|
Since graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute with B.F.A., Kovál has made a name for himself, photographing for such clients as Marie Claire, Loft, Cosmopolitan, Metropop, Planet, Dealer Deluxe, and Siwy Denim. Unlike the blurry sea otter, the German-born artist strives to maintain his clear intentions. "I don't want what I do to be just another job," he says, "but rather a conscious part of the way I live my life, that I share with others. The images I produce just document that." He spoke to altpick.com via phone from his home in Brooklyn. What made you go into fashion? When I was 19 I dated a fashion model and started taking pictures of her, and that started my journey and interest in fashion photography. After shooting fashion for about two years, I decided to further my studies in art and photography, and acquired my BFA degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. During that time I had lots of recognition in the art community. I received grants and awards, and had many national gallery shows. Later on, when I realized the art world was hard to sustain financially, I decided to pursue fashion again.
The influence of art in my fashion photography was a blessing and a curse. On the one hand it helped me realize my creative potential, to visualize, and to execute the imagery in my head. On the other hand it hindered the marketability of my work in a commercial world based on trend and commerce. My work was embedded with personal and political commentary that had no place in the world of fashion. It must be frustrating at times. How do you find the balance? In the past, I've come close to giving up numerous times, but I found personal strength through Buddhism, which I study, and it helped me gain a more balanced perspective. Now, instead of grasping at the impermanence of the fashion world, I strive to simply contribute my personal best. Is there one assignment you consider to be your big break? I don't know that I've had a big break, but I'd say in those terms that I've had small breaks when I've needed them. Times when I felt really low, I'd get an assignment or job that would tell me I'm on the right path. Everything in life contributes to where you are at right now. I'd hate to attribute that to a singular event. My first real fashion assignment was for a small editorial image that appeared in a now defunct Dutch magazine. Even though it wasn't a big deal in retrospect, it meant a lot. How would you define your personal style? Style is hard to define, so I'd leave that up to the observers or critics. I'd say my approach is about humor and darkness. A sense of the real with the unreal, if that makes any sense. Photography inherently is riddled with illusion and meaning, and I try to bring that out with more of a light hand than I did in the past. Whatever one gets or doesn't get from my work; I'm hoping the feeling of a certain sexiness prevails.
Just like most photographers and artists, my work constantly evolves. In the past I relied heavily on computer post-production, layering backgrounds into images to create impossible and surreal images. That is a technique that has become very common nowadays, and holds almost no artistic integrity any longer. Currently, I try my best to have the least amount of post-production necessary. I try to rely on the moment of the image, and that is getting me back to the roots of why I loved photography in the first place. There was a time when I started to give up film for digital photography, and I learned quite a bit from that transition of medium. Now I'm trying to shoot more and more film. There is a quality to film that you just don't get with digital. Even when the day comes when digital will emulate film or even exceed it, I'll probably still enjoy shooting real film. Who or what has influenced your career? Cartier-Bresson made me love photography. Avedon, René Burri, Salgado, Sally Mann, and all the masters that I studied while in art school. In contemporary fashion work, I like Vincent Peters work quite a lot, also Michael Thompson's. That could be the standard answer. But the biggest influence to my career would probably have come from my family, friends, and crew, who gave me the support, and continue to give me support when I need it most. Who would you most like to photograph? All the top models at any given time, all the great musicians, artists, and visionary thinkers. What would be the ultimate job? One day shooting a campaign for Puma, and then the next day shooting a Prada or Dior campaign. What do you do for inspiration? Take walks, read, sit in a cafe and watch people, fall in and out of love, and watch movies. But it's music that inspires me the most. In my head, when I listen to music, it usually creates a visual mental movie, which I can usually draw from. - Contributed by Mary-Beth Holland >> See more work from Peter Kovál >> See other member spotlights on the member spotlight index >> Find out more on how to become an altpick.com member |
