 |
| Natali Karppinen. |
* HC: When did you realize that photography was your passion; that it was going to be your profession?
NK: I wasn't sure in this
up until my 1st solo exhibition in Helsinki about two years ago. That was
definitely the turning point for me and I knew then, seeing 20 of my works
hanging on the walls that being a photographer is my calling and ever since
then I’m on a mission to combine my love for music, fairytales and fashion and
create a magical world of my own where I’m the story teller.
* HC: Do you
think living in Finland has made it easier for you to pursue a photographer
career?
NK: No and yes. Back in
my country, Croatia, people don’t take photographs as serious art, or something
to invest in, so in that sense it has helped me to start my career here in
Helsinki, but on the other hand, Helsinki is such a small city and at the same
time very small market and there’s only that much that a photographer like me
can do and with all due respect to other photographers, my mission isn’t to
live out of taking school and wedding photos.
* HC: What are
the key elements behind planning the concept for your work? And how long does
it take from the conception of the idea, to the actual photo shoot?
NK: The ideas or should I
say inspiration is something unpredictable. I never know when the next idea is
going to cross my mind and how much time I will need to develop it into
something that can be used for the photo shoot.
Sometimes I have a
huge flow of ideas and sometimes I have nothing “coming” for 2-3 months. I
think that every artist can relate to this.
Once I have the idea
worked out and a clear vision of how I want the photo shoot set to look like,
it takes about 2 weeks to prepare everything, find and get all the props, book
models, find a perfect location, etc.
There’s a lot of work
put behind each photo shoot and I’m the main person who arranges 90% of the
shoot, so at times it can get quite stressful, but there’s no such feeling as
feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction after the photos have been shot and
edited.
* HC: What is
your position towards the environment around the world of photography and how
do you manage it on your work?
NK: I have encountered
people that are doing their jobs purely for money and I’m just a number to
them, but as in every other job, beginnings are always the hardest and you
learn on your own mistakes, but then at the same time you’re much wise the next
time you have to deal with these kind of people.
There can be
manipulation and all sorts of bad things, but I try to always think positive,
attract good things to me and stay away from the shady businesses.
* HC: How does it influence your work the fact that you
were born in Russia, raised in Croatia and currently living in Finland?
NK: I get my inspiration
from everywhere and being part of three completely different cultures,
experiencing different cities of these three countries, meeting their locals…
All of that has influenced me so there’s a mixture of mysterious and cold
Finland, passionate
and melancholic Russia and hope for better tomorrow/ light at the end of tunnel
Croatia in my works :-)
* HC: What’s your
favorite kind of photography?
NK: My favorite kind of
photography is Tim Walker’s. The one which tells a story,
evokes feelings and
confusion in the viewer’s
* HC: Aside from
an apparent friendship, what else makes Tuomas Holopainen to be a recurrent
model for your work?
NK: The thing about
photography is that if there’s no connection, that little “click” between
photographer and the model, then the photographs aren’t going to reach their
full potential.
I’m happy that there
is this click with Tuomas and also after getting to know each other better he
understands more what I want to say with a certain photo shoot and I feel very
amused to push his limits and each time get his new face come out on the
surface.
* HC: From your own
portfolio, what is your favorite piece, and why?
NK: My favorite piece is
“Watch the world burn”. It’s very private work which shoves how I felt at the
time.
 |
| "Watch The World Burn"
* HC: It seems you’re a music lover; does this
influence your work somehow?
NK: I’m a big music fan!
I’ve always been and always will be. Music feeds my soul and it inspires me.
Every time when I’m shooting or editing photos, I have a “soundtrack” on my
iPod playing until I’m finished with the work.
Life without music
would be horrible and not a single day passes that I don’t listen to my
favorite bands, but I also like to discover new artists all the time. Lately
I’ve been listening to a lot of UK bands such as Hurts and Florence and the
Machine.
* HC: As some great Finnish musicians are hosted in your
photos, can we expect a HIM photo shoot one day?
NK: I have no idea.
There’re no plans of doing something like that in the future.
* HC: What do you
think of HIM’s latest album “Tears On Tape”? Do you have a favorite song; and
if, why?
NK: I have listened to
the album only once and I liked it. I don’t have a favorite song, but “All lips
go blue” is a very catchy song and that’s the one that I remember the most off
the album.
NK: Yes, this was my
first time visiting NYC and exhibiting there. I was the one who approached the
gallery after I saw that they had an open call for international artists to
send in their works to be viewed and possibly selected for en exhibition. I did
it and I got a reply back quite fast.
It was a very happy
and proud moment for me because I know of some other Finnish artists that have
approached the same gallery and they didn’t get accepted.
* HC: What motivated you to be part of the
“Portals of Perception” exhibition, and what do you have in common with the
other artists that are taking part in it?
NK: I don’t think that I
had anything in common with other 3 artists that were part of our group
exhibition “Portals of Perception”.
I had no vote in when
the exhibition was going to take place or which other artists were going to
hang their works next to mine. After all I think that it worked out well for
me, because all three artists were painters and I was the only photographer so
in that sense it was easier to “stand out” for me.
* HC: What’s the
essence of Natali Karppinen’s work?
NK: The core of my works
is to make people stop for a moment, look inside their soul, evoke feelings in
them that they might have forgot exist and hopefully make them a dreamers even
just for a little bit.
* HC: After this
international debut, what’s next for you?
NK: The next is to make a
plan for the upcoming 6 months or so, make “near future” plans with my manager
and then proceed with attracting new clients, more costumers, etc.
My big dream is to
work for the biggest fashion magazines and shoot catalogs for the fashion
brands and such as well as exhibit my works everywhere in the world.
* HC: Are there any
other places you would like to take your work to? What about Latin-America for
example?
NK: One of my ultimate
dreams is to one day exhibit my works everywhere in the world, including Latin
America.
Let’s see what happens
in the future, but I’ll do my best to bring my art everywhere I can.
Special thanks to
Natali Karppinen.
All pictures are
property of Natali Karppinen.
*Website: http://natalikarppinen.daportfolio.com/
*Agora
Gallery’s exhibition “Portals Of Perception” profile: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Natali_Karppinen.aspx
*Natali's fashion blog: http://lartoffashion.blogspot.com/
|
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario