Masters of Photography: Olga Karlovac

Image by Olga Karlovac

Good photography is all about technical precision: shutter speed, ISO, focal length, good gear. Right? While these things certainly don't hurt, claiming that they are essential to being a good photographer does not explain the popularity of Croatian photographer Olga Karlovac. 

Olga Karlovac's street and abstract photography are dark, contrasty and full of deep mood and intrigue. Her pictures are almost always blurry, almost like those shots you accidentally take when you forget your shutter speed is too long for the conditions. But there is something about the way she captures form, with recognizable (but not identifiable) human figures in mundane situations, that feels more like visual poetry than what most might consider "normal" photography. I have always been drawn to abstract photographers. Some of my favorites include Alexey Titarenko, who used long exposures to turn images of people into lines of haunting specters, and Trent Parke, who also liked long-exposure to create jaw-dropping street scenes that sometimes just make you ask "what the?" Karlovac, on the other hand, relied on intentional camera movement (ICM) to use the light that hits her film (or sensor, not sure if she uses digital or not) like paint brush strokes. Her images are not tack sharp. They are the opposite. In fact, a line I've heard attached to Karlovac is "the photographer who always took blurry photos." While some might find her work to be odd or not to their taste, I find it to be incredible, expressive and inspiring.

Here is a small collection of Karlovac's images to showcase her unique and incredible style:

So to go out an emulate her style, I put a ND8 filter on my camera and set it on shutter speed priority mode. How fast of a shutter depends on the focal length, lighting conditions, and the speed in which you want to move the camera. However, somewhere around 1/10 of a second has worked well for my taste. All of these factors can vastly change the outcome. One of the great pleasures I have found in attempting this style are the surprises and unpredictability that come with it. I might shoot the same subject multiple times in a row, feeling like I made the same camera movements with the same settings and the end results will look completely different. But the more I have attempted it, the more I have come to recognize what makes a good subject for this style and what it takes to come out with an image that does not just look like a blurry mess but a piece of art.

Here is a collection of my images that resulted from me trying emulate and learn from this unique approach to photography:

---------------------------------------------------------------

Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link

Masters of Photography: Saul Leiter

Saul Leiter's 1970 "Snow"

There is something bold about an artist who eschews established conventions, who tosses out the rules, and forges on with their own vision. Now, this can done be clumsily and poorly, or it can be done with a masterful touch by an artist who then adds something new to the canon of their craft and is remembered on, sometimes even after they themselves are gone. 

In photography, there are a number of rules upon which many of us have long hung our work: the rule of thirds, framing, the exposure triangle, etc. However, there are some photographers who boldly challenge these accepted conventions, and do it perfectly. 

One such artist was American photographer Saul Leiter.

Saul Leiter was a master of color street photography whose most prominent work (during the 50s-70s) came at a time when most others were focused on Black and White. Color photography was considered a lesser form, yet he didn't let this hold him back. Nor did he let any other standard "rules" of photography constrain him. His subjects were often taken through blurry, rain-covered windows, or stuffed far in a corner. Huge swaths of negative space sometimes filled his canvas. He gravitated towards abstract images that often featured reflections layered on top of each other with tiny anchors, sometimes in far corners of the image, that managed to pull together an otherwise disorienting scene. Viewing his work gave me knew ideas about what boundaries can be pushed in photography and I have been eager to take some of his concepts and play around with them for myself.

Here is a small sample of some of Leitner's famous works:

With these ideas in mind, I took to the streets with the plan of documenting life in Alaska and other parts of the American West. I took interest in reflections in windows, and the abstract depth they can create. While I am no Saul Leiter, and of course still have much to learn about Street Photography and photography in general, I enjoyed the challenge and what it could teach me about the craft.

Here is a sample of Saul Leitner inspired images of my own:

---------------------------------------------------------------

Visit THE ARCHIVE: A list of most of my articles and posts sorted by category

Copyright notice: This website and all its contents are the intellectual property of Brian Wright Photography. None of the content can be used or reproduced without expressed written approval.
For information about how to contact us, visit this link