Alex Korolkovas

Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, I consider myself an artist first, and a photographer second. So I like to think that when I’m shooting, I’m also making art. Studying Advertising & Marketing, in my hometown, taught me the basics, but it was really when I moved to Los Angeles, in 1992, that I got to experience firsthand the complexities of the industry I came to love.
During the 10 years I spent there, I studied at the Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, and worked as a print master at the Icon Lab, before gaining the confidence to pursue my dream of becoming a full-time professional photographer. And I never looked back.
Since then I have collaborated with world-class art fashion magazines. Have worked with both celebrities and athletes for various ad campaigns for the US, Brazilian and Asian Markets. And have immortalized events & cultural manifestations through my lens.
In my work, I am adept at seeing into my subjects and showing their truth. In fashion, I love the poetry of a heroic moment, showcasing angles and depth and the way clothes make people feel. My work attempts to blend the reality of the human condition with the fantasy of fashion. Which, in my opinion, is used to elevate an idea, but I don’t call myself a fashion photographer. I use clothing as a tool to create an identification with my subjects. My parents owned a fashion business, so even as a child, I learned how fashion helped people feel that they belong or don’t belong. Rebellion, therefore, has become a common theme in a lot of my work.
I use powerful expression, emotion, shape, lighting, and form to sculpt an image and help to tell the hidden stories within. Sometimes my work is etheric, sometimes dark, but always conveying a rich narrative meant to illuminate the human being as his story intersects the needs of a brand or an art project. I approach life and career with a lust for “a knowing of” what makes my subjects tick.