Olaf Korbanek - Portrait & people photography

Olaf Korbanek was born in 1970 and is a photographer from Rheine/Westphalia, Germany. Often using an open aperture and natural light, he explores the diverse world of portrait and people photography. Olaf likes to play with light and shadow. He often prefers a dark, even mystical mood in his images. He is particularly fascinated by photos that only reveal themselves at second glance, once you get involved. The most important thing for this likeable photographer is that the people in front of his camera are valued and not objectified.

Olaf challenges the idea that it is only the images that matter. He stresses that the creative process is as important to him as the final product. His passion for photographing people is based on experiencing positive emotions during the creative process. He values the fruitful exchange with the people in front of the camera, which creates trust and connection. According to Olaf, his photographs do not tell stories, they do not show the soul of the person portrayed and they are not intended to evoke hidden emotions in the viewer, nor is that Olaf's intention.

He appreciates the complexity of photography and is always discovering new things by playing with ISO, aperture, framing and composition. Olaf loves experimenting as well as the cheerful, appreciative flow of a shoot, where ideas are born and mistakes can lead to great images. He finds the opportunity to get to know other people great and enriching.

Olaf is often critical of his photography and finds it difficult to be labelled an artist. It's strange to him. One quote makes it clear why: "I really liked going to school, whether it was science, history or maths, I was interested in everything. I just hate art and music! He prefers to describe himself as curious, inquisitive and creative rather than an artist.

Nevertheless, Olaf exhibits his paintings internationally. For example, his works were exhibited at the renowned "Annual Dutch Art Fair", one of the most important art fairs in Europe. In 2023 he had an exhibition in a not entirely unknown museum in Paris, the Louvre - some of you may have heard of it ;-).

[ Text 10Photos ]

10Photos says: Even though Olaf doesn't consider himself an artist, his pictures are unique, fantastic works of art. Everyone has probably asked themselves the question "What is art? We don't really have an answer, but we do know that it's not up to the "artist" to decide. We are sorry Olaf, for us and many others you are an exceptional photographic artist. You don't want to tell stories with your pictures, but when we look at them, we discover them anyway. They may not correspond to reality, but our imagination is stimulated and feelings, including strong emotions, are released. For us, this is art at its best and we are more than enthusiastic about the pictures. Not only because of the creative ideas, but also because of what they trigger.

A word about the gallery images on 10Fotos. Olaf has decided to only show photos taken in collaboration with the charming and very creative Luise Lanze (@luise.lanze) entstanden sind. Die beiden arbeiten schon lange intensiv zusammen und kennen sich bestens. Das Ergebnis dieser "Beziehung" ist nun hier zu bewundern und in einem fantastischen picture book.

More information and photos of Olaf Korbanek on Instagram @olaf_korbanek and its website www.olaf-korbanek.de.

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Model in this gallery: Luise Lanze (@luise.lanze)

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