Alex Greenshpun
Photography entered my life about two years ago in quite an unexpected manner. I was taking long walks in nature with my dog, and being inspired by the beauty around me, started taking some shots with a smartphone. After a while, friends had convinced me to try taking photos with a DSLR. Although I’ve always felt a strong connection to the world of art in general and the visual arts in particular, and have long admired various works of photography masters, it had never occurred to me to try it myself. I even had an account on 500px.com for a couple of years before ever thinking of photographing on my own, just to see the works of all the talented artists.
I started shooting with a Canon 1000D and a kit lens, and some of my best works were taken with that equipment. I was quick to learn that better gear doesn’t necessarily make a better photographer. To this day I have very little equipment and no tripod. A couple of old 50mm lenses from the 60s, a Canon 100mm macro lens and the Canon 60D are my main companions.
Documenting nature in a way that a naturalist would is not what I seek to do, although I find it wonderful when others take photos like this. My intention is to reveal a hidden magic, something that I can see and feel in the subjects of my photos and wish to present that magic to everyone else. When I take a photo, a strong connection must first be established between me and the subject, this is something beyond thought, at the moment of this connection there can be no conceptualization – it simply is. This short moment of wonder and awe is the essential condition for taking a photo. Later, when I post-process an image, it will be in accordance with the vision I had at that moment.
Documenting nature in a way that a naturalist would is not what I seek to do, although I find it wonderful when others take photos like this. My intention is to reveal a hidden magic, something that I can see and feel in the subjects of my photos and wish to present that magic to everyone else. When I take a photo, a strong connection must first be established between me and the subject, this is something beyond thought, at the moment of this connection there can be no conceptualization – it simply is. This short moment of wonder and awe is the essential condition for taking a photo. Later, when I post-process an image, it will be in accordance with the vision I had at that moment.