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Antonyus Bunjamin (Abe) is an excellent photographer celebrating life in all it's facets. His work is very diversified and mainly focussed on perfect compositions and the Art of light. He is an autodidact and has an attaching and humble personality. Discover the man behind his strong and beautiful work by reading this interview.
Briefly tell us about yourself, your hobbies and other jobs, Antonyus.
I am an ordinary man who loves photography and tries to capture subjects which express my imagination. My profession is architect but photography is my biggest passion.
My other hobbies are reading, listening to music and praying.
How has your history and life experiences affected your photography?
I'm a self-taught photographer developing my skills by looking at other people's work. The initial desire to learn more was when I failed capturing a child's baptism moment. That's when I started. With a pocket camera, I began to shoot kitchen utensils making compositions which were pleasant to look at. My preference for minimalism helped me a lot to achieve some fine shots.
Which are your most important experiences that has influenced your art?
As an architect, I'm constantly confronted with geometry which – in fact – is simple and minimalistic. Human interest and mood are also essential to me. But till now, I'm still learning and enjoy all photography genres.
What first attracted you to photography?
Many moments that are unique and cannot be repeated. God's creations are different every day, for example the skies and nature in general.d's creations are different every day, for example the skies and nature in general.
Describe your overall photographic vision.
I always strive to make artworks which can be enjoyed by many people which are a treat for the soul and eyes of the viewers glorifying our Great Creator.
Why are you so drawn by Abstract & Architecture (and Creative edit) Photography?
Because I'm interested in abstracts and simplicity. Most of my images are BW - neutral colours - making it easier to print because it doesn't need a calibration as complex as for colours prints. But the mean reason is that BW feels more artistic.
Sometimes, some images ask for colour, than I will leave them in colour.
I use creative edting when what I had in mind cannot be photographed in reality. For example, geese-shaped clouds or other subjects which cannot purely be find. A person's imagination has no limits. That is also a gift from our Creator.
What is more important to you, the mood,/story behind your images or the technical perfection?
The story behind the picture is the most important to me but supported by good techniques? Nowadays, technology is sophisticated to process an image as well as the cameras to capture it. Even photos taken with mobile phones are as good as taken with an expensive camera. But what distinguishes one work from another is the content and what it conveys to the viewer. I don't really like illusive works. For me, the main thing is an excellent composition.
What generally is your relationship to your subject matter beyond being an observer?
There is no special relationship J, if it feels good or if there is an idea behind, I go for it. Simply the way it is.
Do you prepare carefully the locations where you are intending to photograph?
If you want to make conceptual- nature- still life or architecture photographs, it's evident that you must go for basic preparations: survey area and lights condition, weather, batteries, memory cards, the location and good positioning.
For street photography there is no special preparation but taking your camera, lens kit and other gear.
What gear do you use (camera, lenses, bag)?
I stared with a Canon pocket that I still have. Now I'm a Nikon user. For high quality shots I use a fixed lens. For street photography, I use a Lumix.
Remember ... never glorify the equipment. It's the man behind the gun who is important.
I have various brands of camera bags according to my needs.
What software do you use to process your images?
Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 with Nik software plug-ins.
Can you tell us something more about your work flow?
Usually a sudden idea arises, both from the experience of seeing other people's work or from my own imagination. I even sometimes draw sketches so I don't forget the idea when going out to shoot. It also happens that I capture a moment, no preparation in this case.
What is your most important advice to a beginner in Abstract/ Architecture & Creative edit Photography and how do you get started?
The most important thing for me is composition and lighting. A good photo has to be correctly composed. There are many ways to learn nowadays compared to the days I was still studying, for instance via YouTube. It doesn't have to be expensive to study photography. The essential thing is that you still want to learn, to observe. The eye is the main element in photography. Observing and practising a lot ... shooting hunts with friends or on your own.
Who are your favourite photographers and more importantly, how has your appreciation of their work affected how you approach your own photography?
Ansel Adams is one of my favourite photographers. Besides that, I like many 1x photographers/friends: Vangelis Makris, Inge Schuster, Markus Reugels, Mattias Bergman, Heidi Westum, Willy Marthinussen, DdiArte, and all the 1x members I follow.
Are there any specific directions that you would like to take your photography in the future or any specific goals that you wish to achieve?
As long as God still allows me to work and photograph, I will continue to work and photograph.
Describe your favourite photograph taken by you and why it is special to you?
For the uniqueness of the moment: "A Farmer"
For the mood: "Rain of Sadness"
Is there anything else you wish to add and what do you think about 1X as a home base for your work?
I keep on moving, improving, enriching myself by the member's curation and the 1x tutorials.
A few I knew already because your pictures quite often make it to the front page. I was curious if you would refer to the CGI work, probably part of your day time job as an architect. It would have been very interesting to read how photography and computer modeling fits together from a motivation standpoint. When do you look for geometries to photograph, is CGI a replacement for things hard to do by a camera, or does the idea start with a 3D model and photo material is merged? There were quite a few discussions whether CGI graphics really belongs on a photography website. You would be a person mastering both and could tell us about your motivation to show both techniques. Never mind, an interesting interview in any case!
Thanks again,
Mike