Welcome to a brand new collection on The Wandering Lens wherein I interview fellow photographers from around the globe about their work, their inspirations, suggestions and the tales behind their favorite pictures.
First up is Agata, a photographer who caught my eye on Instagram along with her gorgeous drone work over snow coated landscapes. Take a peek at this reel on Instagram and also you’ll see what I imply!
The Interview
Photographer Identify: Agata Wozniak-Kwasniewska
Web site: https://www.awkphotography.com
Instagram: @agatawk_photo
1. What’s it in regards to the mountain landscapes that evokes your images, and the way do you’re feeling it influences your artistic imaginative and prescient?
Mountain landscapes are majestic and provoking, providing a palette of textures, colors, and lightweight which are each a problem and a delight to seize by way of images. The rugged peaks, serene valleys, and dramatic skies are an integral part of the image. These parts have their very own character in every body. What evokes me probably the most about these landscapes is the sense of scale and the reminder of the pure world’s magnificence. Mountains evoke a way of surprise and problem me to precise not simply what I see, however what I really feel of their presence.
This inspiration deeply influences my artistic imaginative and prescient by pushing me to hunt out distinctive views and moments that really seize the essence of the mountain surroundings. I discover myself continually exploring the play between gentle and shadow, the textures of the rock and vegetation, and the best way climate and seasons dramatically alter the temper of the panorama.
Furthermore, mountain landscapes encourage me to experiment with varied strategies, from lengthy exposures to seize the motion of clouds or water, to focus stacking to make sure each element from the foreground to the distant peaks is sharp. This surroundings challenges me mentally and bodily and pushes me to enhance my technical abilities whereas nurturing a deeper reference to nature.
In essence, mountain landscapes encourage my images by providing one thing that’s each intimidating and alluring. They affect my artistic imaginative and prescient by driving me to not solely seize the visible spectacle however to additionally evoke the sentiments of awe, solitude, and respect that these wild locations encourage. By means of my lens, I purpose to indicate the deep respect I really feel for the mountains, hoping to encourage others to understand and defend these magnificent landscapes.
2. Are you able to share your favorite location to {photograph} and what makes it particular to you?
My favorite locations embrace the French Alps, Senja, and Lofoten in Northern Norway. I lived within the Alps for almost a decade, simply an hour’s drive from some breathtaking spots that turned my playground. My love for the realm round Grenoble started throughout a pupil change in 2006, and it shortly felt like house. After ending my research, I returned with my rising household. Every time potential, I escaped to the mountains for hikes, images, or just to take pleasure in a meadow brimming with wildflowers. Through the years, I used to be lucky sufficient to discover varied elements of the Alps, holding some locations pricey to my coronary heart. A number of to say are Vallée de la Clarée, Les Ecrins with its expansive valleys and towering peaks, Belledonne – my favourite spot for capturing sunsets after work, and the wild, comparatively undiscovered Vercors, which I explored extensively in my final years in Grenoble.
In summer season 2022, we relocated to Oslo, Norway, for an ideal job alternative. Apparently, we moved to a rustic we had by no means visited earlier than – an exciting leap. Nonetheless, I used to be already accustomed to Norway’s breathtaking nature. Though I miss the rapid proximity to the Alps, Norwegian landscapes provide their very own wild magnificence. Furthermore, Lofoten and Senja are only a 2-hour flight away, locations I’ve solely just lately begun to discover. Whereas Lofoten is well-known and sometimes crowded with vacationers in summer season, Senja presents a wilder, much less touristy expertise with its capricious climate and majestic mountains rising straight from the fjords. Regardless of this, my love for Lofoten is so robust that I go to yearly. The area’s unpredictable climate, able to biking by way of 4 seasons in a single day, from clear skies to hailstorms to rainbows, presents a problem I eagerly embrace.
3. How do you determine in your artistic focus for a venture or a single {photograph}, and the place do you draw your inspiration from?
Deciding on a artistic focus for a venture or a single {photograph} is certainly difficult. I discover myself impressed by the pure world—its patterns, colors, and formations usually information what I purpose to seize. Earlier than heading out, I totally analysis my location, using instruments like Google Earth to grasp the sunshine and put together as a lot as potential technically. Nonetheless, as soon as on location, I are likely to immerse myself within the second and sometimes let instinct information me. This strategy means I generally neglect in regards to the pictures I initially deliberate to take…
As for drawing inspiration, I need to admit, Instagram has turn out to be my modern-day ‘Lonely Planet.’ Given my commitments as a full-time worker and a dad or mum, it’s probably the most accessible and handy supply of inspiration for me. It presents a fast sneak peek to a world of limitless visible concepts, even when time and obligations restrict my potential to discover.
4. May you describe a selected images approach or strategy you’ve been exploring just lately and what you’ve discovered from it?
Round three years in the past, I started experimenting with focus stacking, after beforehand delving into bracketing. Prior to now, I might carry an array of filters. Nonetheless, my again ultimately protested towards the load. Now, I journey lighter, carrying solely the necessities—specifically, ND filters of assorted densities and a polarizer. Bracketing has confirmed to be an efficient answer when coping with scenes which have a excessive dynamic vary.
As for drawing inspiration, I need to admit, Instagram has turn out to be my modern-day ‘Lonely Planet.’ Given my commitments as a full-time worker and a dad or mum, it’s probably the most accessible and handy supply of inspiration for me. It presents a fast sneak peek to a world of limitless visible concepts, even when time and obligations restrict my potential to discover.
Relating to focus stacking, I’ve grown fairly keen on it. It’s a method that has considerably expanded my artistic choices. Nonetheless, I continually remind myself of the sweetness and artistry present in images with a blurry foreground. It’s a reminder that photographs don’t all the time have to be pin-sharp from foreground to background. Embracing each sharpness and softness in my pictures has been a worthwhile lesson, including depth and selection to my work.
5. What’s your most popular lens in your images work, and why do you select it over others?
Truthfully, I don’t have a single most popular lens for my images; my alternative varies based mostly on the venture. The 24-70mm lens has all the time been a dependable workhorse for me, however I’ve just lately switched to a 24-120mm for its further attain, and I couldn’t be happier with the choice. The additional zoom permits for extra flexibility with out sacrificing picture high quality.
In 2021, I acquired a 100-400mm lens, and it has been a revelation. The flexibility to give attention to particulars and isolate topics has considerably expanded my artistic potentialities—I completely adore it. For wide-angle pictures that seize expansive scenes and dramatic foregrounds, my 14-30mm lens is irreplaceable. Its perspective is crucial for sure landscapes and architectural work.
Nonetheless, after I crave a break from typical views, I flip to my Edge 35 Lensbaby. This lens is a breath of recent air, permitting my inventive facet to soar. It’s a useful device for resetting my artistic mindset, particularly after I discover myself in a photographic rut. Utilizing the Lensbaby encourages me to view the world in a different way, refreshing my imaginative and prescient and strategy to images.
6. Are you able to share one among your favorite photographs and why you prefer it/why you’re pleased with it?
Considered one of my favourite photographs captures ‘La Tour Percée,’ a secluded marvel nestled within the Chartreuse area of the French Alps. This pure arch is located on personal property, shrouded inside an expansive forest, with none official trails resulting in it. The truth is, venturing there’s technically prohibited. But, like many others, I used to be drawn to its thriller and managed to seize one among my most cherished and doubtlessly my most interesting pictures.
The journey to ‘Tour Percée’ was unintended; I had initially got down to seize a dawn from a close-by location however realized I used to be comparatively near this hidden gem. In a second, I made a decision to hunt it out, departing on what turned out to be a hazardous trek. The journey was arduous, involving three hours of navigating steep, treacherous terrain. Truly, it was very silly what I did. Nonetheless, the hassle was rewarded after I lastly arrived to search out that I had the whole place to myself. Those that had been there earlier had departed, leaving me in solitude with this superb place.
The sensation of getting such a wide ranging scene all to oneself is indescribable. It was not simply the great thing about the ‘La Tour Percée’ that made this picture particular to me, but in addition the recollections of the journey and the dangers taken to seize it. The {photograph} is a testomony to the lengths I’m keen to go for my ardour, and it embodies the essence of exploration and discovery that drives my images.
7. Wanting again a couple of years, has your images fashion advanced as you’ve continued to discover and {photograph}?
My images fashion has advanced tremendously over time, particularly round 2015, which was a pivotal yr for me. This was when my youngest little one was born, and I took a year-long maternity depart. Throughout this era, I had the chance to really immerse myself in images. I devoted time to studying new strategies and deepening my understanding of Lightroom, which allowed me to boost my images in methods I hadn’t explored earlier than.
Being on depart additionally gave me the liberty to interact with my ardour for nature. I made it some extent to convey my digicam with me on each stroll I had with my daughter, capturing the great thing about the on a regular basis moments and the pure world round me. This time of exploration and follow was not nearly enhancing my technical abilities but in addition about connecting extra deeply with landscapes I like.
Furthermore, it was throughout this transformative interval that I started working as a household photographer. This new enterprise allowed me to use the abilities and views I had developed, additional shaping my fashion and strategy. Once I look again at it now, I see that my journey by way of images has been profoundly influenced by these experiences, marking a major evolution in my work and inventive expression.
8. What piece of recommendation would you give to photographers seeking to seize lovely panorama pictures?
For photographers aiming to seize gorgeous panorama images, preparation is vital. Begin by totally researching your location forward of time. Collect as a lot data as you’ll be able to in regards to the space, specializing in geographical options, potential viewpoints, and the way the solar’s course modifications all through the day. Understanding the lighting situations is essential; the golden hour (shortly after dawn or earlier than sundown) and the blue hour (simply earlier than dawn and simply after sundown) provide softer, extra forgiving gentle that may dramatically improve your pictures. Throughout these instances, even minor errors may be overshadowed by the great thing about the sunshine.
Nonetheless, don’t underestimate the ability of photographing beneath difficult climate situations. Whereas it’s harder, the outcomes can usually be breathtaking. In such situations, composition turns into much more crucial. It’s about discovering stability, guiding the viewer’s eye, and benefiting from what robust climate brings.
Gorgeous gentle could make a major distinction, turning photograph into a unprecedented one. However it’s the mixture of preparation, understanding of sunshine, and composition that really elevates panorama images. And many luck, I’m afraid too.
9. When you’re recommending a location in Norway for photographers to go to, the place would it not be? Think about they’ve by no means been to Norway, and this could be their first glimpse…
Norway stands as a beacon of pure magnificence in Europe, providing breathtaking landscapes at each nook. From my experiences, it seems like each place of this nation holds one thing spectacular. A chief instance is Vestland, famend for its expansive fjords the place mountains majestically rise straight from the waters. This area is a paradise for nature lovers, dotted with numerous waterfalls and gorgeous vistas. Like many extra!
Nonetheless, my private favorite is the realm stretching from Lofoten to Tromsø. The attract of Lofoten, with its dramatic mountains, deep fjords, lakes, huge ocean, and untamed wilderness, is unparalleled. The climate right here is as unpredictable as it’s lovely, displaying the uncooked pressure of nature in its purest kind. It’s a spot the place I discover immense peace, pleasure, and inspiration, not simply in photographing the majestic landscapes but in addition in searching for out the much less trodden paths away from the crowds.
For anybody visiting Norway for the primary time, I might extremely advocate exploring the Lofoten Islands and the islands in the direction of Tromsø. Right here, you’ll expertise the essence of Norway’s pure magnificence. It’s a chance to immerse your self in landscapes which are as enchanting as they’re inspiring, providing limitless potentialities for photographers to seize the magic of the Norwegian wilderness.
10. Let’s play just a little hypothetical, you’re hoping to seize and doc your perfect topic or scene…what’s it, and when would you go?
Deciding on a single dream topic or scene is difficult as a result of the listing of potentialities is limitless. Nonetheless, one dream that stands out vividly in my thoughts is capturing the core of the Milky Manner. To do that, I’d select a location the place the skies are famously clear and the sunshine air pollution minimal, akin to a desert or maybe on Tenerife in Could. The concept of photographing the Milky Manner in such settings has all the time captivated me, particularly after seeing some actually awe-inspiring photographs and studying in regards to the experiences of others who’ve executed it. It’s a dream I’d love to show into actuality at some point.
11. What’s subsequent for you and are you engaged on any tasks, or portfolio galleries?
The previous two years have been a major problem for me, notably relating to my well being, which sadly restricted my potential to interact totally in outdoor images. Fortunately, that chapter is closing, and I’m on the mend. With my restoration almost full, I’m impatiently awaiting the second I obtain the all-clear to seize my mountain climbing backpack as soon as extra.
My rapid plan is to return to the mountains – a spot I think about my glad place. There, I hope to soak myself within the landscapes that encourage me most and seize the great thing about the pure world by way of my lens. The mountains have all the time been the place I really feel most at peace and creatively alive. Now that I’m virtually able to embark on mountain climbing adventures once more, I’m trying ahead to not solely reconnecting with my ardour for images in my favorite settings but in addition to compiling a portfolio of recent work that displays this renewed section of my journey.
Being within the mountains and behind the digicam once more is what I’m most enthusiastic about. It’s not nearly taking pictures; it’s about returning to my place, the place I really feel most related to myself and the world round me. This subsequent chapter is one I look ahead to with nice anticipation, able to discover, seize, and share the sweetness I discover with renewed power and perspective.
Hiya! I’m the founder and photographer behind The Wandering Lens.
With 17+yrs expertise as an expert journey and panorama photographer, all recommendation discovered on this web site is from my private expertise on the street. I hope it’s helpful in your personal travels and would love to listen to within the feedback about your journeys and experiences around the globe.