JOSH ROSSI – DIGITAL ARTIST from Jupilings on Vimeo.

Exercising our talents & sharing our knowledge, unselfishly, to change, bring hope or transform someone’s life is above all, the lasting fulfilment with high dose of ecstasy.   Purposely using our gifts to create real and tangible impact in our societies is the ultimate purpose of humanity. Digital artist and photographer, Josh Rossi uses his talents to bring awareness to the real superheroes of our world. With clients such as Warner Bros, Adobe, Nickelodeon, D.C. Comics, and many more major brands, with the help of his wife, Roxana, they transformed children with major illnesses and disabilities into members of the Justice League. The artwork received more than 100 million online views.

The project was created after a Halloween photo shoot of his daughter, Nellee. The digital images illustrate his healthy and enthusiastic little girl as Wonder Woman. The series acted as a catalyst, he was contacted by emotionally inspired parents of            critically-ill children around the world, expressing that “their children are the real superheroes”.

Here is my exclusive interview with Josh Rossi to learn about his gifts and talents:

Jupilings –  Tell us about yourself and how you got into digital art/photography:

Josh Rossi: When I was a young boy I was obsessed with art. I was born in Florence, Italy where I lived for 7 years. When I hit high school I saw no need to pursue art and so I dropped it and got into other things. After high school I got an internship with a film production company and started getting more into film. When I was 22 I realized that I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing so I needed a change. I decided that advertising was a lot more exciting and chose to go to Miami Ad School and that’s where my passion for photography came in. At school I had to rely on my own skills to produce print ads and online media. I had to convey a message and I didn’t want to just snap one shot and be done. I wanted to include a lot of different elements that told a story. That’s when I started getting into compositing. I realized that I could actually create the images that were inside my head. I never thought that was possible before. I became literally obsessed with ad photography. I would stay up every night until 2 or 3 studying my favorite photographers. I would study every single detail and try to recreate what I saw. It took me a year and a half before I decided to put my style out there to the public. Once I put my work out there for people to see I got a surprising response. People loved it! I dropped my 9 to 5 job and have been working full time doing what I love ever since. Whenever I create an image I try to think of a story behind it. I want my viewer to get into the picture and imagine a whole scenario. What brings me joy is when I can inspire others to do bigger and greater things. I am based out of Los Angeles and Puerto Rico where I specialize in Commercial and Advertising photography.

Jupilings – What is the fundamental principal in your creations?

Josh Rossi:  The image has to have emotion in it before it’s even created. You need to envision it and the emotion behind it. 

Jupilings – Are you a digital artist that uses photography to express an idea or a photographer who captures the moment of the idea?

Josh Rossi: Digital artist who uses photography to create my art.

Jupilings – Do you have a preference in camera, software or technology ? & why

Josh Rossi: Photoshop, Sony A7r2. The Sony is mirrorless and it’s easy to carry around. It’s very high quality too and is great for traveling. Photoshop has so many options that it lets me do anything I want with an image.

Jupilings – Which photographer has influenced you most?

Josh Rossi: Dave hill, Erik Almas

Jupilings – What is the secret of being a successful digital artist/photographer?

Josh Rossi: The secret is finding the best inspiration you can, practicing endless hours to perfect a look and keep learning.

Jupilings – What is your favourite subject to capture?

Josh Rossi: I love capturing people and landscapes together.

Jupilings – What does women empowerment mean to you?

Josh Rossi: Woman empowerment means to acknowledge the power and strength that they have. It means to allow them to express those strengths and not be shy to show them.

Jupilings – What are your tips about building a brand name as a digital artist / photographer?

Josh Rossi: To build a brand name you need a specific style that people know you for. Not just a better style but something different and new. People don’t care so much about better, they care about new and different.

Jupilings – What do you do to conquer fear or self doubt:

Josh Rossi: I learn to control my thoughts and push those out. Everyone feels fear but few people know how to manage it and push through the fear when necessary. You can’t listen to the voices in your head that create self doubt. Push them out immediately. The more you let them linger the more self doubt will build within you. No one knows your potential except your own self. How can you conquer the world if you can’t conquer your own mind?

Jupilings – What super power you would like to have ? and why?

Josh Rossi: Ability to change someones life just by deciding to do so.

Jupilings – Which movie you would have liked to be the lead actor:

Josh Rossi: Mission Impossible or James Bond

Jupilings – What is your life motto?

Make others rich like unto yourself.

Images courtesy of Josh Rossi http://www.joshrossi.com