Meet the UNDERTOW cast – Alex Duanais

If ever there was an unsung hero in the UNDERTOW insanity, it has to be Alex Duanais, our faithful photographer.

I stupidly assumed I could take the photos (cue rolling on floor laughing) and thankfully John Sullivan had a photographer on standby – Alex. Young as he was, he did a fabulous job!! Shooting what felt like 400 photos over 6 hours, he is now the only one I trust to capture these kids on film.

A writer himself, Alex is penning a comic book based on the lead singer of the Dinosaur Jr. Band (the artwork on the left is from artist Wayne Lowden and is featured in his book). Yeah – I see great things for this kid too.

Here is the 4-1-1 on our photographer, Alex Duanais:

Name? Alex Michael Daunais

Age? 22 years old

Town? Originally from Lowell, MA, I now live in Harwich.

Musical muse? My favorite band is either Dinosaur Jr. or Jim Croce

Favorite quote? “The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” -Neil Gaiman

You are friends with John Sullivan of Quahog Corner. How did you two meet and what do you do for him? I left a heart felt note at the Quahog Corner office saying, “Dear Mr. John Sullivan let me work with you!” And he called me. That’s how we met. Working with Quahog Corner is an amazing hands on experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with John Sullivan and Andrew Rapo every day.

How did you find out about my plans as a writer and the photoshoot? How did you get dragged into the mix? John Sullivan. I can’t thank that man enough. He has opened up so many opportunities for me.

How long have you been a photographer? What is it that you like about photography and do you see it playing a role in your life-long career? I like to dabble in photography. I understand it because I study cinematography and they have a lot of common similarities. As far as my career goes I just want to make good art. I like it all, drawing, film, photography, music, and writing. I like to find ways to combine all my passions into individual art projects.

Is it strange to see your photos all over the Internet and on book covers? Soon they will be hanging from the ceiling of the Cape Cod Mall on a SkyBanner – does it make you smile? It pretty awesome to have my photos on a book cover and I might definitely be bragging about my photos all over a Cape Cod Mall SkyBanner. It makes me very happy, and its great for the good old resume.

For the UNDERTOW shoot, you were photographing real local teens and young adults who were supposed to be the faces of supernatural characters. Was that weird? Photography often seems so honest, yet you were trying to capture a fictional character on film. Was it hard? Did it get easier as the hours rolled on (and there were a LOT of hours)? Capturing the essence of the “UNDERTOW” characters was fairly simple. Kate told me what she wanted and showed my some photos where she got her inspiration, and I mimicked what those photos looked like, very moody and very dark. Lighting is everything.

You have now been in the studio twice for UNDERTOW shoots and we will return again right after Christmas for another large shoot. Since that first time in the studio meeting these “characters / kids,” do you think the other shoots will be easier, since you now know their faces and how to manipulate the light to capture them? I definitely have recognized what lighting set ups work for most of the main characters. There are a few characters I haven’t shot in a while so it will take me a little more time to get familiarized with a few of them.

This psychotic writer approached you as being the model for one of the characters, known as “Rillin”. You will have to live on the flip-side for a while, in front of the lens, rather than behind it. What do you think that will be like? Well, unless Kate wants me to take selfies of myself, which I vowed never to do, I guess I’m gonna have to find another photographer.

DUDE – I am SO finding someone to shoot ya! LOL!