compagnon of inspiration - Part 5: Karlis Kalnins

Getting some inspiration from artists who find & create interesting things never hurts. That's why we now regularly bring you a feature about a photographer who inspires us with their work. These artists are professionals, semi-professionals or amateurs, come from different corners of the world and work in yet others. And they answered our questions in a short interview for compagnon. And they all have something else in common: they have great talent and appreciate compagnon's companions.

This time, we welcome a photographer whose profession is a result of his passion and also a matter close to his heart. He specializes in capturing exactly what drives him in and for photography: Love. Today we sit down together with our

"compagnon of inspiration" - Part 5

Short portrait

Karlis Kalnins, born in the jewel of Latvia, the beautiful city of Riga, has been a true aesthete from the cradle. He is also a thoroughbred father and photographer. Together with his family, he now calls the north around Bremen his home. Between a good espresso and small talk about old and new Batman movies, we had the chance to chat to him about photography. compagnon: Karlis, welcome to us. We were recently browsing through some photo collections and realized that photography and the styles you see in it have changed a lot in the masses. What about yours?

Karlis Kalnins: For me personally, a few terms and keywords have a certain priority: I want my photos to be authentic - unposed and close-up. That the moment is conveyed to the viewer as if they were there themselves and that people not only recognize themselves in the pictures but also feel good about themselves. I try to resist photographic trends in order to keep the pictures timeless.

compagnon: Timelessness is not an easy quality to achieve. What tools do you work with? There's no camera hanging around your neck at the moment, which means you don't always have one with you?

Karlis Kalnins: Yes, of course. My iPhone is always with me. It's actually the best camera, precisely because it's always with me. For weddings and other jobs, I use my Nikon equipment, consisting of two D750s, various fixed focal lengths and a few special lenses. But I always have this equipment safely stowed away (in style) in my compagnon bags *wink*

compagnon: When we had Johannes Becker as our guest a while ago, one of the young, wild Instagram heroes, we were amazed that a fresh talent had found his way to photography through an iPhone. You've been in the art world a bit longer, haven't you?

Karlis Kalnins: Today, it really seems to be the entry point for many young people. I took my first steps back then with an analog SLR camera and countless slide films. I photographed such earth-shattering things as bridges and lighthouses... they don't run away from you either. *laughs* When you talk about it, you can literally see people yawning everywhere. But at the time, that was my enthusiasm par excellence. Today, that camera is still in my office and the photos are somewhere in the attic.

compagnon: Times change and so do you, as they say. Have you got over your bridge fetish by now? *laughs* Which motifs are particularly appealing to you today?

Karlis Kalnins: The motif is perfect when it triggers an emotion. It's no great secret that light, composition and moment together create a great photo. The technical perfection of a picture is of secondary importance to me.

compagnon: So the emotion of the moment inspires you to take a picture?

Karlis Kalnins: Of course. Everything is emotion. I also have a lot of photo books on my shelves by outstanding photographers who can inspire me with their personality and work. I get ideas for good compositions from films and series and learn a lot about storytelling. And music creates the right moods for me.

compagnon: This is shaping up to be a very in-depth interview. Now we're really curious to see what you'll say when we ask you about something you're particularly proud of!

Karlis Kalnins: I can't fill the word pride with content, but I am happy about our two daughters Maila and Liene - and of course that they are healthy. I'm also happy that I can do what I love best: photography. It doesn't feel like work and that is simply a wonderful gift.

compagnon: Speaking of wonderful, thank you for taking the time to chat with compagnon. We wish you and your family all the best and hope that, together with your leather compagnons, you can continue to capture numerous human compagnons in an impressive way.

All images were provided to us by Karlis Kalnins and are subject to copyright More from Karlis Kalnins can be found at www.karlis.de