Found on Flickr: Eyal Golshani

This is another installment in our continuing series where we talk to photographers whose work we’ve appreciated on Flickr.

This week we feature Eyal Golshani.

cinemafia: Would you describe yourself as a landscape photographer to someone you’ve just met? Why, or why not?

Eyal Golshani:  It’s funny you should ask that. I think that in many ways I am still trying to figure it out myself. After doing photography for over three years I have come to realize that I really enjoy travel photography. To me this includes both landscape as well as people. Although I haven’t photographed as many people when compared with landscape, I do have a strong desire to shoot more street photography.

cinemafia: Do you feel that there is a different approach to photographing landscapes than there is to photographing people?

Eyal Golshani: The two couldn’t be more different. With landscape the whole process is very slow and requires careful planning and timing. I spend many hours researching spots for a potential shot – [it’s] always carrying a tripod and a remote shutter release with you, spending 15 minutes to set your gear for every shot, mostly at odd times, double checking you have the correct focus and exposure settings.

Photographing people (street photography) requires a different set of skills. You need to be able to see the potential for a good shot as things happen (aka the decisive moment). As such, you need to be able to think fast and change your camera settings while composing the shot. A lot of people rely on new camera technology to do a lot of this for them. There are a few masters of photography that have the ability to do this manually by knowing their gear and craft (some of the most famous Leica photographers come to mind). This is a skill I hope to possess one day – at the moment I am far from it.

cinemafia: I’ve noticed that one of the focal points in your work is texture. Not only do you seem attracted to it, but you pull it all the way to the forefront in your images. Do you feel that emboldening these textures enhances the way that your photographs are experienced by your audience?

Eyal Golshani: It depends on the subject. I think that it works quite well for subjects that have a beautiful pattern, which leads the eye through the image while keeping things interesting.

cinemafia: From your profile I noticed that you’ve only been working in photography for the last three years or so, correct?

Eyal Golshani: Yes, correct.

cinemafia: Before you began, did you have any other creative outlets? Also, do you think you would have become as involved in photography if the state of its technology (i.e., digital) weren’t at the point that it is today?

Eyal Golshani: I was always interested in doing creative things, but the reasons I became more involved in photography is because it gave me a creative outlet while still giving me an opportunity to use my engineering skills to understand the technical background of using a camera and what makes a good exposure.

cinemafia: Much of your photographic repertoire seems to stem from locations all around the US and around the world. Did you travel as much before you got into photography as you do now?

Eyal Golshani: I only started traveling in recent years after meeting my wife. I owe her most of the credit for my “travel bug.” Traveling more certainly had an impact on the number of exposures I am taking.

cinemafia: Do you find yourself traveling with the specific purpose of taking photographs?

Eyal Golshani: Yes (to some extent). I travel to places that I personally find very interesting. The fact that a place presents good photographic opportunities certainly comes into consideration.

cinemafia: Have you found that you practice your photography differently in other parts of the world?

Eyal Golshani: Absolutely. I always try to find out as much information as possible about the locals’ attitude towards picture taking. Also the gear I carry is largely chosen based on the location.

cinemafia: I would like to ask you to give some words of advice to other budding photographers. Do you think the type of gear they purchase is important?

Eyal Golshani: I could say it’s not important, but I would be lying. What I can say is don’t get too caught up with the gear, and most importantly, start off small and cheap until you figure out what it is you want to do. I am a bit of a gearhead myself, but I’m happy I started off with what you can consider to be an amateur camera and slowly upgraded as I got to know my needs. Most importantly, I spend a long time studying photos I like and learn more about my preferences and composition as a result. For that you don’t need an expensive camera.

When trying to figure out what gear to buy, ask yourself ALL of the following questions: What is my budget? What is the subject I mainly want to photograph, and is this the most suitable tool for me to do this with? How much weight am I willing to carry around? Am I shy about pulling an expensive/big camera [out] in public? Am I afraid it could get stolen? Do I have/am I willing to learn the skills needed to operate this gear?

cinemafia: Do you think post-processing software is important to the creative process, or should newcomers go al fresco?

Eyal Golshani: Very. It’s as important to me as the act of taking an exposure. This is where you really have a chance to transform your vision of the image into reality.

cinemafia: Why should anyone want to get into photography, anyway?

Eyal Golshani: It’s up to the individual to figure out; for me it was a creative outlet and something I can enjoy while traveling.

To see more of Eyal Golshani’s work, go here.

Interview by cinemafia.