Pure landscapes by Frang Dushaj

I have been photographing for 5-6 years now and I am happy and grateful to have felt the same passion along the way. It’s a wonderful medium, which enables me to interpret feelings and experiences, present them visually and hope that they might evoke emotions in the viewer too.

Like many other creative people I am inspired by art in general and it’s impossible to name here everyone and everything, however I feel that there is balance and harmony within me between my instinct and what influences me. During work I do concentrate a lot on composition and finding that special light but not to the extent of becoming enslaved by specific rules or pre-visualization. I like taking my time and I really enjoy everything around the making of a photograph, from the searching of new places, the hiking and driving around to the post-process of the image. It is a great feeling to explore new places and many times I have discovered new potential ‘material’ while just being out with my children and not even having my camera with me. I do return to these places later on under the preferable weather conditions, often more than once.

Working mostly with long exposures allows me to accumulate continuos fragments of time, in other words what happens in front of my eyes while the camera is on. I find that this enhances the contrast between the static and the constant moving, in a sense recording and documenting time. It has often been said that photography is about capturing a moment, but this way of photographing is more about capturing a sequence of moments within one frame. I have never felt it’s fare to the image or the viewer to attempt a specific explanation of what a photograph is about, if there is any symbolism, what I mean by it and so on, I don’t even think it is possible. Art and beauty are subjective so it is totally up to the viewers interpretation after an image is finished.

On the other hand I can talk about the actual process, when I am out there photographing. We live in hectic times, everybody is busy, so many things to do so little time. Add to that the huge amount of information we are supposed to take in everyday and we find that words like calmness and meditation become very abstract and absent from our daily life. Though it is perfectly understandable that our way of living in society has a strong logic, I do believe that we need to slow down more often and really see the simple and beautiful things that surround us. Photography has helped me to focus more on these details. I am most relaxed and creatively inspired by being out in the nature. There is so much to learn about oneself even in total solitude. I think we can learn more about inner peace and how to balance our need of control. The wonders of nature can really help us to at least strive for these things, and those wonders are everywhere. I feel there is an equal tranquility to be experienced in a snowy landscape with an almost deafening silence to that of being up on a cliff and hearing the roaring of the sea.

Besides pure landscapes I also enjoy photographing cities and architecture in general, especially during the time of day when these places are quiet and free from traffic and people. Many times I am out early in the morning, just before the break of light or during dusk and night. I love these times of day, there is something contemplative and special about it.
These last couple of years I have had some publications and exhibitions both in Sweden and abroad. I have also been honored with some recognition in a few contests.
The time left for this year will be dedicated to more photographing at home and maybe one other photo-trip to a nordic country. So far a couple of exhibitions are planned for next year. [Official Website]