Vlore to Himare to Tirana

Featuring Richard Kovacs Words by Nastasia Khmelnitski

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Richard Kovacs is a London based photographer. He graduated from the University of the Arts in London. Richard specializes in fashion and documentary, while also creating for commission projects. The distinctive and unique perspective evolves around experimenting and exploring the technical aspects of photography. The aesthetic is captivating, dramatic, and somewhat gloomy with the strikingly vocal atmosphere.

The atmosphere accentuates the contrasts and plays a critical role in affecting the emotional perception of the work. In this interview, we speak about the recent series that took place in Albania.

‘I just bought a new camera before the trip, so I wanted to try it out.’

Hi Richard, tell about the ‘Vlore to Himare to Tirana’, what did it start from and how did it develop?

Well it was not a planned project before I went there, I was on holiday there, and I just bought a new camera before the trip, so I wanted to try it out. I took pictures every day, and after the trip when I was looking at the images, I noticed some common things in them, started editing and I thought it could make an interesting series, so I started to work on it.

From the technical aspect, you experiment with shooting in the dark, black and white images, and inverting colors. How does this technique evolve for you?

Yes, experimentation is essential for me, that’s what makes it exciting. There are some techniques that I use frequently nowadays, in terms of shooting and editing as well, so one thing just comes after the other, and it naturally develops itself.

In ‘Vlore to Himare to Tirana’, what place did editing and post-production take? How did you approach it?

Post-production is an important part of my work, that’s where the images take their final shape. There are so many tools to experiment with in post, so why not use them.

If the project would be accompanied with music, what album or song do you think would be the closest to the feelings that emerge while looking at the photos?

Probably something like Dreadnaught by Hefty, or The Big Dream by David Lynch (Moby Reversion), or In the City by Chromatics, or Destinations by Gesaffelstein.

‘Albania is an interesting place in itself, it’s quite different than what people think about it before going there. Nature, coastline, and beaches are very beautiful and pristine, and there is a big contrast with the cityscape and the more run-down, rural parts of the country. The series also builds on these ambiguities and contrasts.’

Atmosphere-wise what is the feeling you try to evoke with the viewer? How can it assist in understanding the series?

I’m not really trying to make the viewer think or feel something specific, I don’t want to force them into something. It’s more like that I’m showing them an impression that I had, and everyone will understand it differently according to their experiences and background.

What inspires you?

Experiences, films, places, art, music. I see a lot of things and then at a point an experience will evoke an idea, and that idea will develop based on what I have seen before, and then it all merges together with my style and taste, and it goes on.

What’s next? What are your challenges for 2019?

I have several ideas that I would like to develop this year, many projects to be realised. I will continue experimenting, trying out techniques, traveling and learning new things, and doing more moving image.

What’s next? What are your challenges for 2019?

I have several ideas that I would like to develop this year, many projects to be realised. I will continue experimenting, trying out techniques, traveling and learning new things, and doing more moving image.