Photographer Interview: C.K.

1. Who are you? Please give a brief background information

Born and raised in Austria, I studied physics in Vienna and got my Ph.D. in
the US from MIT at Boston, Massachusetts. I worked as a research scientist
for a couple of years at the University of California, San Diego. Now I am managing three telecommunication companies in Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. I
am married and have two fabulous kids, who make for countless photo
opportunities.

2. How long have you been doing photography?

The photography virus really infected me only 2-3 years ago when I bought a
consumer digicam. Luckily (in hindsight), this camera got stolen and I was
ready to invest into something a bit more serious.

3. How did you start doing photography? What got you interested in it?

I am interested in botany and started taking close-ups of all types of medicinal
plants that grow in my area. Soon afterwards my attention shifted to my
kids who continue to provide ample photo opportunities. Take all those things together and you have as good an idea as I myself have of why I started doing photography.

4. Do you earn living from photography or you do photography as your hobby/
your half time job?

That’s an easy one: no, I don t earn a living doing photography. It’s
strictly a hobby.

5. What's your day job?

I am a physicist by training but now am working as manager in the telecom business
and a homeopath.

6. Do you have special education? Did you take courses or go to a school
learn photography?

I have no formal or informal, for that matter education in photography.
My physics training makes it easier to understand the optical concepts
behind it, though. I do hunt around in the internet for information and
visit the odd exhibit to learn how other people see the world.

7. Are you specializing in a particular area of photography? What are your
favorite places/objects to shoot?

Given the photographic targets readily available to me, I do
portraits, landscape and macro. Haven’t done any sports/action photography
yet, and not too many animal shots (although we have a cat).

8. Who are your big photographic influences?

My father recently died and left a large collection of slides behind. So I guess,
you can count him as one of my influences.

9. How do you educate yourself? Do you read special literature, visit
photography galleries? What photo books/magazines do you have on your
bookshelf?

I peruse the internet and visit some galleries when the bug bites me (couple
times a year, maybe). I haven t subscribed to any magazine and don t buy one
off the shelf either.

10. What equipment and software do you use (camera(s), lenses, film, etc.)?

I got more deeply into photography when, after my Fuji Finepix S7000 got
stolen, I decided to buy a Nikon D80. Therefore I ditched the
kit zoom that came with the D80 (a 18-135mm/3.5-5.6) and bought a Sigma
50mm/2.8 macro prime lens. My second lens is a Sigma 18-50mm/2.8 zoom.

11. What is your opinion on post-processing, especially enhancing pictures?

For me, the art lies in getting it right before I release the
shutter. Afterwards, I may change the exposure a bit, correct the white
balance, or nudge the contrast up or down a fraction. I get my satisfaction
from the action and decisions I take right up to pressing the shutter
release.

12. What advice would you give someone who is interested in photography and
wants to improve their photography skills?

First and foremost: learn to see. Then learn to see through a camera. Then
look at what came out of the camera and see how it stacks up against what
you saw in the first place.

13. What's the most challenging aspect of photography for you? What's the
best part of it?

The biggest challenge is to exapand the way in which you can look at things.
Photography happens in your mind. The camera is merely a technical
instrument that helps you show other people what you saw in your mind.
Therefore the biggest challenge ist to develop and cultivate my mind s eye.

14. Could you please attach or send links to 3 favourite photos you took?

Ok.