He is Pig Magazine‘s photo editor but he also takes a bunch of beautiful photographs in his own right - photographs that are a blend of spontaneity, calm and intimacy. Piotr Niepsuj composes his pictures with great skill as regards cut and use of colour, always managing to convey a feeling of respect towards his subjects and participation. We have three words to describe Piotr Niepsuj: good, good, good. (Interview by Maurizio Di Iorio)
Hi Piotr. We know you are of Polish descent: where were you born exactly and how long have you been living and working in Italy?
Ciao! Yes, I was born in Łódź, which is a big city just in the middle of Poland, but almost nobody has ever heard of it. I moved to Italy 6 years ago, initially for one year only (Erasmus programme) but then decided to stay here for longer. I continued to study (architecture) and almost 4 years ago I was ‘adopted’ by the PIG crew and started working there, beginning as an intern and being a photo-editor now.
I think that Eastern European photographers are expressing the most interesting photography now around. Maybe I’m partial – since I’m a big fan of the photography produced in Russia, Bosnia, Ukraine and Poland – nonetheless these countries’ creative ferment and language is nowhere else to be found. What is your idea about it?
I think people in Eastern Europe feel like proving to the Western World that that are not any worse, so they work twice as much, try twice as hard and seem to be so much devoted to the matter. This of course brings results, in any field, not only photography. What’s more, Eastern Europe looks often more ‘exotic’ to an old-EU citizen then any part s/he knows. This helps too.
In which moment of your life did you realize you wanted to be a photographer and what was your journey?
I started liking photography after a course in first year of university I did in Poland. It was held by Marek Janiak, who is one of these controversial Polish artists from the 70’s and who showed me the world I hadn’t known before. Then, when I came to Italy, I started a photo blog, just to keep my friends back home updated about my life. One day, when I was already working at PIG, Sean (Beolchini) who was photo-editor back then, saw it and gave me my first ‘real’ camera saying that I’m good. It started all then and thanks to Sean. Everyday I was more and more into photography and now I’m almost sure it would be nice to become a photographer one day.
Yours is a discreet photography, where the absence of the artificial is evident – without renouncing to an enquiring subjectivity. How much do you visualize in advance what you’re going to shoot and how much do you simply rely on things as they are?
There is hardly ever anything set up in my pictures, I shoot things as they are. There is always a camera in my pocket and it is more fun for me to catch these moments, rather then construct them. Even when I take portraits for PIG I’m always saying to the person I photograph ‘please be comfortable’. I might give him/her some idea what to do or where to look, but nothing is really forced. Then there is post-production and Photoshop magic (yes, I use it), but this is about details. I’m (almost) an architect, and there are some veeery little things that annoys me veeery much and that nobody else would ever notice.
According to László Moholy-Nagy ”genius in photography consists of offering an objective portrait so that the result won’t be by cluttered with subjective intentions”; on the contrary, for Dorothea Lange ”every portrait is the photographer’s self-portrait”. Which of these two ideals do you feel closer to, and why?
If I got them both right, it’s somewhere in between for me. It would be perfect if doing a portrait was like a collaboration between photographer and person photographed, so that there is presence of both of them in the picture and you can understand something about the subject and see who is the photographer. Such shoots are most fun but it is not always working like this.
How much of predatory is there in your photography and how much of innocent?
You mean predatory like chasing / waiting for a victim to take a picture of ? In this sense there is none. It’s just about being in right place on a right time with your camera ready. However lame it could sound, it’s innocence only.
Are there any subjects that you absolutely avoid to photograph?
I wouldn’t shoot poor people, beggars or homeless in the street and would also avoid hospitals, blood, bruises and wounds. Then, bad taste is another thing that doesn’t interest me too much, and the list could continue…. Naturally, I’m so much better at shooting things I like, and good part of these is on my second tumblr.
Let’s talk about your job as photo editor for PIG – a magazine that takes great care to look for emerging photographers. As regards the choice of authors and their language, tell us in what you guys at PIG are different from your competitor, VICE.
I wouldn’t say VICE is really a competitor. It’s a different kind of vibe. I mean, we might have the same target and work with the same photographers but the editorial choice is completely different. I respect VICE for everything it did for the contemporary photography (I’m almost sure it wouldn’t be the same if it hadn’t existed) I do read it, or at least flip it through, and digging the slight change of direction in photography they made in recent years. They are keeping it fresh and it all makes sense and that’s most important. I’m just hoping to shoot for them one day…
Name two up-and-coming Italian photographers that you think deserve attention.
First would be Luca Campri, without a doubt. He is a good friend of mine and I have been following him for quite a long time and he is getting better everyday. He just needs to get more organized. Second one that comes to my mind is this guy, because I have just recently gone to his show and remained pretty impressed by big plotter prints of these photos. But there are so many talented friends (and not only) I should name here…
Do you enjoy doing fashion shoots or would you rather avoid it?
Mixed feelings about it. I dislike most of fashion stories I see around, like big fashion. They are all the same and there could be so much good stuff made in this field. Maciek Pozoga is good example for this. His shoots are more than just fashion, he has a strong vision of what he wants to show and there is always a story behind it. Fashion shoots like this are challenging, but these are the ones I’m into. Shooting sexy girls might be more fun and definitely sells better but it’s often repetitive and I’m not any good at it.
What does your equipment consist of?
It’s just a regular stuff that almost everybody use and includes the big Contax family, Yashica T4 and Olympus Mju II, which is undoubtedly my favourite one. I don’t own any digital camera, not yet.
Describe me your ideal day.
My ideal day is when I’m working. Doesn’t matter if it’s shooting, editing, retouching, making layouts, doing a research or anything else, I need to have stuff to do, otherwise I tend to get lazy.
Do you have any new projects that you’re working on right now?
Nothing really connected to the photography… I am looking for new jobs and will try to finally get my architecture degree in September. Of course I have some new projects in my mind, but it’s way too early to talk about them. I feel like starting printing my pictures.
