I was born and i live in the city of Kavala, Greece. I am a graduate of the Hellenic Open University in the direction of “Studies in Greek Civilization”, as well as a holder of a degree in Interior Decorations.
My first steps into photography were in 2009, when i attended a photographic seminar which organized by the Photoclub of Kavala, of which i am an active member until now.
From January 2017 i also am a member of the BULB Photo Collective (Bucharest Urban League of photographers for the Balkans), which is based in Bucharest, Romania.
I have attended seminars and workshops by prominent photographers such as: PlatonRivellis, EleniMouzakiti and PetrosKotzabasis.
In 2018 i was one of the finalists at the Miami Street Photography Festival.I participated in various group photo exhibitions held in Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and USA.
Please share your childhood dream and funny incidents if any?
Since I was young, I remember that I wanted to get involved with cinematography, something that eventually did not come true. One of the funny moments of my childhood was, that any action movie I watched on TV, I was trying to convey the film script to my childish toys and to embody the heroes of the project to my own scenario.
What is your view about photography?
Photography for me is a creative process that has as a starting point the internalized (esoteric) world of the creator and how he tries to express and commune all of his innermost thoughts and concerns to his surroundings through images. Elements (fragments) that compose the daily life, which are located either in the most familiar and intimate places or outside as a part of the complexity of the human activities, are the raw materials of which the photographer becomes a creator of a new world, a new reality, a substantially transformed one!!! All these elements free from their actual substance become a sum of hints, within lies the truth of the photographer himself and the code of his view of the world.
Which genre of photography do you like/practice and why?
From the very first moment I started photographing, this sense of unpredictability, often happening everyday on the streets of the urban environment and beyond, fascinates me immensely! The happenings, which taking place within a few seconds, combined with the varied human presence, create a scene that is interesting to me. I am certainly not limited to this kind of photographic approach, but that we call street photography is for me the main source of inspiration for my personal photographic search.
Almost 90% of photographers find it hard to earn money out of photography. Any tips that might help photographers to earn money?
I think I am not the right person to give such advice, since I have never been professionally involved in the art of photography, I am a passionate amateur.
Which photography agency you like and why?
If I had to choose an agency dealing with photography, I would probably choose the Magnum agency, with some of the world’s most important photographers.
Does good camera play a major role in photography?
In my opinion, the most important thing about photography is to learn to see. Once you practice this then you will also choose the appropriate tool to achieve your goal.
“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange
Share three names of the photographers who have inspired you a lot?
Surely many photographers of the past inspired and continue to inspire us until nowdays. But I could not fail to mention the names of: Henry Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank, GarryWinogrand.
Does social media like Facebook, Instagram, google and some sites like 500px?
Almost all social media for an artist today, are a tool for presenting and promoting his work. Through this process anyone can see and study the work of many other photographers something that was previously impossible to do. All these contemporary methods should be use with caution, especially by the young people who are now starting their photo trip, because of the risk to become victims of misinformation and leading to wrong conclusions.
Do you think that a quality workshop can change the mindset or point of view of any photographer and why? Should we attend quality workshop frequently?
I believe that these workshops, which are being organized by prominent photographers and theoreticians, can help a photographer, especially the new one, to shape his photographic style. Beyond that, photographers should be focused on their personal work, by using all the knowledge they have received.
What is the difference between a good photographer and bad photographer?
I can not say with certainty that there are objective criteria that determine who is good or no good photographer. I’m sure that if you respect yourself as a photographer and you work intensively and consistently, the results will reward you.
What is the difference between a good photograph and a bad photograph?
In my opinion a good photograph has to hints more than it shows. This is the element that differentiates the work of each photographer.
“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know.” Diane Arbus
What should our moto towards photography- Self-satisfaction or viewers’ attention/satisfaction?
I think that the art of photography, like other forms of art, arises from our internal need to express ourselves. It is a fact, of course, that beyond the pleasure of this creative process, each artist also wants to share his work with other people. So express yourself and share your work with other people without it being an end in itself.
What is meant by comfort zone in photography? How it ruins the carrier?
I believe that it will be useful for every photographer, to have a personal approach and at the same time to be open to new experiments.
What is your opinion about documentary photography? Do you like it? If yes, why?
The documentary photography as a visual storytelling is one of the most popular and important elements in contemporary photography. It’s very interesting to me that a photographer tries through narration of a series of images to raises questions of the documentary role of the photograph today and offers alternative ways of seeing, recording and understanding the events and situations that shape the world in which we live.
Light, decisive moment, content, ambience, a good gear, according to you which is most essential element in photography?
I think that all the above elements should work in a photograph, in the right proportion and in balance between them. This is a decision that the photographer take, depending on the purpose he wants to achieve with his work.
If you were not a photographer then What it would be?
Most likely, i would like to engage with cinematography. I’m enthusiastic about images creation, making stories with them. Otherwise, cinematography and photography share many similarities.
Concept and definition in photography is getting changed every day. What is your opinion about future of photography?
Photography, like other forms of art, evolves over time and often changes form and content. We often see in contemporary art photography involved and other visual arts, applie new technologies that are developing rapidly, and generally photography seems to change her physiognomy and character. It is certainly difficult to predict the future of this instrument.
Any message for the young photographers?
The most important thing for a new photographer is to find what really interests him in photography and when he find it, must be work hard and persistently on it. For the best possible result are required photographic education and spiritual culture.
Are you engaged to any project-based work? Please share (only if you feel free to share)?
Generally, I do not usually working on a particular subject. I prefer to feel free when shooting and react instinctly, depending on the place I am. However, there are some photo series in my work, which occurred during the editing process.
What is your big achievement in photography?
There were two important moments until now. Firstly, was in 2017 when i became a member of BULB, a collective with some of the most talented photographers of Balkans. The other moment was in 2018, when i was one of the finalists of Miami Street Photography Festival (MSPF), one of the biggest street photography festivals in the world.
According to you name two best Facebook photography group?
It’s true, there are many remarkable facebook photographic groups that enable photographers to communicate and share their experiences about photography. Although I find it difficult, I would choose: APF Magazine Street Photography Group and second Street Core Photography (S.C.P.).
Kindly share top five Instagram account everybody should follow?
Balkan.Collective, Street Photo International, Hardcore Street Collective, BURN Magazine, Life is street.
Share your goal in photography?
My main aim is to evolve as a photographer as well as a human. In the future i would also like to have a solo exhibition and a publication of a personal photobook.
Role of smile in photography- share your views?
As usual, most photographers like a deadpan approach, to create more questions about their work. This practise allows a photographer to have a personal style, hiding the emotion which may be the result of a smile.
You can find Makis Makris on the web:
About Raj Sarkar
Raj Sarkar is a Street Photographer and Educator. He holds MBA Degree in Finance and Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application. He is the founder of World Photographic Forum, and Curator of APF magazine Street Photography. He loves exploring possibilities on street. His main object is to Freeze the emotions and actions of people.
He delivers the lecture on photography in various Colleges and institutions like IIM (Indian Institution of Management), Union Chappell school etc. He also conducts countless workshops on street photography. He also curates’ various exhibition and he has also been appointed as a judge in the various competition.
Raj is a recipient of various awards, recently he has won the International Puskar Mela Contest, Winner Wiplay Photo contest “India in Color”. Finalist of Garuda World Photo contest and HIPA and his work has been exhibited worldwide. He reviews various gadgets and camera including Fuji x camera for Fujifilm. His article has been published in all renowned magazine and websites in the world like Fujilove, Street Photography Magazine, USA, Viewfind, APF Magazine, Smart Photography, Better Photography, Asian Photography, Chiiz magazine, Saveus, 121 clicks, National Geographic and more. Recently his photographs have been showcased in London Street Photography Festival and Indian Photo Festival.
You can find Raj Sarkar on the Web:
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted Makis Makris. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
