an ‘unofficial’ photographer at several events including Miss Czech Republic ‘96. At one Prague fashion show in November ‘96, I had a chance to photograph supermodel, Karen Mulder. My art nude focus began in 2019. While attending a video production for a product I designed called MyKoddi I asked an actress if she’d be interested in a photoshoot. I remember being incredibly nervous broaching the question and elated when she agreed! Initially, my photoshoots were glamour-focused scheduled throughout the beautiful gardens of Prague, Czechia. Waiting for winter to finish became frustrating so I decided to buy a few soft boxes and convert my apartment into a studio. This gave me the freedom to explore nude photography in the privacy of my atelier.

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): The central theme of my photography is “Gateway to the Soul”, based on a common belief that our eyes are the gateway to our souls. Likewise, the lens is a gateway to our eyes. My best images succeeded in establishing an emotional connection with each model.

To capture a model’s spirit I try to overcome three main obstacles: First and foremost it’s important that she feels relaxed and comfortable. Establishing a friendly and inviting rapport creates an ideal environment for shooting. Helping to bring out her inner confidence is my next objective. Opening my heart is an invitation for her to do the same. Third and foremost, I want her to trust me. This is a catalyst to bringing her ‘A’ game. It’s a tall order but when successful, we have the freedom to create magic. It’s important for me that she loves the experience and the images we’ve created. Capturing her beauty is a privilege. Exposing her vulnerability is an honor. Giving her soul is my greatest gift.

Even though I plan every photo shoot, organically synchronizing our emotions inspires the best results. It’s rarely about posing, lighting, and backdrops – that’s just the baseline. Everything is focused on revealing her soul. The catalyst is shared empathy. I want each model to give herself completely because I’m doing the same in return – no inhibitions, distractions, or insecurities. Purity from the depths of our heart. Even if I get to this stage, it doesn’t end there. My ultimate goal is to capture her visceral energy – her wild and feral emotions scarcely seen by anyone. Getting to this stage is rare. If successful, our photos take on a whole new meaning.

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): Golden-hour photoshoots with backdrops that combine nature and human-made structures are great for outdoor sessions. Aside from requiring ideal weather conditions, the main issue is that an outdoor nude session invites spectators. This also risks getting in trouble with local authorities. For studio photography I’m currently honing skills in spotlight photography. I’ve designed a series of Gobo filters that are showcased throughout my portfolio at https://dusil.org. Learning which filters work helps design new ones. I’m always looking to create layers upon layers. Emotions, lighting and backdrops – individually and collectively – tell a story. At this point in my creative journey I love on-location shoots. Modern architecture mixed with nature and industrial textures are great backdrops for nude photography. I look for settings that invite leading lines that juxtaposed against the flow of an alluring model.

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): My portfolio has been shot with a Canon 5D Mark IV with an Canon EF 85mm F1.4L IS USM Lens. I have no interest or need for a wide collection of lenses. I’ve recently upgraded the body to a Canon R5 Mark II using an adapter so that I can use the EOS lens on an RF mount. In 2025 I plan to upgrade to a Canon RF 85 mm f/1,2 L USM DS lens. A wide aperture fast 85mm portrait lens is perfect for art nude. It creates beautiful bokeh and draws the viewer to where I want them to focus. There‘s little need for any other lens.

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): Studio photography is great for controlling the environment and maintaining uninterrupted privacy. Most models prefer this setting for art nude as it removes any risk of onlookers. My current approach is photo shooting tours. This involves budgeting for studio time or renting a luxury Airbnb, The additional travel costs can get expensive but time is maximized by scheduling back-to-back 3-hour sessions. I easily take 1000 photos per hour. A recent tour to Milan, Italy generated 20,000 images. This translates to 200 hours of editing (i.e, One hour of post-production for every 100 images). It’s a lot of work but I love every minute! Location shoots are awesome but tend to be pricey. Due to my shooting style, venues need to be vacated. I’m drawn to modern Nordic designs with a mixture of wood, iron, glass, marble, and ceramics. With an endless budget I’d always photograph on location! Natural lighting with large windows are my preferred venues. I still bring studio lighting to fill shadows and raise ambient lighting. It also helps with faster shutter speeds. With models constantly flowing, I typically shoot at a minimum of 1/500 per second (i.e., at F1.4 and ISO between 50 and 400. Anything over ISO 400 is too grainy). I also shoot most images at -1 EV because it increases my shutter speed and helps to sharpen the images.

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): Fine Arts Photography comes with its fair share of teasing from family and friends. It’s hard for some to understand that photographing the female body can be a serious form of artistic expression. Getting comments like, “That’s a good gig!” and a slap on the back, is quite common. A friend once asked with a gentle smirk, “Don’t you fall in love with your models?” My first reaction was to laugh. Not at the underlying dig that was implied, but because I immediately knew my answer: “My eternal challenge is to capture my model’s essence. To fall in love with the art that she represents. Through this relentless pursuit, I’m able to take great photos.” At the other end of the spectrum, there’s a portion of society who are unwilling to recognize the professionalism needed to be a good art nude photographer and the vital importance of a good reputation. They see my work as an abhorrent perversion. This was an actual conversation I had with a relative at a dinner party. Keep in mind that my entire family was sitting at the table:
• “Do you still take those photos?” asked my relative.
• “Yup. Why do you ask?”, I replied.
• “I don’t like your photos”, she said.
• “If you don’t like my photos, then why do you look at them?”
• “Well,… they show up on my Facebook.”
• “Don’t you know that you can block me on Facebook? That way you’ll stop seeing my posts.”
• “No, I couldn’t do that. That doesn’t seem right.” (read: I still need to spy on what you’re doing).
• “If you don’t like my photos then you really should block me. Bring me your phone and I’ll show you how to do it.” I said.
• “No, No,… it’s OK. I don’t want to block you. It just reminds me of when I was young, and my perverted father wanted to take pictures of naked women.”
• “Wow!” I responded, “You should definitely block me!” People are entitled to their own opinion, and I recognize that I’ll never see eye-to-eye with everyone.

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): My style can be summarized by the following three themes:

Emotions & Storytelling • My photography journey involves capturing more than just a pose. From initial scouting and negotiations to editing, publication, and web design, every phase is crafted according to an evolving artistic vision. Art nude transcends the female form; it seeks to convey deeper narratives and emotions. I seek to continually improve methodologies, tools, and workflows to evolve visual storytelling.

Art & Science • All aspects of technology, physics, and techniques can be taught to anyone but photography is about boundless creativity. Discovering one’s artistic soul is transcendental. It’s about finding a meaningful story and photographing its narrative. Connecting emotionally with each model is the beginning of a photographer’s journey to greatness.

Passion Drives the Soul • The Soul Drives Passion • When we love what we do, the world is viewed through a different lens. A journey of excellence requires confidence, perseverance, and skill. It’s important to avoid distractions. I’m passionate about my hobbies – photography is one of them. Through my lens, I get to explore boundless creativity. This intersects with my love of writing, graphic design, and video production.

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): The best fine art photographers in the world are my source of inspiration. Appreciating their images is an artistic and technical endeavor. Understanding how they constructed scenes helps improve my technique. Duplicating a great pose is not a copyright infringement. It’s an opportunity to create a brand-new opus. Art is an endless pursuit of inspiration on the journey to excellence. Many photographers have influenced me throughout the years. My first ‘coffee table book’ was Herb Ritts, “Works”, Bulfinch Press, ©1989. His style still resonates with me. In the ‘90s I was greatly influenced by Sports Illustrated photographers, Walter Iooss Jr, Russell James, and Raphael Mazzucco. My current top three are Bruno Bisang, Andreas Bitsnich, and Alexander Mavrin from St. Petersburg, Russia holding the number one spot. To reach the heights of these legends will be a journey with joy in every step. I maintain a list of over 1000 top international models, dancers and actresses. All of them would be a dream to photograph. These are my TOP 12:
1. Elizabeth Turner
2. Han So Hee
3. Hannah Palmer
4. Katharina Mazepa
5. Marina Laswick
6. Marlen Valderrama Alvarez
7. Marta Zielińska
8. Nastya Titorenkо
9. Natalya Krasavina
10. Polina Kulakova
11. Rachel Cook
12. Victoria Justice

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): • Art vs. Erotica • Nude imagery evokes our deepest desires. Emotions that emanate from the depths of our soul. This sparks disparate reactions; One side sees the human body as an art form – the other as abhorrent. My stance is clear, but I also have my limits. I’m well aware of the demarcation between art nude and erotica. Styles that reside on different points along the photography spectrum. Art nude is elegant, alluring, and sensual. What’s not shown is often more intoxicating than revealing everything on a platter. Desire that’s slightly out of reach. It’s a moment when longing for intimacy is at its peak. Once the curtains are drawn the mystique is revealed and erotica overshadows. These are the fringes where I like to play. I continually recreate an interwoven river through my model’s body. Sensual curves are alluring and provocative. Empathy, vulnerability, and confidence are also important themes. My emotion board consists of angel wings, nurturing mothers, leopards, owls, eagles, cats, leaves, roses, hearts, and the code of Bushido. Three words that describe my ideal photoshoot are: Freedom, Emotions, and Intensity..

Gabriel Dusil (Gdusil): Photography is one of my main passions, but I also I identify as a • Designer • Creativist • Writer • Blogger • Strategist • Entrepreneur • Speaker • Teacher • Trainer • Geek • INTJ • Sigma • Father I’m somewhat of an unusual participant in the world of fine arts. I contemplated photography as a career in high school, but fate had other plans. I met a newspaper photographer at the tail end of my studies. He was covering a local beauty pageant where my girlfriend was participating. I approached and asked what it was like working as a photographer. I don’t remember his exact words, but he looked disheveled and his lackluster response made me shy away from photography. At that moment, I decided to pursue an engineering degree specializing in physics. At the time, it seemed to be a financially safer option while still enjoying the benefits of photography as a hobby. In hindsight, it was a win-win decision. After 30 years of Information Technology, I’ve fully immersed myself in the world of art nude photography. Throughout my photography journey, I realized how fortunate I am to take amazing photos of beautiful women from all around the world. Photographers are in a relentless pursuit of the perfect picture. Even though perfection isn’t achievable I try to get as close as possible. The greatest feeling in the world is when my model says, “Wow, I love our photos!” It’s as if all the planets have aligned. I used to feel that luck brought me to that moment, but I now realize it’s all due to hard work. From casting to session preparation and every step between, my skills continue to evolve and every second is a joy. My mother was a veterinarian – now retired – but also a prolific oil painter. My sister inherited our mother’s skills and dialed it to eleven! I watch how she consistently creates beautiful art, sourced purely from her mind. She’s very gifted and continues to inspire me on my creative journey.