Marcin Majkowski
1. Can you introduce yourself and talk about how you got into photography?
46-year-old guy, who can possibly handle the camera in his hands, and use it from time to time. I did start it in 2002 with analog cameras, and threw it away for some reason, and restarted it again in 2009 when digital ones conquered the world already. I found it a bit easier and really interesting for me to express myself.
2. Where did you study photography?
I do not have any professional background as I am really an amateur photographer, maybe a bit more advanced than the others, and photography is my hobby, and not what I do for a living. I simply love it. Some kind of therapy I would say looking at daily life. By all these years I developed my skills to the level I am now through learning by doing, reading everything that's possible, and observing others as much as possible, having my own ideas of what and how I want to do, and still developing myself and my photography with every taken photo, looking to take the best one, the one which will satisfy me 100%. Everything is in front of me yet.
3. Do you remember your first shot? What was it?
Well strange to say, but actually yes. With the analog one that's was in Japan. Was there for some reason, spent there 7 months, and bought my first analog camera there, Pentax MZ-30, and the first photo was taken in Yokohama Aquarium, and believe me it should be not shown to anybody. In the case of the digital one, NIKON D90 + SIGMA 17-70, yeap, the first photo I took was one of the famous pedestrian and bicycle bridge father Bernatka in Cracow in Poland while walking with the family. And my wife was really upset I was doing it as the really first one if you know what I mean. The rest is history.
4. What equipment do you use?
Well, starting with analog as mentioned above, Pentax MZ-30, through the more advanced kit NIKON D90 + SIGMA 17-70, and ending for the moment with NIKON D810 + SIGMA 24-70 Art kit. Not that much-advanced kit, limited to one lens, but still durable to take the shots in the way I see it.
5. What do you hope to achieve?
Always looking for the best shot, neither people and/or places, trying as hard as possible, not only visually, but maybe the most, the most interesting and unique. Playing with the composition a lot, and finding the least popular and the most local places as possible to be shot.
6. What compliment inspired/touched you the most?
To me the most wanted one is the feedback from my audience, that's why I use Facebook the most to share my vision with the audience I have, but not only. And of course all kinds of competitions, I am participating with my photos to find out if what I see, do, and finalize as the vision/photo is what can be liked. However, in the end, or maybe starting from the beginning, my own satisfaction, while I am sitting in front of my computer finalizing my vision I can say, yeah that's it, that's what I saw and wanted to do ... at least for a while, till the next photo, I will take.
7. What inspires your unique storytelling?
Well, I think the places I am visiting. That's the starting point, and then with every shot, I want more, and more, and always spending more time than planned, and then later on what I see, or what is coming to me while processing. All in all, that's simple, that's the entire process, which means, planing the place to be visited, getting there, doing the session and when coming back home, damn it, I could take more, always having greed for more. Simply GREED to take more photos.
8. What THREE (3) words describe your photography style?
Well, simple as it is:
--> Open Your Mind
9. Congratulations! As the winner of the New York Photography Awards, what does it mean for you and your team to receive this distinction?
It's worth having your own specific vision. It's worth waking up early morning, being drenched by rain, frozen to the bone, and at the end exhausted as hell, just because at the end of all adversity there is the curiosity of how it will be assessed by myself and the most important by the potential customers, audience, juries of the competitions I will participate.
10. Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2021 New York Photography Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
Well, looking at the entire package called The New Faces and ... In The Automotive Family, I did have simply a greed to make some nice sessions of the new vehicles released by the carmakers. And the only chance to do it was to go to the IAA (Automotive Exhibition) in Frankfurt this time. Simply wanted to see new models coming by, every technology assisting it and of course have fun as I am a car lover, all the kind. And that's what in case of an amateur photographer, but not only can offer you Automotive Exhibition, means the world premiere of new models.
11. How has winning an award developed your career?
It's worth having your own specific vision. And give me for sure a positive kick of what I do is the right direction I did chose. Will empower my portfolio for sure, and will help me as an amateur to get more audience and potential customers.
12. Name 1-3 photographers who have inspired you.
I hope I do not sound cocky, but I do not have such one. I do observe the other photographers do not matter amateurs or professionals. Sometimes I found amateurs more interesting than professionals, to be honest. I would say the favorite one to me is the most famous one means Mr. Internet. And depends on the day it can be an amateur one or a professional one, but still anyone specific.
13. What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out, by a mentor or your role model?
Well, try harder than the others, do more than the others, and have greed to learn and develop your own rules.
14. What advice would you give someone who would like to become a photographer today?
The same as I was told or trying to do which means try harder than the others, do more than the others, and have greed to learn and develop your own rules.
15. What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Well, I do have two MOTTOS I created myself, maybe not unique, but still leading me through my photography journey all the time:
MOTTO NUMBER 1:
"It's not a case to make an amazing shot in an amazing place, everyone who knows how to hold the camera in his hand can do it, almost everyone isn't it?" The biggest thing is to show the ordinary place in a way that no one else has seen it before."
MOTTO NUMBER 2:
"Limited hardware capabilities, this is not a limitation, it's a chance to show creativity. Go for it."
16. How do you stay in that space of being receptive to new information and knowledge?
Well, the most important one is to have greed to learn and develop yourself and your own rules. Simply be open to taking the best one or the best fitting you.
17. Anything else you would like to add to the interview?
Every obstacle can stop you, but at the same time can give you the opportunity to make something else, even more specific you were planning to do, so do not be afraid, just do it and go for it.
18. Can you introduce yourself and talk about how you got into photography?
46-year-old guy, who can possibly handle the camera in his hands, and use it from time to time. I did start it in 2002 with analogue cameras, and threw it away for some reason, and restarted it again in 2009 when digital ones conquered the world already. I found it a bit easier and really interesting for me to express myself.
19. Where did you study photography?
I do not have any professional background as I am really an amateur photographer, maybe a bit more advanced than the others, and photography is my hobby, and not what I do for a living. I simply love it. Some kind of therapy I would say looking at daily life. By all these years I developed my skills to the level I am now through learning by doing, reading everything that's possible, and observing others as much as possible, having my own ideas of what and how I want to do, and still developing myself and my photography with every taken photo, looking to take the best one, the one which will satisfy me 100%. Everything is in front of me yet.
20. Do you remember your first shot? What was it?
Well strange to say, but actually yes. With the analog one that's was in Japan. Was there for some reason, spent there 7 months, and bought my first analog camera there, Pentax MZ-30, and the first photo was taken in Yokohama Aquarium, and believe me it should be not shown to anybody. In the case of the digital one, NIKON D90 + SIGMA 17-70, yeap, the first photo I took was one of the famous pedestrian and bicycle bridge father Bernatka in Cracow in Poland while walking with the family. And my wife was really upset I was doing it as the really first one if you know what I mean. The rest is history.
21. What equipment do you use?
Well, starting with analogue as mentioned above, Pentax MZ-30, through the more advanced kit NIKON D90 + SIGMA 17-70, and ending for the moment with NIKON D810 + SIGMA 24-70 Art kit. Not that much-advanced kit, limited to one lens, but still durable to take the shots in the way I see it.
22. What compliment inspired/touched you the most?
To me the most wanted one is the feedback from my audience, that's why I use Facebook the most to share my vision with the audience I have, but not only. And of course all kinds of competitions, I am participating with my photos to find out if what I see, do, and finalize as the vision/photo is what can be liked. However, in the end, or maybe starting from the beginning, my own satisfaction, while I am sitting in front of my computer finalizing my vision I can say, yeah that's it, that's what I saw and wanted to do ... at least for a while, till the next photo, I will take.
23. What inspires your unique storytelling?
Well, I think the places I am visiting. That's the starting point, and then with every shot, I want more, and more, and always spending more time than planned, and then later on what I see, or what is coming to me while processing. All in all, that's simple, that's the entire process, which means, planning the place to be visited, getting there, doing the session and when coming back home, damn it, I could take more, always having greed for more. Simply GREED to take more photos.
24. What THREE (3) words describe your photography style?
Well, simple as it is:
--> Open Your Mind
25. Congratulations! As the winner of the New York Photography Awards, what does it mean for you and your team to receive this distinction?
It's worth having your own specific vision. It's worth waking up early morning, being drenched by rain, frozen to the bone, and at the end exhausted as hell, just because at the end of all adversity there is the curiosity of how it will be assessed by myself and the most important by the potential customers, audience, juries of the competitions I will participate.
26. Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2021 New York Photography Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
Well, looking at the entire package called The New Faces and ... In The Automotive Family, I did have simply a greed to make some nice sessions of the new vehicles released by the carmakers. And the only chance to do it was to go to the IAA (Automotive Exhibition) in Frankfurt this time. Simply wanted to see new models coming by, every technology assisting it and of course have fun as I am a car lover, all the kind. And that's what in case of an amateur photographer, but not only can offer you Automotive Exhibition, means the world premiere of new models.
27. How has winning an award developed your career?
It's worth having your own specific vision. And give me for sure a positive kick of what I do is the right direction I did chose. Will empower my portfolio for sure, and will help me as an amateur to get more audience and potential customers.
28. Name 1-3 photographers who have inspired you.
I hope I do not sound cocky, but I do not have such one. I do observe the other photographers do not matter amateurs or professionals. Sometimes I found amateurs more interesting than professionals, to be honest. I would say the favourite one to me is the most famous one means Mr Internet. And depends on the day it can be an amateur one or a professional one, but still anyone specific.
29. What was the best piece of advice you were given starting out, by a mentor or your role model?
Well, try harder than the others, do more than the others, and have greed to learn and develop your own rules.
30. What advice would you give someone who would like to become a photographer today?
The same as I was told or trying to do which means try harder than the others, do more than the others, and have greed to learn and develop your own rules.
31. What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Well, I do have two MOTTOS I created myself, maybe not unique, but still leading me through my photography journey all the time:
MOTTO NUMBER 1:
"It's not a case to make an amazing shot in an amazing place, everyone who knows how to hold the camera in his hand can do it, almost everyone isn't it?" The biggest thing is to show the ordinary place in a way that no one else has seen it before."
MOTTO NUMBER 2:
"Limited hardware capabilities, this is not a limitation, it's a chance to show creativity. Go for it."
32. How do you stay in that space of being receptive to new information and knowledge?
Well, the most important one is to have greed to learn and develop yourself and your own rules. Simply be open to taking the best one or the best fitting you.
33. Which THREE (3) friends/peers would you nominate to participate in the next New York Photography Awards?
Sorry, I do not have such one
34. Which THREE (3) peers, within the photography industry, would you nominate to be a judge in the next New York Photography Awards? (You may include yourself within, and please include the email addresses)
Well, I do not have such ones, and I do not think I could judge the others
35. Anything else you would like to add to the interview?
Every obstacle can stop you, but at the same time can give you the opportunity to make something else, even more specific you were planning to do, so do not be afraid, just do it and go for it.
