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"When people see [the portrait], you feel like you kind of know the person," said Febrillet, known to friends as "Febbers."
The self-proclaimed cinema geek went to William Patterson University intending to break into the film world.
His aspirations shifted as the reality of the business sunk in.
"You go to school and expect all these things about filmmaking," he said, "and you get to your last year and realize the real side of filmmaking — there is so much politics."
He was discouraged by the complicated web of networking required for the film industry and took his passion to Instagram, posting portraits of friends and street photography of towns nearby including Hackensack and Clifton.
Portraits have become Febrillet's main focus, due to consistent interest from clients, but he enjoys taking street photography of local areas, specifically Washington Heights in Manhattan.
Febrillet sees his street photography as capturing the essence of a neighborhood that might otherwise be ignored.
He painted the picture of how his photos may influence a tourist visiting the United States.
"They’re not going to Washington Heights, but if they see a cool picture maybe they’ll be like 'I’d like to see that with my own eyes,'" Febrillet said.
Febrillet primarily pulls inspiration from film and famous directors.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Febrillet's film vocabulary is staggering. He owns over 1,600 films ranging from contemporary classics like The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction to older films like Easy Rider.
Febrillet aspires to open his own studio one day, but for now, he's content taking portraits and street photography.
His work can be seen on his website or Instagram. Febrillet takes responds to inquiries at Efebbers@gmail.com.
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