Perseverance, the right piece of equipment and an intrepid sense of adventure all add up to a promising future for this Slovenian photographer.
What’s hanging on your walls?
Posters from gigs by The War On Drugs, Shabazz Palaces and Japandroids, some maps of the places I've visited like Seattle, Tokyo and San Francisco and postcards from when I was in elementary school.
How important is the equipment you use to the quality and direction of your work?
It is kind of important since I feel that having a decent camera gives you the freedom to squeeze the most out of a subject or a theme. My first camera was my Dad's Canon AE-1 (which I feel is the quintessential ''my Dad's camera''), then I went digital for a while and now I'm back to analog with a Canonet, an analog EOS with some pretty decent L lenses and a Mamiya 645. And you can really tell the difference.
Is there a piece of equipment that you aspire to own or, alternatively, do you try an avoid that obsession with tools and products?
I think that most of us want to own a really good Hasselblad or a Leica but I wouldn't say that I'm obsessed with that thought. If I have money I usually don't hesitate when it comes to buying gear that I feel would significantly improve my overall enjoyment of photography. I'm really digging the aforementioned Mamiya. There's this whole different approach involved, it's great.
What was the last picture you took on your phone?
A picture of some larch trees up in the mountains. I live in the heart of the Julian Alps in Slovenia, which is really cool because I can basically go on short afternoon hikes if I can't be bothered to get up early in the morning. The camera on my Galaxy S2 is not the best though, so the snapshots I take are solely for personal use. I'd love to get a smartphone with a really good camera so I can use it as a point-and-shoot that I can actually trust.
The fact that everyone now carries some device that can capture a digital image with them most of the time – great for the discipline or devaluing of the art?
I don't think it's devaluing the art and there are some great smartphone images out there – so the former, I guess. Some people's VSCO grids are out of this world.
What are the best and worst aspects of what you do?
Taking a good photograph is really satisfying, simple as that. What I don't like is the business side of it. Getting features and work is sometimes really hard and the industry seems to favour people who are really driven and are prepared to do almost everything for almost anything.
Your work seems to be location-driven to some extent – what makes a great location and how do you find them?
I am an avid hiker and skier and I also climb and travel a lot so I usually just take my camera with me wherever I go. I think that what makes a location great is something that sets it apart from other similar spots. You have to look a bit harder for those places, but it's always worth it.
Do you buy/collect photo books (if so, favourite examples) or is that an outmoded context for a photographer of your generation?
I don't really buy photo books, I only own a couple. I'd love to, but they're kind of expensive. My favourite one is The Americans by Robert Frank. I still think that photo books are lovely objects, but there are so many great, well-curated art blogs and personal tumblrs that one isn't really missing much by not buying them. I really love what the folks over at Aint-Bad Magazine are doing.
What's the most difficult situation in which you've had to capture an image?
Nothing really comes to mind, probably being up in the mountains in winter while ski touring. I wouldn't say that those are especially difficult situations, but it usually gets quite cold when the weather is not sunny. I almost always have cold hands and you can imagine what my fingers feel like when trying to operate a camera in those conditions.
What’s been the biggest turning point in your career?
When I actually started taking half-decent photos. Things have been on the up since then. I think I wanted to do too much too soon when I first got into photography. My photos were all over the place and still I wanted to be featured right away. Obviously, nothing came of it and I just focused on developing my skills for some time and here we are now.
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