Katzprints Photography
About the Artist
Photography has played an important role in my life almost as long as I can remember. One of my earliest childhood memories shows a row of black-and-white pictures hanging from a clothesline in my father's darkroom. Not long thereafter, I was given my own first camera and thus began my life behind the lens.
For a while, I took pictures any child would have taken: the cat, a pretty tree, little birds hardly visible on the print etc. But one day, the way I approached picture-taking changed forever …
My grandmother was a wonderful woman – knowledgeable, strong, warm, full of humor and optimism … and confined to a wheelchair. That day she took me aside and said: "I want you to go and be my eyes out there. See the world for me, take pictures, and bring them home to me so I can be part of it all." It is impossible for me to judge whether she knew at that moment how much of an impact these words would have on me … I started taking pictures of everything, not just the exotic and beautiful object but also the odd, the common, and the ugly. I developed a completely new awareness for my surroundings and constantly disappeared behind my camera. For years, till she passed away, I kept the promise and was my grandmother's eyes to the world.
For a while, I took pictures any child would have taken: the cat, a pretty tree, little birds hardly visible on the print etc. But one day, the way I approached picture-taking changed forever …
My grandmother was a wonderful woman – knowledgeable, strong, warm, full of humor and optimism … and confined to a wheelchair. That day she took me aside and said: "I want you to go and be my eyes out there. See the world for me, take pictures, and bring them home to me so I can be part of it all." It is impossible for me to judge whether she knew at that moment how much of an impact these words would have on me … I started taking pictures of everything, not just the exotic and beautiful object but also the odd, the common, and the ugly. I developed a completely new awareness for my surroundings and constantly disappeared behind my camera. For years, till she passed away, I kept the promise and was my grandmother's eyes to the world.
It took me years to realize that I never stopped seeing the world this way, even long after my grandmother's death. I still believe that if you open your eyes and let your environment capture you, not only will you find beauty and interesting things all around you, but also discover the healing power of nature as a balance to the fast-paced life we live.
And there is another important aspect: it is my hope that as photographers, we can help raise awareness for fauna and flora, for places and objects. Awareness is a prerequisite condition to the desire to protect … and this becomes an increasingly important matter as we owe environmental stewardship to us and to future generations.
And there is another important aspect: it is my hope that as photographers, we can help raise awareness for fauna and flora, for places and objects. Awareness is a prerequisite condition to the desire to protect … and this becomes an increasingly important matter as we owe environmental stewardship to us and to future generations.
When the mammal does not observe the prescribed
safety distance to the photographer...
safety distance to the photographer...
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