Coming straight from delivering a presentation on Communications during the Iraq War to chat to Now Then the day before jetting off on a whirlwind tour of Spain and Portugal’s treasures didn’t seem to faze Wojtek Gurak in the slightest; but then not much seems to.
Hailing from Poland and having been in England for about 4 years, he’s spent his time exploring more cities than many natives have visited, studying for his degree, jetting off on world adventures and producing simply stunning images.
Oh yes, he’s also completely colour blind (which does not mean seeing in greyscale) and has never had any formal photography training.
NT: So has being colour blind affected your photography?
Well, I do see colours, but I’ve had to learn how to identify and recognise them. When I was first learning photoshop and putting in my shots with the rather grey British sky, I tried to just add some blue to it. However I was then told that in fact I’d made the sky purple without realising! So now I don’t do that. I don’t go crazy with post-processing anymore and try not to lie with it.
NT: When did you start photography?
I really started focussing on it about 2 years ago with contemporary architecture, but I first started for some kind of artistic release between 10 and 15 years ago.
NT: What equipment do you use?
I’ve mostly used an entry level DSLR, which is easy to use and I’m happy with. I’ve met photographers that have 7 cameras and 20 lenses but I want it to be more approachable and something anyone can do. People tell me I’m not an amateur, but I’m not educated in photography or making a living at it so I’m an amateur and proud of it. Everyone can do what I do.
Finally I’ve upgraded to a camera that’s ‘semi-pro’ according to Wikipedia! It’s all thanks to a Swedish architecture conference I was invited to speak at. I did 10 minutes and took some photos of the conference centre which they decided to buy! It’s great to have had that opportunity.
NT: Why architectural photography?
It all started during some post-break up travelling round England. I visited 11 cities in 5 months and was drawn to the modern buildings; much more controversial than the buildings in Poland. I like the symmetry, patterns and lines in contemporary buildings and I can’t paint or sculpt, so I took photos. Plus the subjects looked so good I didn’t think my photos had to be brilliant! I love large, empty brightly coloured public spaces.
NT: Your favourite Sheffield building?
For me Sheffield lacks lavish contemporary architecture. The Jessops West building maybe, but on some days it can be an eyesore. The Hallam Hubs are quite different, but it does look like four kettles. I’m waiting for the new Park Hill development, but really I see Sheffield as a place to rest.
NT: Your favourite world building?
I love the process of going somewhere with the intention of making a building look as good as I can, but my carbon footprint is really bad!
Favourites I guess, the Birds Nest building in Beijing. I’m not a sports fan, but apart from its purpose and the ‘loose’ approach to workers rights in China, it’s beautiful and looks totally different when lit at night than during the day. Also the Guggenheim Museum, it’s so unusual, it looks like a mothership landing!
Keep up with Wojtek and his images of architectural awesomeness on Facebook and at http://www.bywojtek.co.uk/
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