Kasia Nowak

You know those days when you determinedly set out, camera in hand, plenty of rolls of film in the bag and that perfect scene you spotted yesterday at the forefront of your mind’s eye?

And then you reach that very same spot, confidently set up – you’ve brought the right lens and even remembered the tripod – press your eye to the viewfinder…

…Only to find that Cursed Mother nature isn’t reading from the same script and has chosen today – of all days – to block out the sunrise…

…well, that’s pretty much how Kasia Nowak’s fantastic shot of the Wave Patterns on Habushiura Beach, found on the volcanic island of Niijima, Japan, was born:

“I love being out early in the morning when the sun is about to rise. This time, I got up early and was after a classic seascape but as the dramatic sunrise did not materialise I started looking for detail shots”.

And it’s a happy thing it didn’t. The stunning image gives the impression of an all together different time of day from when it was taken – low light in the absence of a sunrise intensifies the depth of detail in the wave patterns and as a result the focus is all the more striking. As Kasia puts it: “A combination of interesting light, composition and subject matter makes a great photograph.”

Based in London, Kasia travels abroad for almost a third of the year on photographic trips, where she carries up to 10 lenses and a tripod at all times. But that’s not to say inspiration can’t be found closer to home:

A finalist in the People Category of the Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year 2007 competition, this shot of a student reading was taken in the quad at Christ Church college, Oxford, UK. “There are so many subjects out there that are just asking to be photographed”, says Kasia, and this one is certainly no exception. Taken from a viewpoint where only the student’s legs can be seen, it makes for a memorable composition and poster-perfect image.

As someone whose style is concerned with graphic compositions and interesting light, it’s no surprise that Kasia found herself atop a cliff when the moment came to capture the pier at Hastings.

A subject matter such as this, where a proper contrast is of paramount importance, is a situation where there’s just no substitute for film. And Kasia’s stock of choice is Velvia 100: “some stuff simply looks better on film, for example sunsets and sunrises… …I love Velvia 50 for its fine grain, contrast and saturation but I often need that little bit of extra speed that 100 ISO film offers.”

Kasia’s inspiration comes “in the beauty of the surrounding world, both natural and man-made.” And this shot crystallises the two perfectly. The sharpness of the silhouetted pier, stretching out in just the same fashion as the dusky cliffs of the horizon, sets a perfect stage for the shimmering sunlight catching a calm sea. Ok, so perhaps Mother Nature doesn’t always let us down…

Kasia is a semi-professional photographer who sells prints and stock images through various internet libraries. She uses the following equipment: Nikon F80, Nikon D700, Holga and Olympus Trip.

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