1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi there! My name is Pedja Kazazovic, and I consider myself to be a multimedia artist / designer / producer. I studied a product design course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, and upon concluding my education, I started exploring new forms of expression. Since I also studied music for almost a decade – I combined the visual and the audible into multimedia art pieces. I am always about expressing ideas, concepts, thoughts, trying to reach out into the new and striving to tell stories to whoever would listen. I currently work as an art director for Communis, one of the leading advertising agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am also a President of The Organization for Multimedia Culture, called VIBE.

2. How did you first get into graphic design?
Well, as product design is a broader area than graphic design, I started working on visual solutions during my course of study. We had to develop different presentations, graphic posters and other important items before any business pitch or presentation. As time went by, I got more and more proficient and my skills improved. The critical point, when I got really interested in graphic design, was when I discovered animation, film editing and other media, which incorporated the visual with sounds, music and other audible elements.

3. What do you enjoy most about your work?
The feeling when you transfer people into your fantasies, visions, when they feel instantly upon seeing your work what you felt during its creation – cannot be replaced by any other feeling. I had numerous people calling me up, crying or being really upset by something I did. The warmth and the amounts of positive energy I get from everyone else is the main fuel for wanting to go even further.

4. What do you like least about your job?
Having to work on unimportant stuff, like formatting newspaper ads and other things that take a lot of your energy, and which give you nothing spiritual in return. Also, working with ignorant people who have no decent understanding of the whole process, and who have no idea of how much energy and work it takes to create something new and unique. Also, I think that Bosnia and Herzegovina is still not ripe enough for any sort of creative leaps forward. People here are still afraid of new things and rely mostly on copying stuff from abroad.

5. What is your worst enemy of creativity?
Tight deadlines and people with no basic education about design process. Having to work with these two is a sure road to mediocre solutions.

6. What do you do when you start a new project and you have NO ideas?
It takes time to ferment your ideas. First of all, whatever I do, I never go to my work place and start doing it all at once. I understand that it takes time for everything good to emerge, so I basically just rest, take time off and let my brain move freely. I go to various places with people, as they are my true inspiration for everything I do. I just sit, observe or even listen to some music that gives me the feeling that I want to convey through the design piece. Then, ideas start flowing and it is just a question of filtering them and finding the one that gets you ‘electric’!

7. What inspires you the most?
It all comes basically down to several things: people, music, art and current trends. Art has always been the first step in everything I do – thinking about the past, great artists and their works, replicating what has gone before in today’s terms, etc. People and their behavior have always been a great source of inspiration as the final outcome will definitely have to communicate something to them. Observing how they behave under certain circumstances can tell you a lot even about yourself. Music is the source of great inspiration and I have no restrictions as to the genre, artists and performers. As long as it makes butterflies in my stomach, it is good enough.

8. Did you start out with traditional mediums or digital?
During my high school, which I attended in London, I was mostly classically trained. I painted a lot, did sculptures and even developed analog photographs. I think it is crucial to deal with the basics first in order to fully understand the capacity and possibilities of the digital era.

9. What programs do you favor when creating?
First of all, Photoshop is the program that is basic for everything I do. Illustrator is also useful, as sometimes vector art gives that something ‘extra’ to everything. I also use Premiere and After Effects, 3Ds Max, Soundbooth and Cubase.

10. When you sit down to start a new piece, what is your thought process?
I always get nervous at the first instance. I always think ‘Will I live up to my previous work?’ I have that first period of creating various ideas that are just rough sketches of something that might work. This allows me to release thoughts and I always write down everything that comes up to my mind. Then, I put everything away to cool down a little after what I look at it and see clearly everything that was crossing my mind. This is the stage when I decide what solution is the best for the task.

11. Do you work in a studio or anywhere exclusive to your work?
Besides my normal work position as an Art Director, which gives me enough space for creative work, I also have a certain studio, set up at home that I use to work when I am chillin’. This can happen even at the midnight or early in the morning, depending on the outburst of inspiration.

12. Your blend of photographic and vector elements is quite unique. What process do you go through in pairing shapes with photographs?
Well, if you look at my work, the main and essential characteristic of it is the use of photography. Collage is the main media, which I use, as it can give you freedom to express everything that comes to your mind. It doesn’t have to have any sense or any logic behind it. It all comes down to the one essential question: ‘Does it feel right, or not?’ If I sense that these two different elements fit together, they stay. Sometimes I remove elements after a couple of days of being convinced that they fit. But that is all the question of creativity – you never know what might happen next.

13. Let’s talk a little about color theory. How do you go about choosing the colours you use in your pieces?
Color is very important as it can open up the whole design and release the emotion you want to convey, or it can damp the whole feeling. You have to be very careful with choosing color. In my case I analyze the emotions of the piece and go back to basic symbolic use of colors. Studying art and various artists has given me insight into what other artists considered some colors to represent certain feelings. Nevertheless I rely on my inner gut and I trust myself, as well. Cold and warm, distant and close, smart or stupid are all opposite examples, which require opposite colors to represent them.

14. Have you ever been printed or published?
I have had opportunities to have my work printed and published. Also, as I am a multimedia designer, my short films have been published and promoted on different websites and I also had a substantial television promotion.

15. What artists do you look to for inspiration?
Besides the traditional artists, great artists of the past eras, I look for outrageous individuals that stir up the present art scenery. David La Chapelle is a great individual whose work I truly admire. Testino is the other individual who I would also like to mention. Mr. Brainwash is a designer whose work is also inspirational in every form. There are many other individuals in various segments that inspire me, whether it is music, design, fashion, style or any other form of expression.

16. There are quite a number of people trying to get into the abstract design style. Can you give any suggestions or pointers on how or where to start in this growingly popular style?
First of all, knowing basic techniques of composition and assembling graphic items might be helpful, but not necessary. I think more important is letting go of the expectations what the final outcome should be and just freely experimenting until you surprise even yourself. You can create so many shapes, styles, messages and other compositions when preconceptions and expected solutions are neglected. Let your brain do the work and allow it to work freely.

17. What hobbies do you have? What do you do to unwind?
My wide spectrum of interest gives me also a various ways of unwinding. It can be traveling, listening to music, going to see a play or a film, talking to close people and lots of observing. I like sitting in shopping malls and just looking at different things, from the way people dress to the way they interact between one another. This gives me enough inspiration and also takes my mind off some things that might trouble me at that very moment.

1. Hello and thanks for taking the time to do this interview.
Hey, you’re welcome. Don’t worry about my time, I’m a graphic designer, so we always have plenty of free time in our daily schedule… I also use that time to crack ironic jokes, apparently.

2. Can you tell us a little about yourself to help people who aren’t familiar with you, get to know you a little better?
Well, I’m 27, I was born in Sarajevo and I graduated advertising design at the Secondary School for Applied Arts. After that, I continued my education by studying graphic design at the Academy of Fine Arts and still have that annoying “diploma pending” status. Currently I work in Communis advertising agency. I can also say that I’m a passionate photographer, so photography itself, plays an important role in my work.

3. What first got you into art and design?
That would probably be the very first drawing that I made, during an art class, in first year of elementary school. My teacher seemed to be quite impressed, which, at the time, was instant fuel for self confidence and for the desire to keep delivering better results. Although I always knew, for as long as I can remember, that I’m going to end up in Art school, by the time I got there I started realizing that drawing (or any kind of fine art) isn’t going to put bread on the table, so the only place where I could commercialize my art, was with graphic design.

4. What does your “toolset” consist of?
Let me see… There’s this software that everybody seems to be using now, I think it’s called Photoshop or something. Besides that, I can’t really imagine doing anything visually striking without the help of a good photo, so my Canon gear is my second best friend… And an iMac with a really big display will make things run real smooth.

5. What do you enjoy most about your work?
The art of visual communication – the ability to say so much only with images. That gives you work that is so simple and yet so complex at the same time. I just love the feeling you get when you see a great idea, where no other form of communication but the visual exists in that moment, yet everything is crystal clear, and you have an impression as if you’ve just read a 500 page literal masterpiece. But that’s also why I have a major problem with what is known as contemporary art today, especially the meaning of “conceptual” art, because of the lack of communication; there’s no more open dialog between the artist and the observer. I think it’s rather selfish and egocentric asking others to get fully involved and informed in everything you do just so they could comprehend your message… if there is any.

6. What do you like least about your job?
Soulless commercialization, and the sole fact that our work is mainly still based on built-to-order system. It’s like making your babies to some other parents’ specifications. And yet, they expect us to put all of our love into the process.

7. What is your worst enemy of creativity?
Deadlines

8. Designers are always going through ups and downs – creative blocks, can’t find enough work and then become overloaded with work, dealing with the stresses, how do you handle it?
I don’t really think that there are downs in what we do, everything you do and however you do it, just eventually leads you forward. Now, creative block can be tricky indeed. You just can’t train nor educate any graphic designer to come up with a mind blowing idea in the right moment that suits you. It just doesn’t work that way, and It’s the same problem as with any creative related business. I personally hate those situations, and sometimes I think I would rather do a thousand page text layout, than try to come up with one great idea. As for the stress, well, I had my share of serious stress outside of work, so actually my piece of mind is immune to stress and anxiety caused by work. And I’m really grateful for that. There are simply things to be done, and things that require a bit of your sweat. Sure you’re sometimes going to wish that your client is struck by lightning, or a meteorite hits your agency, while you’re having a day off of course, but as long as it’s healthy anger, and as long as you don’t go to bed in the evening with a ten ton burden on your chest, you’re going to be fine.

9. Many, if not all artists admit music has a major influence on them when creating a new piece of artwork. What kind of music do you consider to be the best “fuel”?
Actually you might get surprised that I avoid listening to music during work at all costs. I only listen to music if I’m doing something that doesn’t require concentration, but when I’m into the mental part of the work, I just can’t handle it. I just feel distracted by the fact that only one half of my brain is working on the realization of the idea, while the other half is occupied with listening to the lyrics and beats.

10. Is there someone in particular that’s been a major influence to your style/technique?
In that artistic approach, I think Dave McKean has the most credit. He just thinks in so many different ways, finds symbolism in most unusual places and creates really amazing works full of thought provoking elements. Then of course, there are ex Designer’s Republic – those guys just turned the design world upside down with their chaotic visual language and yet they retained everything we always liked about design esthetics. I don’t actually know any graphic designer that is not even partially influenced by their work, even if, somehow, they don’t know about them at all.

11. With a wide range in style, where do you look for inspiration?
Well, trust me, if I knew where to look for it, I would probably make the answer to the eighth question a lot shorter. I don’t know, it’s never the same, I just go with my own pace and see where it takes me.

12. Are you currently working in a graphic related field? And if so, what advice would you give to aspiring designers trying to break into the field?
Yes, I work as an art director in Communis. As for the advice, well, as long as you have the ambition, the will, the persistence and love for what you do, everything will fit into place eventually and you will find yourself right where you wanted to be.

13. What do you like/dislike about the digital art community?
Likes: Easy connectivity with the rest of the community and the instant ability to expose and share your work with a very wide audience.
Dislikes: None that I can think of.

14. What does the future hold for you and your work?
Don’t know. Haven’t talked to an Oracle lately…

1. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?
Hi my name is Tomislav Može I’m a 27 year old student from Zagreb, Croatia. After finishing my high school in Zagreb,  I took almost any job I could find (from metalwork to building sound and light stages for concerts). In that period  I also got into mountain biking, I was one of the first mtb trial riders in Croatia, and founder of the first club for extreme bike disciplines. During my biking period I was competing in mtb freestyle and BMX street, got a few medals, at that period I’ve been one of the best riders here in Croatia. At the end of 2007 I decided to try to get in to the Academy of dramatic arts in Zagreb, cinematography section. I got in from my first attempt. Now, I’m on the third year.

2. How did you get into photography?
My first real contact with photography was through various artists  I watched on deviantArt, I stumbled upon them looking for illustrations and drawings  which where my childhood hobbies. I took my first photo around 2006 for the needs of my biking club, not so long after that I had a knee injury, and I had to stop my bmx riding, this is where it all started. At the end of the 2006 I bought my self dslr canon 350d, it was really boldly of me, cause I didn’t even know what slr means .

3. How do you choose your locations? Do you happen upon them by chance or do you do any exploring?
Well, mostly I explore walking or riding my bike. I try to find as many interesting places, you never know when you’re gonna need one

4. Your selection of models, styling and scenery is impeccable. Are these shots primarily for weddings clients or are they purely artistic?
Well most of people think I do only weddings but that is maybe 30% of my photography interests and work, I do a lot of magazine interviews, fashion and conceptual stuff for myself and some projects for academy exams.

So the right answer would be, half of my work is purely for my satisfaction, and the other part is for my clients. Although I try to put the same energy in both. Especially into my fashion editorials.

5. Do you shoot with primarily digital or film? What kind of gear do you use? Explain your process.
Well I prefer digital I think it suits me better, I work on film also, but mostly for the need of academy assignments, I don’t like the time consuming part of shooting on film:). From equipment I have: canon eos 5d, canon eos 350d, canon eos 1n, lubitel 2, fujica stx1 , canon 430 ex, canon 580 ex ,
ef 50mm 1:1.2 usm L, ef 17-40 1:4.0 usm L, ef 28mm 1:1.8 usm, ef 70-200 4L usm and datacolor spider3 elite to get the colors corectly. My process is based mostly on natural light, if the ambient allows me. I always plan my work if I do editorials, concepts or fashion, writing down and even drawing, if i’m trying to find a better angle, for most of my postprocess I use adobe camera raw + adobe bridge, and cs4 for retouching.

6. How much of your photography is story-telling? I feel like there’s a story begging to be told behind every photo.
I always try to tell a story with every photo I take, but I think most of photographers want that. I’m not sure in how many photos I succeed to make the story clear, but I give a lot of effort to find a way to tell it like nobody did before.

7. Where do you see your photography and art going in the next couple of years? What are some of your artistic hopes?
First I’m planing to finish Academy. After that I’ll see, I already work a lot, so probably that will have influence on my plans, my plan is to go to London and try to specialize for fashion photography but that is to far away in the future. I just hope to get more into fashion photography, and to work for some fashion magazines like ‘Elle’, ‘Cosmopolitan’ or something in that  direction, for fashion is my favorite photography style because it gives me the opportunity to be creative.

01. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Alen Ajanovic. I was born in Sarajevo 1.6.1973. Bosnia and Herzegovina, where, during my secondary school I finished Goldsmith handicraft. I was mostly interested in drawings and illustration geting more and more occupied with studying and copying the masterpieces of other traditional artists, taking more serious steps in collecting practical experience.

Willing to continue, finally I am starting my next step at Academy Of Fine Arts in Sarajevo in 1995 and intensively start to work with various techniques on canvas and other kinds of medium, having few individual and group exhibitions in and out of home country.
As interesting medium, in middle 1990′s, digital graphics comes to stage, creating 2d, 3d graphics, TV animations, presentations, and web design.
Today, I still live in Sarajevo and work as an illustrator and animator for TV productions, graphics and post production tasks, web design and although rarelly game level developing.

02. What inspired you to become an artist?
To say what inspired me is hard cos it just happened in my early childhood when the pencil became my everyday companion drawing things from my mind that comes from music I listened, books I red, movies I watched…

03. You are undoubtedly at the top half of many people’s inspiration list, but who are your inspirations as an artist?
As an artist that I liked are few classic traditional painters like Caravaggio, Rembrandt and other who worked on light and drama. Who ever paints good dramatic scene with good composition and message, that kind of artist catches my eye on. There are many modern artists I like so it would be unfair to say who is the best among them. Lets say that Frank Frazetta is one of them.

04. What are you opinions on art as an expression and art made to just look pretty?
For this kind of questions there are critics. But my personal appinion is that everybody has right to like what he wants and needs so, the quality of work can be hidden only in explaination of an artist and his work. By the way what is the difference between traditional artist and modern product designer? For me both of them are artists for its purpose with their crafts.

05. What things do you do to try and push yourself further as an artist?
Watch around me, read, think, learn, comunicate…

06. What tools do you use to create your art?
It depends on situation, idea and purpose. Unfortunately, deadlines can be crucial very often and it affects quality. Sometimes its traditional tools sometimes digital. There is no rule I suppose.

07. What does the future hold for your website and artwork?
I dont know. I will keep on working if others likes my work or not

08. Lastly thanks for doing the interview, anything you would like to add?
Thank you very much taking me in condiraion. I would have one advice for everybody who wants to make arts: dont search inspiration in other artists but in yourself. Looking at others work mess up you mind and you will appritiate less your own work. Be yourself, and you will develop faster and be more happy

Wish you good inspiration

Alen thank you very much for answering our questions
So if you want to visit Alen and his works  you should do that now

Visit http://www.ajanovic.co.ba

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what made you become a designer and how did you start your career?

My name is Archan Nair, aka archanN in the digital and virtual web. I’m a 26 year old Artist, Designer and Illustrator based in New Delhi, India. My vision and passion has been to create highly intricate work inspired by various phases or moments of life.

Well, I come from an entirely different industry, which is Fashion. As a family business I was running an apparel manufacturing and export industry since I was 18 years. I always had the creative stint in my since childhood days, but I guess I never discovered it properly. In 2006 I started with digital art, by remixing a friends wallpaper, and since that day each moment has been really a new step for me in exploring and creating.

My Clients are, Pepsi, Boss, Tiger Beer, Canon, Microsoft, GQ etc.

Where do you find inspiration to create such great pieces?

Anything or everything can inspire me. Whether it is the surroundings, or maybe noticing something while driving, or maybe while doing this wonderful interview. But mostly I´m inspired by emotions and feelings, or moments in my life or someone close I have seen which leaves an impact for me to think about.

Music has been a motivating influence, my culture, and the desire to contribute and share with the world.

Can you describe your creative process?

My process is quite different in each of my works, but..I start with the conceptualization of a theme, idea or maybe inspiration which hit my head. I then sketch and draw the entire idea on a sketchbook and get my concept laid down clear. Then I visualize the final feel and effect which I need to give to that particular artwork, and accordingly go about using the various tools in photoshop. I use illustrator sometimes for vector shapes, and illustrations fuse them with Photoshop. But the entire creation is done completely in Photoshop.

Which tools do you use the most?

I use Photoshop and Illustrator. but my compositions etc are done mainly in Photoshop.

How long do you often take making one piece?

Depends on the complexity of that particular artwork. I normally would take anything from around 30-60 hours. Sometimes even less, but really depends.

Thank you for the interview. And one last question, what are your plans for the future of your career?

I normally don’t plan much, as I think the twists and turns of the road can lead us anywhere. But yes, looking forward to more exciting projects, more creativity and fun!

Archan Nair on the web

Website-www.archann.net Blog-blog.archann.net Deviantart-archann.deviantart.com Behance-www.behance.net/archanN

1. Who are you and what are you doing?
Jasmin Fazlagić, I work as a photographer.

2. Describe your typical day at work.
Because of the nature of my job, which is non-typical, I don`t have any typical days.

3. What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I enjoy fashion photography the most, and also taking pictures of landscapes in my
spare time.

4. What do you dislike the most about your job?
I dislike having no work to do. In those times I feel as if my gas pedal is pushed to the
limit, while the gear is still shifted in neutral position.

5. Who`s your worst enemy in terms of creativity?
Your worst enemy in terms of creativity can be a uncreative client.

6. What are you doing when starting a new project and having no ideas at all?
Usually I donʼt start any projects unless I have an idea. And ideas usually come to mind
during meetings and conversations with clients. If it didnʼt work that way, my job would
end up in a failure.

7. What inspires you the most?
I`m very inspired when Iʼm surrounded with people who know how to do their job right.

8. Do you listen to music when you work? If so, what type of music?
I listen to music on a regular basis. When I work with other people in studio, itʼs usually
some trendy music, because I need to set some mood during the shooting, and when
I`m working on postprocessing, it`s usually Buddha bar or some ambiental classics.

9. How do you cope with criticism?
I have no problems with criticism, as long as it`s based on arguments and critic`s
professionality. I lose nerves when I listen to criticism coming from people outside the
visual industry, who don`t even know how to do their own job in a propriate way.

10. How does your working environment look like?
Very neat and tidy.

11. Do you remember the first project you were working at?
No project, but I remember my first shooting I did 13 years ago, when I was still
working for newspapers. There was a monkey who bit a man. I took a picture of it for the
local column in Dnevni Avaz.

12. Are there any tips you would like to share with our readers?
I don`t share any tips. I leave that to the people who do it as a part of their profession.
Read the answer number nine.

13. Which of your previous projects was most fun?
I had the most fun shooting photos of traditional folklore clothing of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. I traveled a lot and I learned a lot about traditional values of our people.

14. Think about your life in 15 years… what will you be doing?
Still doing the same job, just with more assistants and bigger budgets.

15. Please name three persons we should do this same interview with (and why them?)
Maybe those three misfallen members of our Presidency.

Jasmin thank you very much for answering our questions
So if you want to visit Jasmin and his works  you should do that now

Visit http://jasminfazlagic.com/

We asked. He answered. Read an interview with Goran Marković. Graphic designer from Bosnia.

1. Hi , who are you and what do you do?
My name is Goran Marković, and I m graphic designer for about 10 years.

2. Describe a typical day at work?
Turn on the station, first I take a look at bookmarked sites, some portals, then I start to work, depend on my daily program.

3. What do you enjoy most about your work?
I enjoy in my mind freedom, but the clients think different, then i hate collision in ideas, but in the end in most of the time i get the bigger piece of cake

4. What do you like least about your job?
Work time!

5. What is your worst enemy of creativity?
People who dont know the meaning of the term “creativity”

6. What do you do when you start a new project and you have NO ideas?
I don’t start the project unless I don’t have an idea.

7. What inspires you the most?
Simplicity, colors, and some old tehniques like letterpressing. I like lettepress most of it. What can I do, im kind an a old school guy.. haha

8. Do you listen to music while working? And if “yes” what music do you listen to?
Depend on kind of work, but now while im typing this im listening “Chillin In Mykonos Bossa Edition Compiled By Easy Coutiel”

9. How do you deal with criticism?
Usualy designers will tell they are good with it, but it’s opossite, im not good with this term

10. What does your workspace look like?
Wooden table, couple pancils, pallete paper book’s (LOTS OF THEM), pantone solid pallete, Imac 24”ALU, small paper lamp, one more HD by Porsche…

11. Do you remember the very first project in which you were involved?
My  firs project was a poster B1, for snowboard cup in 1998. Damn that was a good time.

12. Is there any advice you would give our readers?
If You dont LOVE this job, dont do it for the money.

13. What has been the most fun project to work on so far?
Only the personal projects are fun. But every job can be fun if you doing it on that funny way.

14. Imagine yourself in 15 years… what do you see yourself doing?
Doing posters on my one way, in my own printing house, in old school style.

15. Please tell us 3 people who we should do this Interview with (Why them?).
Maja Ibrisimovic / managing director / IGEPA group BiH / this lady will change our creative signature for all times! / www.igepa.ba /
Nenad Kovacevic / Audio producer & DJ aka. Audio Infunktion / You know this “ITISONfm” guy…. HE ROCKS!

TNX

Goran thank you very much for answering our questions
So if you want to visit Goran and his works  you should do that now

We asked. He answered. Read an interview with Dario Belić. Photographer from Croatia.

01. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?
My name is Dario Belić also known as monkey, Im twenty year old student of Faculty of Graphic Arts in Zagreb. Currently living in Velika Gorica where I finished highschool of Economics.

02. How did you get into photography?
I was always intrested in all kind of art. I also do photomanipulations, web & graphic design and illustrations but photography has special place for me. I started taking photos in primary school, I needed some kind of hobby. So I liked it alot, started posting photos on  internet, and people liked it that was a big boost for me. Big turning point for me was my first solo exhibition in my highschool when I sold my exhibition to Tourist board of Velika Gorica and bought camera that I use today. I started to experiment alot, and read alot. And here I am today still experimenting alot, learning, taking photos and having fun.

03. How do you choose your locations? Do you happen upon them by chance or do you do any exploring?
Hmmm locations that is hard I think one of the hardest things in process. When I get the idea for the shot I also get the vision of location where I would put the model, but finding the right spot is often very difficult task, always trying to be original makes it more difficult. So finding the right place is a process that takes time and exploring and going where no man has gone before… I like directed photography so I like everything to be planed, but sometimes you find the right location spontaneously.

04. Your selection of models, styling and scenery is impeccable. Are these shots primarily for fashion clients or are they purely artistic?
Photos for clients I usually dont publish, this what you can see on internet are for my pleasure and purely artistic works.

05.Do you shoot with primarily digital or film? What kind of gear do you use? Explain your process.
I primarly shoot digital with Canon EOS 350D and lens 17-40 f4 L, 70-200 f4 L and 50mm f1.8 and Canon Speedlight 430EX flash.

Im often inspired by music or movies or things that happen around me for my shots. So I get some kind of vision that I then try to put into photo. Sometimes I sketch light setup, location, model position, model description and stuff that is needed for my shot and then I try to get all these things together.  I always shoot in RAW so that I have most possible quality of photo without compression and any automatic adjustments. Than I do postprocessing in Photoshop contrast, color warmth… all this little things that make good photo become even better.

06. How much of your photography is story-telling? I feel like there’s a story begging to be told behind every photo.
Story telling is a main goal of mine photos. In early works it was not so important because it was technical practice and learning. Today I try to make people think when they look at my works. My personal opinion is that every person has different view of every photography so it is not to me to tell them what it is about, that I leave to them… that’s what makes it fun.

07. Where do you see your photography and art going in the next couple of years? What are some of your artistic hopes?
I hope forward.   My artistic hope is to create unique style that people will recognize when they see my works. I think that is very important specially in our days when everybody has a digital camera and everyone is a “photographer”.

Dario thank you very much for answering our questions
So if you want to visit Dario and his works  you should do that now

Visit  http://www.nosise.com
http://monkey07.deviantart.com

We asked. She answered. Read an interview with Marina Filipović. Photographer from Croatia.

01. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?
My name is Marina Filipovic, I’m 23 years old, I live and work both in Osijek and Zagreb. On the web I’m better known as Marinshe, a nickname my grandfather gave me when I was little. I finished high school in Osijek and am at the moment working toward a degree in economics at the University of Osijek. Beside photography, I have been practicing singing for well over 14 years and have worked in my high school and college web teams in web and graphic design. At 16 I even had my own web design company where I gained my first business experiences, as well as an interest in photography.

02. How did you get into photography?
Spontaneously. I always liked photography. Since it wasn’t possible to share photos over the web or have them stored online, photos from my «analogue» period are safely kept in the family albums. As a child I took photos of flowers, nature and my friends. In the autumn of 2006. I started working with professional equipment, having bought a Fuji S3 Pro and my first Nikkor 50 mm f/1,4 lens. Then things started to get serious. I take photos every single day and publish them on my sites: the official site http://www.marinshe.com, my Croatian photo blog http://www.marinshe.bloger.hr and my deviantArt profile http://marinshe.deviantart.com.

03. How do you choose locations? Do you happen upon them by chance or do you do any exploring?
Sometimes it happens spontaneously. While walking through the park, in the city, in the countryside, etc… I look at the world around me and find what’s interesting. When I work for clients then we try to find an appropriate location together. I prefer nature, open locations with lots of natural light and shadows.

Mirage Of The Woods II
Model: Lea Biljman
Location: Zagreb, Maksimir
Make up by Lea
Styling by Marina Filipović

04. Your selection of models, styling and scenery is impeccable. Are there shots primarily for fashion clients or are they purely artistics?
Thank you. Well, I don’t differentiate between commercial and private work. My goal is that all my works have value as artworks and I think I achieve that most of the time. It’s hard, but I try as hard as I can. When you do a lot of creative work, there’s always the danger of getting into a routine and losing fresh ideas. Because of that I take a few days off to gather energy and new ideas. Every photographer that is any good, can find it’s way into the viewer’s heart and capture his or her imagination. Photos that I’ve taken for my own purposes have appeared as cover photos for magazines and books, as well as in exhibitions.

05. Do you shoot primarily with digital or film? What kind of gear do you use? Explain your process.
I only shoot with digital, although I know how to work with film as well. I like taking photos with my lomo camera while travelling. As for my equipment, I have two cameras: a Fuji S3 Pro and Fuji S5 Pro. I use the following lenses: Nikkor 80-200mm f/2,8, Nikkor 50mm f/1,4, Nikkor 60mm f/2,6 Makro, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6; as well as Nikon SB600 flash. Sometimes I use a Manfrotto stand while taking landscape photographs.

My process starts with an idea or moment of inspiration when the photograph «appears» in my mind. After that I call a model, plan the makeup and styling and choose a location. After shooting I continue with the postproduction, for which I use Adobe Photoshop CS3. In it, I correct the colors and light until the photograph is what I’ve had in mind.

06. How much of your photography is storytelling? I feel like there’s a story begging to be told behind every photo.
Exactly! Each and every photo I create has a message. Sometimes it’s the message that starts the creative process and sometimes it reveales itself only after the photograph is finished. I find stories in my own life as well as the life of loved ones, friends and society in general. I like creating positive stories, the ones that will make other people happy and help them feel better. There are too many sad stories in our world so I feel that my own work should be a relsease for both the eyes and the mind.

Make a Wish
Model: Sara Pukanic
Location: Jarun Lake (Zagreb, Croatia)
Stylist: Marina Filipović

07. Where do you see your photography and art going in the next couple of years? What are some of your artistic hopes?
I want to do a lot more in terms of my career in photography and I’m quite ambitious. I see myself at the very beginning of a long journey.

08. Let’s talk about color theory. How do you go about choosing the colors you see in your pieces.
I choose colors spontaneously. I perceive them and then match them by feeling. My eye and intuition guide me in my work. It’s a creative process that emerges from the chaos of ideas.

The Bright Side of Life

09. Have you ever been printed or published?
My photos have appeared on the covers of the french magazine PHOTO, Livingstone, Modra Lasta as well as several books from Algoritam. A lot of them were published in magazines: Extra, Livingstone, Digital Photo Mag, Bulb Magazin, Grazia, Večernji list, Jutarnji list, Modra Lasta, etc. Some of them have even appeared on Croatian national TV as well as local Slavonian TV stations. Five works have apperaed as examples of various photographic theories in the official Mexican schoolbook for high schools. I’ve had four solo exhibitions and about ten group exhibitions. You can see my work on the web at http://www.marinshe.com.

Thanks for the interview!

Marina thank you very much for answering our questions

We asked. He answered. Read an interview with Anton Huml. Video artist from Sarajevo.

1. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?
Well, I’m Anton Huml, and I’m a video designer from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, still located here, making a living doing motion graphics and animation, however without any official degree in the field of work that I am in, since there wasn’t any academic course at my city’s university for that field. So I’m mostly self tutored.

2. How did you get into animation and video editing?
It has always been a passion of mine, and I got into it 5 years ago when I saw an advert in a newspaper about an animation school, which was mostly a ploy to recruit people to work on a commercial animation serial for a local advertising agency. There I met some cool people I worked with, they became my friends, and have been into it ever since.
I’ve been working as a freelancer for the last 2 or so years.

3. When you were a child did you always want to become an artist?
Secretly, yeah. But growing in a community where it is not viewed as a serious or a steady source of income, I never really imagined I would succeed in this line of work, so I first got into economic studies, which didn’t end well, so I dropped out, realising that I didn’t want to sit at a desk my whole life being a bank accountant.

4. Do you identify yourself as an “animation” video artist, or just a video artist.
Animation and video artist.

5. Describe your first piece.
It was at the animation school I mentioned earlier, in hindsight a very badly done short animation made without any script or storyboards about two bunnies killing eachother over a feud in a playground, and ending in a message about tolerance. Nothing spectacular, quite the oposite, however it got me hired at the agency and I earned a living for 3 years, and met some cool people working at their hive who helped me improve my work tremendously.

6. Can you describe an evolution in your work?
The base of my work is vector animation, since it speeds up the 2D animation workflow over traditional pencil on paper animation, and speed is always of the essence in this deadline-filled line of work. It started out quite primitively, doing animation in CorelDraw, then I came across a wonderful little program called Moho, which is currently called Anime Studio, in which I do most of my 2D animation. After Effects has always been a part of my workflow, first used for 2D compositing, but as of the last few years, compositing 3D animation has been increasingly a part of my job.

7. Why do you think animation in music vids is becoming increasingly popular?
Animation and music videos went together since the dawn of TV, so it’s understandable as the animation quality over the years increased, that the symbiosis of those two artforms increased.

8. What are you working on at the moment?
Currently I’m finishing up a comissioned short cartoon where I have been hired as an animator, it should be 8-9 minutes long, and it’s currently in post-production stage. Also there are several other projects brewing, but I can’t talk about those yet.

9. Where have you shown your work recently?
My work has been shown on several international festivals over the last couple of years, including Zagreb Animafest, Sarajevo Film festival, Ottawa Animation film Festival, Neum Animated Film Festival, No Limit Advertising Festival, and many others.

10. Where can we see your works? Are they online?
Yes, I regularly update my personal online portfolio at www.tony.ba , and also on Knap Animation and Design studio (knapstudio.com) website, place I’m working at with my “partner in crime” Kenan Tuzi.

11. Is there anything that you’re afraid of regarding the future?
An alien invasion or a nuclear war perhaps… In all seriousness though, I don’t worry myself too much into the future, or about the past, I’m more focused on the present.

12. Do you have any advice for young artists?
The internet is your friend, and in this digital age you can teach yourself pretty much anything, the only thing you need is the will and patience to do it.

Showreel

KNAP Showreel 2010 from KNAP Design & Animation Studio on Vimeo.

Anton thank you very much for answering our questions
So if you want to visit Anton and his works  you should do that now

Visit http://www.tony.ba