Biography: Photographer Przemek Kijowski (Poland)

Hello, I'm almost half a century old and I've been taking photos for a long time. My first camera was a simple, analog Certo KN35 made in East Germany. About 10 years ago, I became serious about taking photos and yet I’m far from calling myself a professional. I consider myself a great enthusiast of photography who loves to photograph and has never stopped looking for ways to improve my craft. A few years ago when I was going through a difficult time creatively, I enrolled myself into an amazing school - Warsaw’s Academy of Photography. I could not have a made a better choice.

The school did not teach what the aperture, the time or the ISO were, and where the shutter should be pressed. Instead it taught me to look and see, look for the opportunities and open myself up to take pictures. As part of the course, we studied how to best use the studio or what working with large format cameras was all about. On completion of the course, I felt infinitely more experienced and a lot more confident about my skills.

People, emotions and interactions all inspire my photographs in equal measure. The mood I like heading towards is that of a bleak melancholy. Once I have a picture in my head, I choose models, find the right places and look for props and the other elements of scenography. I often bring in some elements of the absurd into my work and challenge myself with difficult subjects. During the session, I know what I want to do and how I should do it. I share and discuss my ideas with my models. Typically, I plan to take 7-8 photos but anything can happen in the process. If the model feels that there is room for yet another interpretation, I follow that and this often brings great results, and a few more shots.

My most memorable session? Hard to say, but I have recently wandered around Tbilisi in search of interesting shots.

In my work I use Nikon cameras as they have been the FF for years. I've recently become fond of wide-angle lenses so I've been experimenting with these too.

In my view photography is light and shadow with all its color gradation, which gives you freedom to develop shapes, textures and structures

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