I was born in 1977 in Warsaw, Poland. I have graduated from High School of Art in Warsaw.
My passion to photography begins in early childhood. My father had a camera, which he takes each time with us to capture important moments of our life, nature. Since now I remember specific smell of camera’s body (different as present), specific smell of case, made from very hard material and upholstered with velour. Already then I liked to look at the world through the lens, crop it, select the best shots. After a few years I took over the camera, but did not take photography seriously. It was just learning, only technical aspect, skill and knowledge of photographs from the hardware side. At least at the end of ’80 and the beginning of ’90 I figured out, that it could be something more than just clicking and taking some ordinary photos. In my mind idea about mixing photography with painting it was just thought which I don’t use since beginning of the new millennium. My serious journey into my own the world of photography and photo manipulation begins in 2004 when I have opened 'the door' to my own world with help of a different key. Until that time my biggest passion was painting, which helped me to develop a vision that was hard to create with other visual techniques. I made everything by myself, what my soul said, learning and feeling, inside need. My inspirations about composition, coloring, saturation, expression, scenery comes more from painting masters like John Martin, Zdzisław Beksiński and Caspar David Friedrich. My early fascinations of painting and photography have been combined into one piece, with the use of digital tools. That digital photography and software gave me the opportunity to generate unique realities that were impossible to be created with an ordinary dark room techniques. Most of my work is like a journey to the places which don't exist. Places from my dreams, desire, imagination and fears. This is my escape from reality which is not enough for me.
My inspiration comes from many artists and it doesn't matter if they get through to me by the sense of vision or hearing. I can tell that music has the biggest impact on my work. It’s an inseparable element with pictures in my mind, a kind of sound illustration to a visible scenery. These two things hit me with the strongest intensity.
Everywhere I’m going I’m taking my camera with me. It always, somewhere could be this only moment which I want to let through my imagination filter. Place, time, memory. When I’m watching reality I’ see this all like through the lens. I see frames, possible pictures, scenes, compositions. In most of cases I know already, in the beginning how I could effect to reality. This is like starting a creative machine right after first sight. First of all is initial picture, after this I create mood on existing photography with help of some light effects or colors, curves or with deep intervention – photo manipulation, collage with different elements which after mixing they become complete work. I’m trying to do this as my best, involving my best skills to create picture which will be not far from my first vision and primal inspiration. Each work is processing of existing places so any observant person can find among them familiar parts of landscape. In creating process first of all is thought and idea. After this I’m searching appropriate elements of composition, places, moments. Very often it’s a long time. I still have many projects which have been not realized because of lack of appropriate elements, materials. I’m mixing my pictures in one piece from individual pieces taking care of composition and natural looking final effect. I want everything to be done so anyone could distinguish which was real and what’s montage. Appropriate coloring, shadows, lights, precise cutting and pasting and….done
Since many years, many of people helped me to understand that I’ve chosen the right way for myself realization. It gave me an opportunity to show my world and to share it. This is what I’m doing, this is what I love to do and it’s still not everything what I want to say. Each day I see more, I’m exploring more things which I want to share with You.
I’m inviting You to my world.
Michal Karcz
WWW: www.michalkarcz.com
Michal Karcz joined Pixels.com Licensing on February 19th, 2015.
