VIEWS:

I am passionate about photography. Like life, it is a never-ending process, requiring many adjustments and quite a bit of effort. Through the years I have been influenced and inspired by many photographers, both famous and unknown, both published and unpublished. With friends I discovered the pure joy of taking photos out on the streets and I am pretty sure by now that this feeling of satisfaction, of fulfillment that comes from making a good photograph (whatever that may mean for each one of us) will stay with me forever.

I wouldn’t claim to be a dedicated street photographer, although the genre has intrigued me the past few years and street photography fascinates me, probably more than any other kind of photography. The feeling I get when shooting strangers up close, when running (many times like a demented lunatic) to catch something before it leaves the desired frame, the reactions (good or bad) are absolutely exhilarating.

What I am certain of after shooting for about 10 years (6 years with dedication), especially after working on some dull commissions, is that I am not interested in shooting “posed” scenes or people. Whenever I shoot a portrait, my instinct is to always press the shutter when the person is not conscious of posing, when they’re fixing their hair, looking away, respond to something else than the camera. In short, if I could shoot with my eyes I would but since I can’t, I try to do my best with a camera.

I’ve changed over the years. Proof of this is that I wouldn’t be caught dead writing this much about my views on photography 4 years ago as my former self would most definitely have found it pretentious. Now this thought doesn’t even cross my mind. Perhaps this is because I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I truly like and want out of my photography. Recently, I made a book in blurb ( link ) containing my favourite photographs from 10 years of shooting. I felt the need to do this with as much care and love as possible, so that this chapter of my “photographic” life is closed. There’s a lot of things I like within this book but I am very far from satisfied. The past is there to serve and teach us and not to burden us.

Having learned many useful things over these years, like how to operate a camera instinctively and focus manually like a ninja, I now look only forward. I know it gets cheesy at this point, but this is the reason I love photography. It serves me as a teacher helping me, by becoming a better photographer, to become a better person. This is what I’ve learned so far:

– First of all the question of why I shoot is no more. It is second nature.
– I am a sucker for any scene that captures my mind and/or soul and this may include ABSOLUTELY everything from a piece of litter on the ground to a huge roaring crowd.
– NO ONE can restrict what I enjoy shooting.
– I mostly enjoy shooting people in everyday situations because I like people and there’s nothing that gives me more pleasure that trying to capture the beauty/humour/irony and sense of magic that is part of all our lives.
– In my work as a translator I am an absolute professional, always tending to my clients’ needs and working hard and always to my full capacity to provide them with the best possible end-product. This is my livelihood and I enjoy the work and the independence of being a freelancer. However, I could never work as a full-time photographer because I would simply turn down too many commissions out of lack of interest and that would be very unprofessional indeed. This is not a reflection on professional photographers who have my utmost respect, but simply a reflection on myself.
– I can allow myself to change, reassess my photography, grow and keep trying
– I LOVE TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS. It’s a strange and beautiful world and I’d like to be there with the camera ready :)