Masters of Photography Vol. 13 – Australians is now available and we are already on to the next one. This time, Fashion Industry Broadcast goes global. From Seoul to Berlin, “Masters of Photography Vol. 52 – Next Gen” is a carefully-curated selection of emerging artists who we think might be the next big thing. This art book will feature an amazing selection of their work, as well as thought-provoking interviews.
Every week, we will introduce you to one of these new talents. Today, we take you to the European party capital, Berlin, for an interview with photographer Frank Machalowski.
How would you describe your style?
I’m a fine art photographer and I do mostly black and white analogue. I use multiple exposure and other analogue techniques to create a universe that runs parallel to but ultimately departs from our own, existing in the ambiguous realm between real life and make-believe. Besides my artistic projects, I work as a portrait photographer too.
How and when did you decide to become a professional photographer?
Photography has been a part of my life for more than 20 years. It first started as a hobby and became my profession 2011. I worked for 15 years as a business consultant, which I found was a non-creative, monotonous job. Then I decided to turn my hobby into a career and I quit my job.
Who are your favourite photographers of all time and why are they so special to you?
I’m a very visual person, a movie junky, but I don’t like everything. I love well-designed films and strange stories. I also read a lot: I love the old masters of black-and-white photography. There are many photographers and artists that I really admire. To me, the most fascinating photographers are Hiroshi Sugimoto, Michael Ackermann and Henri Cartier-Bresson. I love the subtle poetic visual language of Sugimoto, Ackermann’s purposeful treatment of light and the artistic skills of daily life from Bresson. All of the three are masters of black-and-white photography.
This art book features photographers from the entire world and each of them has a very specific identity. How do you think your geographic location affects your work?
I live and work in Germany. As a fine-art/artistic photographer it’s a good location. You can find nearly everything you need within a relatively short distance: forests, the ocean, beaches, mountains and big cities… But I think here in Germany, there’s a big backlog in demand for the photographic art market. That’s why I offer my photographs internationally.
If you could move to any city in the world, where would you like to live and work as a photographer?
I would love to live in a more climatically comfortable region like Florida, California or the southeast of Australia.
What are you five dream locations to shoot?
Tokyo, New York, Moscow, Mumbai and New Delhi.
How would you describe the photography industry in your country? What are the chances for a young artist to ‘make it’ and become global?
I don’t know if there’s anything special Germany. I think that today, however, the Internet has changed the game and we have more chances to become global. It’s not important at all if you are in Asia or South America, the most important things are motivation, talent and a lot of perseverance.
As a young photographer, you have been part of a big switch in the industry. Indeed, photography today is much more democratised than a few decades ago. Everyone can have access to retouching programs, publishing sites and good cameras. What are your thoughts on the evolution of the industry and the impact it has on your work?
It’s a boon and bane. I use retouching programs too, but when I make a picture in a traditional way – analogue in a darkroom -, no one believes it. The viewers automatically ask themselves how I created that with Photoshop. But in my opinion analogue has greater advantages in time and money.
A lot of young photographers got discovered thanks to their Tumblr or Instagram account. What is your relationship with social media platforms?
Social media platforms are very important for photographers. You get to reach a large audience and you can generate new clients. However, you must still set yourself apart from the crowd.
Post manipulation has been long debated, especially in commercial and fashion photography. How much do you retouch your images and what is your opinion on the whole body image debate?
I work differently between artistic and commercial projects. In my artistic work I reduce manipulation to a minimum – I only use it if it’s a must for a project. For commercial work I use it often and I actually do enjoy it. Although I always try to keep it subtle.
