I met Rilee Dubilo on Instagram a few months ago. I was impressed with her photography and modeling work off the bat. When we got to having a conversation she mentioned doing social media marketing and merch for a band called Pathogenic.
I began to wonder how one person could keep up steam while working in all those different facets of media.
Her and I decided to sit down and have a longer conversation to talk about exactly that and a lot more:
NT: You’re living in Boston now. Is that where you grew up?
RD: “I live just outside of Boston and have lived in the Greater Boston Area my entire life. I say “Boston” because no one outside of Massachusetts knows where anything here is.”
NT: When did you first become interested in photography?
RD: “I’ve been interested in photography since I was a kid. When I was eight I started going to creative arts camp and was introduced to film photography. I learned how to take photos, process the film, and make my own prints with the use of their darkroom. I continued with film photography through high school but haven’t done it since because I don’t have access to a darkroom anymore and getting film processed and printed by someone else just feels wrong to me. I didn’t begin using a DSLR until I was about 16 years old but now it’s all I do.”
NT: Were you into any other art mediums before picking up a camera?
RD: “I’ve always been artsy. I used to draw and paint a lot but don’t have time or the patience for either anymore.”
NT: What was one of the first tough lessons you learned about a career in photography?
RD: “This is less of a lesson and more of a challenge: everyone thinks that they are a photographer now. Anyone with a cell phone and moderate ability to edit is capable of being a “photographer” and it seems there are fewer and fewer people who actually understand and appreciate the techniques that go into it.
Technology has made it possible for so many things to be automated that you really don’t need to put in any work to create a quality image. However, I shoot entirely manual all the time with the exception of autofocus, especially when I’m shooting action-based shots like sports or live music events.”
NT: I know you do a lot of live music shoots. Do you find that you enjoy shows more when you’re working or just attending?
RD: “This is actually something I just recently started doing. I definitely enjoy both for different reasons. I’ve been attending concerts for the majority of my life and there’s something about being lost in the moment that is so special to me but recently I got the opportunity to photograph one of my favorite bands of all time and that was such a surreal experience that I’m still riding the high from it.”
NT: I notice you have some great nature shots on your Instagram. Do you travel to take photos often?
RD: “I love to travel. My parents instilled that in me from a young age and I have been fortunate enough to visit some truly incredible places. When I got my Canon 1DX I started making it a priority to bring my camera just about everywhere with me and now on a day-to-day basis it comes with me as well.”
NT: I see you ALSO do merch for Pathogenic. How did that gig come about?
RD: “Music has always been really important to me and I have been fortunate enough to have a lot of musician friends who tour the world. I’ve actually known the vocalist of Pathogenic since I was 17 so when they were going on a short regional run they asked if I would do merch and photos for them. I actually do a fair amount more for them since I have a marketing background. I’ve been helping them with strategizing and social media.”
NT: Pathogenic just put out a music video that you’re featured in, can you talk about that?
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Not only did I get to be in the video but I contributed to the creative direction and editing. It is a visual representation of the hopelessness of humanity’s current situation because of how poorly we have treated our planet and its resources and how unavoidable our fate is on this path to global destruction.
My character is the personification of the Earth taking back control. She is meant to show how people as a whole cannot deny or fight the overwhelming power of nature. Pathogenic’s vocalist David Benites’ character, meant to represent the faults of humanity, is trapped in an endless loop of being tortured by the demise of his own making. This is designed to show that humanity is doomed to repeat their mistakes.
The video and song were produced by Pathogenic’s drummer Tony Lusk-Simone at Zenbeast Media in Leominster, MA so everything about this release was self-done. Tony absolutely knocked it out of the park despite the incredibly short amount of time he had to film and edit it. David and I did some minor editing to help out — lots of masking to make the shots where I am cloned possible — but it was really a minuscule contribution in comparison to the hours Tony spent on it.
Aside from that, I had a hand in the marketing strategy about when and how we released the video. My photography is also featured on the limited edition merch – www.pathogeniclimited.com – that I designed to accompany the single release.”
NT: You being a model was definitely a logical step for you, You mentioned that you’ve only been in front of the camera 6 months. What led to that decision?
RD: “I was talked into modeling by my photography mentor Fred Kfoury (@avalonphotonh) and model Lexi Lynne (@ohnoitslex). I have always hated myself in photos and was always more comfortable behind the camera but with some convincing and Lexi’s guidance, they got me in front of the camera.
I started using it as a way to meet new photographers and to learn from them as well as to build my own confidence. I did not think that it would take off in the way that it has. I still do not consider myself a model. I am always going to be a photographer first but it is a great way to be creative and I’ve met so many incredible people over the last 6 months.”
NT: You mentioned being a social media marketer. What brought you into that line of work?
RD: “My mom is actually a marketing professor at Brandeis University and I’ve been sitting in on her classes for as long as I can remember. I got into social media marketing when I was running an online hockey journal I had. I discovered I was fairly good at it and started pursuing that as a source of revenue.”
NT: What advice would you give to anyone trying to get started as a photographer?
RD: “Just go out and do it. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to fail. There are still times when I come home from shoots and I am dissatisfied with what I produced but those failures are also what drive me to learn more and do better.”
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