This is another installment in our continuing series where we talk to photographers whose work we’ve appreciated on Flickr.
This week we feature Eyal Golshani.
cinemafia: Would you describe yourself as a landscape photographer to someone you’ve just met? Why, or why not?
Eyal Golshani: It’s funny you should ask that. I think that in many ways I am still trying to figure it out myself. After doing photography for over three years I have come to realize that I really enjoy travel photography. To me this includes both landscape as well as people. Although I haven’t photographed as many people when compared with landscape, I do have a strong desire to shoot more street photography.
cinemafia: Do you feel that there is a different approach to photographing landscapes than there is to photographing people?
Eyal Golshani: The two couldn’t be more different. With landscape the whole process is very slow and requires careful planning and timing. I spend many hours researching spots for a potential shot – [it’s] always carrying a tripod and a remote shutter release with you, spending 15 minutes to set your gear for every shot, mostly at odd times, double checking you have the correct focus and exposure settings.
Photographing people (street photography) requires a different set of skills. You need to be able to see the potential for a good shot as things happen (aka the decisive moment). As such, you need to be able to think fast and change your camera settings while composing the shot. A lot of people rely on new camera technology to do a lot of this for them. There are a few masters of photography that have the ability to do this manually by knowing their gear and craft (some of the most famous Leica photographers come to mind). This is a skill I hope to possess one day – at the moment I am far from it.
cinemafia: I’ve noticed that one of the focal points in your work is texture. Not only do you seem attracted to it, but you pull it all the way to the forefront in your images. Do you feel that emboldening these textures enhances the way that your photographs are experienced by your audience?
Eyal Golshani: It depends on the subject. I think that it works quite well for subjects that have a beautiful pattern, which leads the eye through the image while keeping things interesting.
cinemafia: From your profile I noticed that you’ve only been working in photography for the last three years or so, correct?
Eyal Golshani: Yes, correct.
cinemafia: Before you began, did you have any other creative outlets? Also, do you think you would have become as involved in photography if the state of its technology (i.e., digital) weren’t at the point that it is today?
Eyal Golshani: I was always interested in doing creative things, but the reasons I became more involved in photography is because it gave me a creative outlet while still giving me an opportunity to use my engineering skills to understand the technical background of using a camera and what makes a good exposure.
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