BIO
I guess I should start with a confession. I have been working in the visual arts sphere for the last more than 20 years -- digital visual arts, to be precise. I have done, with varying degrees of success, almost every job there is in the 2D and 3D fields. Thus, I have considered myself a creator, someone who produces images in his mind and then gives them life. As a result, I tended to look down on photography: an art form relying on registration and reporting, rather than pure creation, I thought. It was, in my mind, a process less creative and of lower artistic value.
How wrong I was! It would be funny if it weren't so out there, I guess.
Several years ago, I did get into photography. As a side note, how I got into photography is a funny and entertaining story in its own right, so it will receive its rightful place in the blog. So, I got into photography a few years ago. I fell into it, and I fell hard, and boy what a joyful experience it is!
I primarily shoot landscapes, at least for now. For me, it is a solitary experience. I consider it a process of taking self-portraits using the landscape around me. I aim to capture how I feel and what I feel at the moment of the shot, projecting myself in the environment around me. It is a very personal and intimate process. Using slow gear, Medium format cameras, both digital and film, or Large format cameras lately, gives me the time -- no, compels me to take the time -- to soak in and dissolve into the environment and scenery. Then, taking the shot is an almost imperceptible moment and a natural continuation of this state of mind.
My name is Ivan Balabanov. I am an amateur photographer. I intend to remain an amateur photographer. You know, amateur as a word comes from the word amator in the Latin. Amator means literally a lover, someone who is in love with what they do. I have a deep emotional connection to photography and I want to keep it, undiminished and untarnished. I want to be an amateur photographer for life.
Thank you very much for reading this, for viewing my work on the site, for maybe sharing your opinion.
Have a wonderful day,
Ivan B.