Alex Corral was born in Mexico City. He moved to Yackandandah two and half years ago after living in Melbourne for six years studying cookery and working in restaurants. What do you do workwise? I am a photographer and videographer, owner of Yack Drone. Since I moved to Yackandandah, the nature, landscapes, wildlife and history of Australian towns became my main interests which made me change my career from being a chef. What brought you to your role/career? After living in cities for 31 years and being used to the noisy streets, surrounded by buildings and a lot of people anywhere you go, it was a big change for me to move to the country, now surrounded by nature, singing birds and small towns with a big history. That's what made me be interested in capturing moments that last forever. What do you love about your work? I get to know the “behind the scenes” of different industries and learn how are things done. For example, when a business hires me to do a commercial, when I shoot for a music festival or when I do a property video, I realise how people work in different environments and situations where I've never been or that I never imagined I would be part of. What do you do in the community? I capture the aspects of the town that make it beautiful and picturesque. I like showing to the world its history through my videos, enlightening actual businesses, tourist and historical spots. I also volunteer to photograph as many local community events as possible. I have always thought that keeping a memory for the rest of people's lives is very important. Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing? The constant power outages that leave businesses with no option than closing for the day or families with no communication. What would you do to solve change, improve that situation? I am not sure about this matter, but I am sure that there are companies and organisations such as Totally Renewable Yackandandah that are taking responsibility and action to solve this. What do you see as one of the most important current world issues? The misinformation in the mass media. I know there will always be two sides of the story (or more), but the damage done to society when a lie is presented as a truth is huge, especially when they talk about historical events or political situations. If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo Shire (past or present), or was already here, who would that be, what would you show them, and why? Jonne Järvelä, creator and composer of the Finnish band Korpiklaani. His lyrics talk about his country history, Finnish old tales and his lifestyle amongst nature and old traditions. I would show him towns such as Yackandandah, Beechworth, Chiltern and the natural attractions around them including the Yackandandah Gorge, Beechworth Gorge and cascades. I would talk to him about the origins of these towns, and why not encourage him to write a song about this part of the world. What book are you reading? Last book I read was “Erik the Red” but at the moment I'm reading all sorts of kids’ books to teach Spanish to my two-year-old daughter.
