Marcin Kowalski is a landscape and astronomy photographer based in Kristiansand, Norway. His interest in photography began with macro photography, and now seascapes are his main subjects. Recently he has also been devoting a lot of attention to the field of night photography.
Marcin loves to visit the same places many times and capture the constantly changing moods of the landscape. He believes that people do not have to travel far from home in search of motifs, but can also try to explore nearby things. NiSi is glad to get his views on photography through this interview.
Z for Zoe and M for Marcin Kowalski
Z: Hi Marcin! It’s great to meet you! Firstly, could you share with us three random facts about you?
M: I am a landscape and astrophotographer from Kristiansand in southern Norway. Born and raised in Poland, but in 2007 I moved to Norway, where I have found a big passion for seascapes. I am quite an introvert person, and photography, for me, is a form of detachment from everyday life. Besides landscape photography, I was working with studio product photography, interiors, and 360-degree panoramas.
With NiSi V5 holder, Landscape CPL, ND (6 Stops), Soft GND (3 Stops)
Z: Do you still remember how you started taking pictures? Was there anything specific that attracted you to nature as a primary subject matter?
M: I always was close to nature. As a kid, I was growing up, surrounded by meadows and forests, and I was spending a lot of time in those places.
My adventure with photography began 20 years ago with macro photography. I was fascinated by this miniature world around us, and I spent hours with my first old second-hand SLR, photographing flowers and insects. Very quickly, however, it turned into landscape photography. I could not resist the misty mornings and the landscape carved with the beautiful early light.
With NiSi V5 PRO holder, Landscape CPL, Soft GND (4 Stops)
Z: Do you have a preference while shooting? What is your workflow like?
M: I really enjoy wide-angle lenses. I very often more easily find compositions in vertical aspect ratios.
I love rocky coastline, lighthouses, huge waves, and stormy weather.
When it comes to post-processing, I use Lightroom for basic adjustments, and the majority of work is done in Photoshop. I like to take my time with editing, and I very much enjoy the process.
With NiSi V5 PRO holder, Landscape CPL, Soft GND (4 Stops)
Z: What would you like people to take away from your work?
M: You see, I rarely travel far from home in search of places to photograph. Instead, I always try to explore what I have near me and show that there is a lot more beauty around us than we think. I always wanted to show that to people and encourage them to explore local areas and search for those unique wonders of nature.
Of course, it would be nice to be able to travel more. Still, not many of us can do that very often, and local areas can be an excellent place to spend time with the camera.
With NiSi V5 PRO holder, Landscape CPL, Soft GND (3 Stops), Soft GND (4 Stops)
Z: When did you start using NiSi filters, and why?
M: I bought a NiSi V5 Advanced kit in 2016. The filters I had been using that time were not that great, and I really needed a good set of filters. After some research, I find out that there are many very positive opinions about NiSi Filters. Tempted with the apparent high-quality products, I ordered the NiSi kit. From the first moment of opening the package, I knew that I had made the right decision. NiSi filters have fantastic quality, they are very durable and scratch-resistant.
With NiSi V5 PRO holder, Landscape CPL, Soft GND (4 Stops)
Z: Which NiSi products do you usually use in your work?
M: NiSi V5 PRO holder with Landscape CPL and Soft GND 16 (1.2) is my definitively most used combination. Also, I use NiSi Natural Night filter very often for my astrophotography.
With NiSi holder for Laowa, Natural Night filter
Z: Among all the photos you took with NiSi filters, which one is your favorite? What went into creating it?
M: This picture from my local rocky coastline at night is one of my favorites and was very challenging to make. It was an amazing experience to be there in total darkness surrounded by those seriously big waves. I was using a 12mm lens and needed to be very, very close to the water. During this 5-minute exposure, I hoped that any big wave would not drag me to the sea. I survived and managed to capture another 4, 5-minute exposure of the Milky Way from a slightly safer place with the use of a star tracker. On both exposures, I was using NiSi Natural Night filter, which helped a lot to reduce light pollution.
With NiSi holder for Laowa, Natural Night filter
Z: What excites you the most about the future of landscape photography? What do you find the most troubling?
M: I don’t like where social media is heading. Follow for follow, bots, followers farms. All this is so frustrating and destroys social media, which is a significant and important part of our creative life.
On a positive side, I think that the landscape photography community is much more open than before. Many people share their knowledge and editing techniques on YouTube and try to inspire others to connect with nature. This is a very positive thing because photography is not all about the pictures; it is more about the experience and connection with the surrounding.
With NiSi V5 PRO holder, Landscape CPL, ND (6 Stops), Soft GND (4 Stops)
Z: Any advice you would pass on to photographers just starting out?
M: Practice-practice-practice! Master exposure triangle and learn to operate your camera instinctively. Try to place yourself in front of many different weather conditions, learn to understand the light, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
With NiSi V5 PRO holder, Landscape CPL, Soft GND (4 Stops)
Z: What are your plans for the months to come?
M: As much as I enjoy dramatic, powerful seascapes, I would like to work more on subtle and minimalist compositions. I have a few ideas to work with, and this will be an excellent occasion to challenge myself to break up a bit with my beloved wide-angle lens.
(All of the photos were taken in Kristiansand, Norway)
