Edited by Odeta Catana, Photo Editor
Could you please tell us a little more about yourself.
I am a ttraveler I am on the road. I was born in Poland, I am based in Copenhagen, Denmark and currently I reside in NYC. I am all over the place to get connected, to share and gather thoughts and inspirations.
How did you start taking pictures? Usually there is always the old story of the boy who finds his grandfather’s camera, did that happen to you as well or not?
I got my first camera from my parents when I was around 7. It was an analogue camera KINON 202 with pretty silly looks; super white and super plastic. It was a dream come true. I took crazy photos with it. That piece of plastic brought me magic that has never stopped and has stimulated my imagination ever since.
Where does your inspiration comes from?
I am inspired by people; by my lover, my family, my friends and strangers. I am inspired by being close to people, by observing them and relating to them. I am also inspired by my own emotions and feelings, by my solitude. It is also new places I end up at that inspire me and old places all over again.
In a portrait, what is important for you?
In my own portrait work it is intimacy, even with a stranger. I always try to create an intimate moment where people would feel at ease and the most of who they are.
What kind of relationship do you have with your subject when you shoot?
I try to make the camera as invisible as possible. When taking portraits of people I like if they share secrets with me. I like when when they get surprised. I like when they look inside of who they are. I like confrontations.
Do you think it’s important to follow a school to learn how to shoot?
I don’t think any school is necessary, but it might be worth if it can inspire and advance you. School should always be only the means to getting further, but no destination.
What’s the photo you want to take and you never did?
I wish I took a photograph of my late great grandmother to whom I was very close and who taught me a great deal. I wish I had a photographic portrait of her besides my own memory.
What’s your photo-mission?
I want to tell stories of people I photograph, by that I want to share their courage, love, hope, compassion, their success, their struggles, their grit, their perseverance… values which I consider to be contributing to a better state of human relations.
