Przemek Strzelecki is a street and
documentary photographer from Poland. A wonderful photographer who loves to be
with his camera always and his incredible passion towards art has
led him to find more about Mongolia, scintillating silence and indefinite
spaces. His views onstreet photography are entirely
different, he feels streets give him a huge boost of adrenaline. The moment he
feels to press the shutter is when he feels
his legs go soft, with increased pulse and pacing heart beat.
This ingenious whole thing is what makes him crazy about this genre. For
Przemek, the moment and spontaneity are the most
significant traits for a photograph. Having said that, he tells us he hates to
shoot holiday photographs with the usual elements
and compositions. He loves to do most of his work in countries where the innocence still
prevails, where the people hasn’t lost their minds and time to money and
internet.
Finally he tells us, whichever country you go, language
should never be your problem since body language comes first with a gentle
smile. When asked how
does he capture a photograph, he gives us a very simple and humble answer. “I
never plan a photograph nor do I ask for a photograph, if its not a portrait, I
carefully look around, sniff, keep searching and then startlistening to the
street. At last, I
make a stupid face just pretending as if I am innocent and just move on.”
Could you introduce yourself
to our readers?
My name is
Przemek. I was born in Poland in 1977 and I have been living here ever since. I
am a fan of hats, good photos, films, and open space. I am in love with
Mongolia, horses, forest, and rambling. I like beer, books, and
photography, of course.You can usually see me with a camera in my hand.
How did Photography happen to
you?
It started in my
childhood – I can still remember my first Smiena camera which I still keep in a
cupboard along with bird’s nests photos. Then, times of Russian Zenits came –
from the oldest to the most modern models. About twelve years ago I obtained my
dreamed Canon. I’ve tried everything: starting with macro photos and landscapes
till nature photos. After that, one day, I discovered human as the main and
most important theme in photography and I still stick on to that.
Could you please explain your
style of photography?
It is what I
call ‘humanistic photography’. For me it is a blend of street, reporting, and
documentary photography. It often has a humorous element. Moreover, I love
minimalism.
What makes you pursue this
significant genre of art, how do you keep up your spirits for this incredible
passion?
Curiosity and a
childish will of knowing (even though I’m almost forty) are my two main engines
leading me in my photographic pursuits. There are three components in making
photos that I find most relevant: firstly, the moment of pressing the shutter
button – always a thrill, secondly, developing photos – it was and still is
magical for me, and lastly, scanning. I feed my curiosity and then forget about
all those photos, the film gets stashed in the archives, I take the next one,
put it in the camera and everything starts all over again. There is no end to
it.
How do you see success in Art
& Photography?
Every single
photo which I am proud of – what doesn’t occur to me very often – is a major
success. All the game of photography is a great experience and it is a bit
intimate. My only dream is to issue an album about my ten years of travels to
Mongolia. It would be my photographic fulfillment.
Has boredom ever struck you,
if yes how do you get back to routine?
Rather not!
Your
Inspiration?
·
Josef Koudelka
·
Pentti Sammallahti
·
Kim Thue
·
Anders Petersen
·
Tomasz Gudzowaty
·
Alex Webb
·
Jens Olof Lasthein
and many more…
The best compliment & a criticism
you have received so far?
I have been
compared to a Czech artist Josef Koudelka a couple of times, which was a great
compliment for me.
Criticism?
Well, once I was
walking around Reyjkjavik on Iceland with my friend. Suddenly, I spotted an
interesting frame, I put a camera to my eye and in the exact moment of pressing
the shutter button he accidentally came into my line of sight. I said something
rather unpleasant to him and he replied: ‘Who the fuck do you think you are?
H.C.Bresson?!’ : )
Your gear?
Contax g2, leica
mini 3, Nikon fm 2, eos 30 and 300, holga 135 / plastic camera / , pentacon six
tl, lenses between 17 and 50mm and a lot of films ; )
Your future plans?
Well, I don’t
really know, I’m taking a turn in life so I guess I have to wait with planning
a little bit. No matter what, I’d really like to continue my voyages to
Mongolia. And I have no intention of forsaking photography.
Any final thoughts for our
readers or aspiring photographers & artists?
Yeah, I think I
can give you a little piece of advice: be open towards people, smile, have some
courage – and you’ll have a good photo. Thanks to these features I have managed
to open many doors and was able to take photos in really bizarre places , i.e.
an illegal gold mine in Mongolia, loggers life in Ukrainian forests, a
Mongolian wedding, or the Gypsies in Serbia. And you should certainly move a
lot for it is really hard to take a good picture within your own four walls! http://121clicks.com/showcases/przemek-strzelecki-street-photographer-from-poland121clicks
Przemek
Strzelecki is a street and documentary but most of all humanist photographer
born in Poland. He is a fan of hats and photo films. In love with Mongolia,
indefinite spaces, and silence. He likes beer, books and horses. You will find
him always with a camera in his hand.
All
images © Przemek
Strzelecki
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