GLIMPSES OF ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD

An Inspirational Series of Artist Interviews - Photography Edition

Soply has got a whole host of worldwide talent ready for summer, as we will be interviewing artists from all areas and genres of expertise, whose work push the boundaries of their profession to create art that is emotional, edgy, original, and most of all capture a unique moment in time. Whether you are an amateur or seasoned pro, Soply hopes these interviews will inspire you to stamp your own imprint on the landscape of great craftsmanship and become the best and most innovative creator you can possibly be.

CALIN STRAJESCU

Iasi, Romania

First to break grounds, Calin Strajescu is a Romanian freelance photographer, whose artistry is guided by beauty in all its forms and his affinity lies with fine art photography and documentary photography where a refined approach is needed in order to make a statement. In 2015 alone he took part in two major events: a solo photography exhibition in Denmark, which was available for the public for more than 7 months, and a digital exhibition at The Louvre Museum in France. Everyone from private clients or large corporations that appreciate art as a form of communication, can now have a trustworthy photographer ready to work with, and Soply invites you all to have a nice read about this talented man below:

Tell us a little bit about the work you specialize in, your photographic training and the equipment you use. I would have to say that I specialize in documentary photography and I have a high interest in travels, humanities and cultures. The more commercial side of photography started because I wanted to travel so much. I am a self-taught photographer and for the past 4 years I tried to expand my learning accepting assignments from different areas and focusing only on what is most important for my development as an artist. I’ve changed a few camera systems including Sony and Nikon until I was able to make up my mind and decide which one is best for me. Now I work on a Canon 6D with a range of lenses from ultra wide - 17mm to fast zooms - 200mm f2.8, covering almost anything I can think of.

What sort of research do you do before starting on a project? How do you know when it’s complete? Research is key! From weather to hidden places, local customs and traditions, a thorough online research is a must. Although you can never be fully prepared for what’s about to happen, it’s useful to have at least an idea on how to act in a new place. Most of the time, in case of an event, I try to expand my knowledge towards the theme of the upcoming convention. Luckily, in the case of the Power-Gen India and Central Asia, I was already involved into the subject since I’m working on two personal projects about energy-related matters.

There are a few steps I like to do before I can say a project is done. One of the most important one is to always backup your files at least in three different places. Always! When the photos are done and ready to be sent to the client, the job is half complete. The feedback is always the most rewarding aspect of any assignment. Only then I can say that my job is done.

You’ve been kind enough to share your latest work for POWER-GEN India & Central Asia with us, how was that New Delhi experience like for you? New Delhi is something else; it’s a cultural experience that’s worth trying at least once in a lifetime. As far as the meetings and the conferences went, everyone was attentive, polite and extremely helpful. The day prior to my departure I was invited to have lunch by one of the local exhibitors.

What to you is the difference between photographing at home as opposed to the outside world? Was it difficult, especially as a Westerner, to get close to the people you met? This is a great question. These are two separate worlds and shouldn’t be compared. Each of them has its high points. The western world has a rhythm that gives you imagery of a certain aspect. You can observe and act as you please. Here people are used to seeing photographers everywhere so they pay no attention to you.

At this sort of events there are suits and ties everywhere, so you can expect people to be well educated and respectful. It’s pretty much the same as in Europe. The only difference that I could find was that people are more polite and would actually like to start a conversation with you. I had the honor to meeting a few officials and I was surprised of how easily the discussion was going.

Your portfolio is filled with beautiful photography. What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such great imagery? Thank you! Ideas are always there, the problem is how to choose the one worth doing. That will only be possible with time and experience and when the mind becomes more refined. I am a perfectionist, but I’m also an optimist. This means that as much as I would like to be somewhere and to photograph an event, a landscape or to travel altogether, I don’t have a hard time letting go for a while on that particular project. Go with the flow, something better is just around the corner!

How important is Photoshop in your final images? In today’s digital world, particularly in photography, Photoshop is a useful tool. The RAW images have no apparent life in them until the artist behind the camera starts to implement his feelings and emotions into them.

What has been your most memorable assignment and why? Each of the assignments I made has a special meaning to me. I can’t say I’ve reached the top of the mountain just yet, but India was definitely a place to revisit. It has a certain vibe to it and the people are spectacular. So many characters and so many new things to learn. Where would be your dream destination assignment? Half a year in Central Asia, starting somewhere in Katmandu would excite my photographic senses for sure! I was always fascinated by that place, the sights, the cold, the colors and the traditions - there are many books about Central Asia, particularly the ones written by Nicholas Roerich that describe in a different light the wonders of that place. But experiencing it in real life has to be one of the destinations I’d love to add to my portfolio.

What do you think of the photography industry at the moment and where do you see it in five years from now? It’s rapidly growing, to which direction I can’t say for sure. There are plenty of great photographers out there, but in my opinion the importance of artistic photography seems to diminish. For me it looks like photographers and clients have to sit down and decide once and for all between quantity and quality.

What photographic ambitions have you not yet achieved? The art of photography is a life-long education. You can never be finished with it. Everything changes depending on your experiences but I’m still thinking about how to capture the essence of perfume in a photograph!

ALEXANDER KESSELAAR

Sydney, Australia

Up next in our series is LightPainter extraordinaire, Alexander Kesselaar, an award winning professional photographer & filmmaker from Sydney, Australia. Raised in the entertainment industry he was involved in German Television from an early age and so began his fascination of all forms of media and it’s creation. With more than 10 years of experience in commercial, corporate & event photography, video production & editing, web design and social media in his bag, Soply invites you to continue reading more about his work and inspiration down below, and see why he should be the next photographer you will hire:

Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name is Alexander Kesselaar and I am a photographer from Sydney, Australia. I grew up in Germany and moved here in 2000 to study Film & Television Production and graduated in Production Management & Editing, but the one thing that really stuck with me from Film School was photography. As part of the curriculum we had to learn how to shoot on 35mm Film, as the principles of exposure, developing and printing film are the same and it is a whole lot cheaper to shoot stills than it is to shoot motion. As soon as I picked up the camera and started shooting, I knew that this is what I wanted to do.

What sort of work do you specialize in? I have a photography business that specializes in commercial, event and corporate photography and video. But one of my great passions is LightPainting and Long Exposure Photography.

What is your photographic training and what equipment do you use? Except for the brief introduction to photography at Film school, I’m completely self-taught. I was lucky enough that early on in my career I got to assist some incredible photographers, who I learned a lot from. I’m also very inquisitive. I need to know how things are done or how certain photos were created. I love experimenting with new techniques and processes.

As you’ve mentioned, Light Painting Photography is undeniably a favorite of yours. How did you end up doing this? That is what lead me to LightPainting Photography. I saw some steelwool images and long exposure fire photography images on Flickr and wanted to do it myself. I think at the time I contacted lots of other photographers asking them how they did it and I just kept persisting until I figured it out.

What is your favorite photography accessory, other than your camera? At the moment I’d have to say 'The Pixelstick'. It has just opened up so many possibilities for LightPainters. The ability to pre-program 200 LED’s on a stick to create whatever pattern or image you would like to create, with full control over brightness, speed and color is incredible.

What sort of research do you do before starting on a project? How do you know when it’s complete? I usually come up with an idea and then I try to find samples of similar work. When I go out I don’t always have a clear picture of how exactly I want to shoot something, it is more like a rough outline with a few set parameters. I try and let the location or person inspire me. It is more of a spontaneous process. I think this way I am more open to different possibilities and ideas.

What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such great imagery? I get most of my inspiration from other artists, there are some incredible Light-Painters out there like Jan Leonardo, Darren Pearson, Jörg Miedza, Denis Smith and Eric Pare, that continually push the boundaries of what is possible. However inspiration can come from anywhere, music, a great film, a photo, or something seemingly mundane.

How important is Photoshop in your final images? Photoshop is not really important to my work, as I always try and get everything right in Camera. That being said I always shoot in RAW, so I always adjust the images in Lightroom, to add contrast, saturation or change the exposure slightly. Sometimes I will use Photoshop to blend multiple exposures into one, but that happens not that often.

What has been your most memorable assignment and why? I think the most memorable assignment was the LightPainting Job I was commissioned to do for Northline for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was my first paid LightPainting Photography gig and this really opened my eyes to the commercial possibilities of the Artform. Secondly, I got to travel all over Australia for the shoot - the most memorable being the Flinders Ranges in Outback Australia. I was in the middle of nowhere during a 35 Degree night, no wind, with the stars shining brightly above our heads and with a real feeling of solitude and awe. I’ll never forget it.

What do you think is the most difficult to photograph? A photo that tells a great story.

Where would be your dream destination assignment? I’ll know it when I get there.

What do you think of the photography industry at the moment and where do you see it in five years from now? I am extremely optimistic about the state of our industry. There is going to be more demand than ever for quality content. I am really excited about what a Camera is going to be capable of in five year’s time. Some of the improvements to heighten ISO performance and image quality as well as developments in lenses and other accessories are remarkable. And I love to see where the whole VR thing is going to take photography. I’d love to create LightPainting images that you can literally walk through.

Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph? I think it would be absolutely remarkable to take photos of our planet like the Astronauts on the ISS, like Jeff Williams, Scott Kelly and Ron Garan. These are my real heroes.

If you could be invisible for one day with your camera... I would visit all the locations I would usually not be allowed to take photos. How about a steelwool spin in the Vatican?

What photographic ambitions have you not yet achieved? The only real ambition is to become better at my craft every day and to never stop experimenting. I also hope that I can do this until my body or mind won’t allow me to anymore. Basically keep taking photos until I drop dead one day.

For more info and awesome LightPainting Photos, check out LightPaintLab.com

Soply

Published April 2016