Pawel Szvmanski
The most touching theme for me are persons set in a dramatic story,
where you can concentrate on combining people with environment to get a
shoot that could easily be representative of a movie. I also do video
but let's face it, photos are much more accessible due to simplicity of
the process as compared to filmmaking, where much more factors are
necessary. The gratitude is quicker when talking about presentation,
reach and feedback, especially in contemporary Internet.
My images are always related to music and movies I love, not always as
personification of the ideas or protagonists but more in terms of the
interpretation and trying to become a part of that mood or even
juxtapose the ideas for additional but still relative meaning. All great
creators form that collective consciousness and when you grasp it, you
find out that it's a growing balloon where there is more and more people
sharing the same philosophy. When two fans of David Lynch talk about
his work, no wonder they can communicate without words, which I love.
When I am asked to explain what I'm trying to express, it's a disturbing
experience to me, the asker should rather stop looking on my work in
such case. It is my photography - I simply relate to what I see, listen
through my own sensitivity. For this, I need to cooperate with people
who get what I'm trying to create and show or who I think match my
vision.
Basically, I would say my technical choice is usually "too technical", I
shoot on lots of systems which is troublesome in many sessions, because
you face that system shock when you try to carry and use too much
stuff. However, my starting point is always the mood I have in my head,
then choosing the media and system, and, when one fails, it's sometimes
that the second choice or location change is the right one, so there is a
good side of extensive technical experience, without becoming stale but
instead using it to be more flexible despite being extremely organized
in terms of system setups. I shoot medium format film, 35mm, digital,
all that combined with my favourite vintage lenses, anamorphic projector
lenses, vintage filters that give that old-school look without messing
in post. I definitely prefer creating visions in camera, not software,
but it all depends on the project, time constraints, etc.
If somebody knows that I'm a fan of David Lynch, David Cronenberg and
literature of JG Ballard, it is enough to get what I stand for. I keep
on trying to look for that something in photography, this turns me on,
something that can be considered as my own expression. I am not
conservative about arts, always looking for emerging styles, new faces,
new expression methods, the same goes to music and filmmaking -
alternative camera movements, framing... All these factors help me to
develop as a photographer. My style changes every few years but the core
is the same - cinematic, film-like environments with dramatic
portraits. My goal is to shoot and film more artists and bands.