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I took up photography because...

When I’m taking pictures I lose

myself completely, and I become

absent from normal life. All

I have to do is load my camera

with batteries, and I have the

strength to face the day – thanks

to her, I breathe.

Tell us about your favourite

photographic themes.

I have always been interested in

portraiture, but as my perception

of photography has evolved I have

found myself more and more

attracted to documentary work.

Having said that, I don’t think this

is the end of my adventure with

portraiture; sometimes I look at

my studio lights and I know that

they will flash for me yet.

Name one item that every

photographer should own.

Many photographers attach too

much importance to photographic

equipment; in my view technology

is just a tool. Every photographer

should have sensitivity and taste.

What’s the biggest risk you have

taken as a photographer?

I was working on a job for a

modelling agency when I decided

to use studio flash for the first

time. Luckily the gamble paid off

and one of the images was used

on the agency’s main website,

which was an honour.

Do you have a photographic habit

that you wish you could shake?

When I’m shooting portraits,

I often arrange the lights, pose

the model, focus the camera,

and then, and only then,

realise that I have forgotten

to remove the magazine slide

from the magazine. As a result,

I miss ‘the moment’. I wish I

could remember to remove the

magazine slide before setting

up the shot.

Who has been the greatest

influence on your photography?

Richard Avedon – he is the

master of the portrait.

Tell us about a photographic

opportunity you have missed.

I try to carry a 35mm camera

with me at all times to avoid

missing opportunities, but I don’t

always manage it! Most of my

work is shot on medium format,

but this takes time to set up, so

I use 35mm for more impromptu,

reportage work.

What has been your most

embarrassing moment as

a photographer?

Thirty minutes posing;

zero photographs.

Tell us your favourite quote.

‘Photography for me is not

looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t

feel what you’re looking at, then

you’re never going to get others to

feel anything when they look at

your pictures’ – Don McCullin

(British photojournalist).

What, in your opinion, is

the greatest photographic

discovery of all time?

The light meter: it’s my

primary tool.

Which characteristics do

you think you need to

become a photographer?

Patience and perseverance.

All images © Arek Soltysik

FEATURE 60-SECOND EXPOSURE

He hates cooking, makes a living out of computer science

and values sensitivity and taste above any tool that every

photographer should possess. Tracy Hallett talks to Polish

photographer Arek Soltysik.

Patrycja & Justyna,

October 2012.

‘Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re

looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they

look at your pictures’ – Don McCullin (British photojournalist).

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