People with a singular way of seeing the world
The finest photographers, in the editors' view, are those who can capture a moment so compellingly that you want to return to it again and again. Their images astonish and move, opening our eyes to what we overlook in everyday life. Beauty surrounds us, and photographers prove it time and again.
Losko Magazine has brought together ten outstanding projects in which exceptional photographers share their vision. Industrial landscapes and sweeping vistas, austere geometry and abstract minimalism — it's all here. The images are varied, but they share one thing: the aesthetic pleasure you'll take in looking at them.
1. Salt extraction sites in surreal photographs by Emma Phillips
The photographs of Emma Phillips (Emma Phillips) capture salt-mining sites on the Nullarbor Plain in Western Australia — a mine where the familiar takes on an otherworldly appearance.
The landscapes, depicting towering pyramids in muted white tones, amount to a genuine study in abstraction and simplicity — an effect that only the finest photographers are able to achieve.
Emma favours images with as few distractions as possible. She stumbled upon the salt mine by chance, but immediately recognised the potential for this series, known as Salt.
2. A geometric world in the photographs of Lino Russo
Lino Russo (Lino Russo) is not only an extravagant method of braiding a long plait, but also the name of a graphic designer from Italy. Having grown up on the shores of the Bay of Naples, Lino spent hours gazing at the sky and daydreaming, until the word Skymetric took shape in his mind. The eponymous series of photographic images captivates with its curious fusion of sky and geometric measure.
The artist's series is defined by minimally honed images: simple elements and clean lines, harmony and a symbiosis of the natural and the industrial, carefully considered compositions and structures, and bold contrasts between the endlessly blue sky and the vivid variety of Italian architecture.
The locations that the artist turns his lens on share several qualities: they are schematic, pursue flawless symmetry, and play with the square at every opportunity. Lino sought to convey a dramatic escape from the intended context of architectural spaces, inviting viewers to explore the many possibilities of fresh interpretation.
3. Industrial landscape: a song of concrete and steel in the project Sites
Kai Caemmerer (Kai Caemmerer) — is a photographer with a Bachelor of Arts degree, based in Chicago, USA. In the project Sites, he turns his attention to the way the evolving industrial landscape of cities eclipses nature.
The photographs make clear that steel and concrete structures truly dominate the site, filling every available space. Nature, meanwhile, quietly and submissively yields its ground.
The colossal, boundless constructions cast something of a haughty gaze upon the very people who build and maintain them.
4. Architectural photographs by German photographer Kilian Schönberger
Colour blindness is no reason to abandon the ambition of becoming a professional photographer and producing remarkable architectural images. The German photographerKilian Schönbergerproved by his own example that this condition can be turned into a genuine strength. He simply stopped paying attention to shades of green and brown and focused instead on texture, developing in the process his own distinctive approach to processing images.
Kilian recently photographed the Stiftung Insel Hombroich project in the city of Neuss. The foundation comprises a museum spread across a site of 62 acres in total. Between 1982 and 1994, the sculptor Erwin Heerich built eleven museum pavilions on the grounds — structures he himself referred to as 'chapels'. Every image of the place draws the eye with its architectural clarity and geometric precision.
5. Living green hedges in photographs by Alexandra Davy
Living green hedges are at once remarkable and harmonious. 'Plants are part of nature, while walls are part of culture — they offer us a semblance of protection from outside eyes. Behind them, people conceal what they wish to hide from the world, yet present it in a different guise.' These words formed the founding idea of the photographic project Lignes Vertes, created by a charming young woman from France who goes by the stately name Alexandra.
In her photographs, Alexandra Davy(Alexandra Davy)seeks to capture the peculiar human habit of closing off and hiding away — as though everyone wishes to erect their own solid stone wall, even when the only materials to hand are simple living hedges. This transforms natural things, turning beautiful plants into something as unyielding as blocks of stone.
6. The distinctive landscape of post-Soviet cities
Post-Soviet architecture gives cities a singular character, and in the photographs of British photographer Roman Sakovich (Roman Sakovich) it feels especially atmospheric and truly unlike anything else, despite being images of perfectly 'ordinary' urban places.
An abundance of light and the clarity of every frame are what define the photographer's style above all else. Each shoot is also carefully thought through, which is why the results are so often striking.
7. Breathtaking Views by Finn Beales
If you love breathtaking views, you will fall for the work of Finn Beales (Finn Beales). His photographs enjoy considerable popularity among Instagram users. And with good reason: he captures genuinely stunning landscapes of the kind only the finest photographers achieve. Take one look at these images and, before you know it, you'll be packing your bag for a hiking trip.
Finn shoots not only for himself. His photographs are commissioned and used by many international brands.
Like everyone else, they are drawn to the cinematic quality and contemplative mood of his compositions. Every frame contains a whole story — and that only sharpens the curiosity, inspires, and captivates.
8. David Burdeny — St Petersburg and Moscow Metro Stations at Night
Would you like to see what metro stations witness in the small hours of the night? That opportunity came to Canadian architect and photographer David Burdeny (eng. David Burdeny), who created a series titled A Bright Future — New Works from Russia, exploring the remarkable underground architecture of Moscow and St Petersburg.
To obtain permission for night-time photography, the photographer had to wait nearly a year. The effort proved worthwhile, however, and the opportunity he was ultimately granted would have been the envy of the world's finest photographers. Over two weeks, David shot on empty station platforms, taking in the beauty of the interiors that date from the Stalin era.
In St Petersburg, David visited the Hermitage and also travelled to Pushkin and Peterhof. The photographer succeeded in conveying the atmosphere of opulence in the deserted halls, with their museum attendants — who, in the artist's own words, serve as a reminder of the achievements of Russian culture.
9. The Mental Space of the Environment, as Seen by Benoît Paillé
Mental space is a delicate substance. Its exploration is the concern of Benoît Paillé — an experimental artist from Quebec who searches for his own personal definition across every established genre of photography. He describes his work as belonging to 'hyper-realist' painting.
The series Visions digitises mental spaces, attempting to speak about humanity without depicting people directly. Benoît constructs an emotional self-portrait and enters into a symbolic dialogue with his surroundings, with former convictions and prejudices, reinventing himself and building his own manifesto of reality.
"When my eye, like a camera, focuses on an object, all the anxious thoughts that were previously terrorising my mind suddenly disappear. In this series I have made an attempt to let viewers feel that sensation."
10. Remarkable Architecture as the Subject of Matthias Heidrich's Interest
Matthias Heidrich — a 29-year-old photographer from Bad Hersfeld drawn to striking architecture, graphic design and the urban landscape. He is an admirer of Josef Schulz, Tim Hecker, drone ambient music, vinyl cover art and the play of light. His work is a genuine photographic journey into the world of beautiful forms and structures. He enjoys exploring the complexities of colour in minimalist architecture, following his unique and distinctly individual style and revealing an unfamiliar side of the Berlin that everyone thinks they know.
When Matthias goes out walking, his eye is constantly searching for patterns, lines, colours and various urban abstractions, with the aim of turning this assortment into something new — lifting it out of its broader context. "If I had to choose one place on Earth to photograph, I would choose the industrial districts of former Soviet countries. These places are full of extraordinary and strange architecture."
