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:

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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:

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Masters of Photography: Pep Ventosa

New York Skyline image by Pep Ventosa

Every once in a while, I encounter an artist who is so unique that their style is unmistakable. As a guitarist, I can listen to just a single phrase from a guitarist like Jerry Garcia, even if its from a song I’ve never heard, and know it’s him. How does someone, with all the millions of artists out there, create such a distinct and original style? Well, photography is no different. And recently I encountered a photographer whose style was so distinct that I have never seen anyone like him.

This photographer is Pep Ventosa.

Background

Born in Spain in 1957, Pep Ventosa is a photographer whose innovative style has garnered international awards. His trademark technique involves taking multiple exposures of a subject and overlaying them carefully in a way that creates an impressionistic result that is full of movement and life. He often uses iconic subjects, such as the Eiffel Tower or the Golden Gate Bridge. But some of my favorite images of his are of things less dramatic and more in tune with the every day. His series, Trees in the Round, were the works I was originally drawn to. And when I first encountered them, I knew it was a technique I wanted to try for myself.

Style Analysis

Red Tree in the Round

As with my previous examination of inspirations such as Alexey Titarenko and Trent Parke, I wanted to take Ventosa’s style and see how I could put my own spin on it. But this multiexposure technique is not easy and quite time consuming. To get a single final image, you must take dozens of photos, edit each of them separately then painstakingly overlay them. Nothing in the final result is random and if you don’t pay careful attention to detail, this style can quickly get away from you and start to look messy. I found when going about my hometown looking for subjects for this style of shot, that it takes a different eye to imagine what might work, and I admit that quite a few of my attempts fell on their faces. Some of them, however, I felt quite happy with and I thought the result provided exactly that thing I’ve been looking for with my photography, which are images that stand apart as something different, something that could not have been a mere snapshot taken by anyone with the camera on their phone. Let me know which of these, if any, you like in the comments.

Conclusion

Pep Ventosa is a master. His images are unique and unmistakable. They’re beautiful, intriguing, groundbreaking. For me, they represent the best side of digital photography. He doesn’t create something fake that never existed, but instead presents familiar scenes in a way they’ve never been experienced before. When you see one of his images, you know exactly who created it. It’s either Pep Ventosa or someone like me, trying to emulate his technique but never quite rising to the same level….

Check out my video with a how-to demonstration of Pep Ventosa's technique:

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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