In a world where photography became an unnatural medium and where the search of the perfect image is worth losing reality along the way, it feels good to see photographs that remind us the real moments of life in their natural states. No hiding, no faking. Simple instants captured by the help of a camera without filters, without lies. And for Maks Eidelson, with the help of a film camera.
Maks is … mysterious. We don’t know much about him and he doesn’t allow us to see much either, but what he wants is pretty clear: live off his passion, which involves photography, video, design and music. Living in the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada, Maks draws his inspiration from the ocean and moments on the road. Always working on a new artistic project or on his creative agency, Danke Club, Maks is always on the move and full of surprises.
To satisfy our curiosity, we’ve asked him a few questions about what he’s truly doing in Vancouver and what inspires him in his artwork.
Photography, video, design, music… It seems like you’re doing it all! Can you tell us a bit more about you and your creative journey?
I’m a very curious person and have always been interested in all those things. Through my curiosity I surround myself with all the things that I am passionate about. I’m always exploring, asking questions and trying new things. So when you enjoy something enough and it starts to consume all of your time, then naturally things start to happen. Manifestation if you will. Music is an interesting one as it’s not visual, yet it’s an important sense that I think really brings everything together. It really helps set the desired mood, and whenever it’s possible, I always try to include it along any other medium.
I like the imperfections of film, the “mistakes” are beautiful. I find film has a lot more emotion behind it.
Your photos usually showcase the ocean, surfing or raw moments of your adventures. What do you want the viewer to feel when seeing your photos?
Stoked you hinted on the raw moments, as that is very much what I try to portray with my images. I try to evoke a feeling, a mood, or some sort of thought rather than simply going after a beautiful image. I don’t try to capture the “epic” shots that most other people do, I try to capture the moments in between.
Is there a specific reason of why you’re mostly using film instead of digital?
Yes—I enjoy the more the art aspect of photography than the commercial side. I’m still stoked on that feeling of being unsure when getting back a roll. I like the imperfections of film, the “mistakes” are beautiful. I find film has a lot more emotion behind it. It’s sometimes difficult to get exactly what you intend but that’s what makes it fun and worth doing—when you do, it’s way much more satisfying.
What’s the main thing you look for in a surfer or location when planning that perfect shot?
Unless it’s commissioned work then pretty much all my personal work is unplanned. I guess if I see something or I’m in a moment that sparks some sort of emotion then that is what I try to capture and hopefully the image portrays that same emotion. The same holds true in the water where I shoot a lot of black and white.
What’s on your last roll of film?
Haha, I have about half left in a point and shoot and another half in an SLR. I’ve been behind my computer quite a bit since a recent Baja trip. So probably just stuff around the city, nights out. In the SLR I have no idea, probably a few shots from an Oregon trip a few weeks back.
Do you have any creative goals you would like to achieve? Which ones?
I have a lot of dreams and my curiosity keeps adding to them. I try not to have too specific of goals as I believe that can sometimes be restricting. I’m working on a number of projects, some of which I can’t quite speak on yet. One is a photo book that I will be trying to get published that is about Mountain pioneering in Eastern Europe in the early to mid 70s. Another is a photo project I’ve been working on with my good friend Henry that we are hoping to make public this September. It’s all done on film and involves a lot of really dope people so stay tuned!
Why have you decided to become involved with Nouvelle Vague?
Because you don’t seem corporate and it’s nice to see people following through with their dreams! Stoked to see the issue!
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This interview is part of our series “The Digital Return” – a series of articles that present each contributor of our soon to be released digital magazine.
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