Interviewing aspiring & inspiring photographer Krystian Olszanski

Hey guys. Today I’m gonna be interviewing 30-year old photographer Krystian Olszanski. Krystian was born in Poland, but grew up in Montreal, Canada, and now lives in Saskatoon, Canada.

So Krystian, tell us a bit about How it all came about? How did you start out with photography?

It all started just a few years ago, when a bunch of us went to the lake to escape the summer heat of Montreal city. Peter, a great friend of mine, let me play with his dSLR and gave me a photography crash course. I was surprised by the fact that the camera was so easy to operate, yet offered so many creative possibilities. I recall being fascinated by telephoto shots and how the DOF isolated the subjects.  Two weeks later I bought my first dSLR.

Who or what do you consider to be your muse? Your inspiration?

The fact that imagination has no boundaries, and that it is possible to grab people’s attention by presenting them with an original view of something/someone they would otherwise never notice or find interesting. Also, being able to freeze a moment in time and make it live forever.

What do usually you shoot with: SLR or rangefinde?

I shoot with Canon DSLRs because of the manual controls, speed, image quality, DOF and availability of lenses and all sorts of accessories.

Panasonic DMC-TS1, which is a shock and waterproof point-and-shoot that I carry with me at all times, because I don’t want to miss a rare shot opportunity.

What lenses can mostly be found on your camera mount?

Definitely the Sigma 10-20mm and Canon 17-85mm IS for framing the environment around the subject. Canon 50mm and Canon 75-300mm to isolate the subject with shallower DOF. If I have to travel light, I go with Canon 50mm and Sigma 18-200mm.

What do you do to stay inspired?

I’m a Software Engineer by profession and I never took any photography classes, so I spend a lot of time reading photography blogs and analyzing work of other photographers that I look up to.

I am driven by challenges and like to figure things out on my own, so being able to figure out the technique behind photos and artists which I admire is what keeps me going.

I actually never thought about this before. I like to observe everyone and everything around me and I try to find something interesting about the scene. Once someone or something grabs my attention, I try to capture what I see and how I see it at that moment.

What exhibitions have you held? And what are some of their themes?

So far one, and I’m not even sure if it qualifies since it’s a collective exhibit at my work place. Our big office space seriously needed some art and lots of my shots ended up being selected.

A real exhibit is definitely something I would love to do at some point, but for now I’ve been submitting my work to various websites and enjoying the feedback that I get. 

What do you aspire for? What are your dreams as a photographer and an artist?

I would like to combine my engineering skills with my passion for photography. Maybe eventually get hired by Canon to work on the next generation camera, or in my spare time invent some camera accessory that would be beneficial to other photographers out there.

For now, photography is a place I can escape to and unplug from the fast paced life. I hope that eventually, some of my work will inspire others and that my grand children will enjoy looking at my shots, just like I do looking at shots taken by my grand-parents. 

What advice would you give to other aspiring photographers?

Be "the worst in the band", in other words surround yourself by or look up to people who are better than you and absorb every piece of knowledge and experience that they are willing to share with you.

Set yourself some goals and do everything to reach them. If you like someone’s work, make sure they know it. And the most important thing: always carry a spare battery and an extra memory card

Thank you Krystian for sharing your insights with us and helping inspire other aspiring photographers out there. Wish you all the best with you career =)

To view more of Krystian’s lovely art work, you can check out his flickr photostream right here!

All the best to us all…