Inspiration
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Inspiration
April 13, 2016
Pavel Gramatikov: Abstract Photographer of the Year
2015 Stocksy Awards, celebrating the best in the biz. The Stocksy Awards celebrate photographers across twenty-one categories who produce truly outstanding work that not only takes our breath away, but pushes the industry forward. Visit awards.stocksy.com to check out our 2015 winners and the awards show video. Keep your eye on the blog for interviews with all our winners!
Food, lifestyle and still-life photographer Pavel Gramatikov, has a soft spot for vintage flea-market props, post-apocalyptic books, fresh ingredients and beautiful natural light.
Pavel Gramatikov had noticed the vivid colour of the wall and its juxtaposition with the harsh angles of the traffic sign months before snapping the image that would win him our Abstract Photographer of the Year award. He returned to the same spot on many occasions, patiently waiting for the light to cooperate with what he envisioned.
The result was well worth the extra effort, as it almost always is.
Pavel received his first film camera at the impressionable age of 10, but photography was little more than a hobby before he joined Stocksy. Now, his collection has grown to include a distinct but varied collection of lifestyle photos centred around food and the outdoors, garnering significant attention within the Stocksy community and beyond.
Pavel’s style was born out of his constant hunt for simple shapes and great light. His keenest interest — and one that clearly presents itself in his winning image and throughout his collection — is the relationship between light, colour and shape. Bright hits of colour often intersect with bold abstract shapes, cropped tight to emphasize form, never giving too much away.
Most recently, Pavel was the official photographer for a festival celebrating Scandinavian culture, using the opportunity to work on his videography skills, bringing the same keen eye for composition and detail found in his still-life photography.
With such a busy schedule, we asked Pavel what keeps him motivated to shoot and create:
“Other Stocksy photographers. Seeing the amazing content trickling down the latest feed is the biggest inspiration to me.”
Pavel calls being named Stocksy’s Abstract Photographer of the Year “a great responsibility and honour”, and credits his mother above anyone else for contributing to his success.
