Phenomenal compositions of some surreal and exotic wild animals taken and composited over the backdrop of misty forests of central Germany. Frank Machalowski kindles the viewer’s world of art and the essence of photography through these admirable creations of pure brilliance. In this Interview, Frank explains his techniques, shows his vision, and discusses future projects, goals, and much more.
Speaking about his photographs, Frank tends to keep them simple. Quite subjective, arresting, and incredibly moodaholic environmental portraits of these exotic creatures are no small task. See it for yourself.
Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Frank Machalowski, I was born in Berlin, Germany. I still life and work here. I worked for 14 years as a business consultant, almost 3 years ago I started my own business as a freelance photographer.
How did Photography happen in the first place?
When I was a little child, my father spend his leisure photographing and was often in his own darkroom. So I was fascinated by this process. Later I bought my first camera and tested it thoroughly. Over the years i began to lose interest in photography. In early 2000, when the first digital cameras came to the market, my passion are reawakened.
How would you explain your style of photography?
Today I am delighted by the charming characteristics and atmosphere of analog bw film photography in all its facets. So I developed and print some of my photos by my own. In some of my artworks, I try to combine digital and analog techniques.
Frank’s thought process behind these deviant & blurred monochromatic pictures?
At present, I have two main series I work on. The ‘tierwald’ series, where i compose exotic animals in a mystical foggy forest in Central Germany. The second series is called ‘multiexpo’. For this series, I photographed landmarks as multiple exposures. It launched in Berlin, my hometown, but currently, i’m working to extend this kind of photography to other cities. For this series, I use exclusive analog film material in both dimensions (35mm and 6×6) and only black and white.
Your gear?
I own a large number of cameras, including some self-made gadgets. I have a little darkroom, a film scanner, and a computer 😉
Your future goals and ambitions?
At the moment I’m working with a familiar authoress on a book project. Together we try to put the ‘tierwald’ series in a storybook for adults. The first results are fantastic, so I hope we find a publishing house for that. In the future, I’m thinking about learning more about portrait photography. I think this is a very hard genre and there are only a little number of photographers who are outstanding, for example, Anton Corbijn.
Any final thoughts or words of advice for our young aspirants in this field?
In conclusion i want to say two things:
- First – believe in you
- Second – be tireless and persistent
Thank you so much for the opportunity to present me and my work here.
Click on the image for better and enlarged view.
You can find Frank Machalowski on the Web:
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted to Frank Machalowski. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
