All images by Jakub Polomski. Used with permission.
Photographer Jakub Polomski was born in 1985 in Poland. In 2005, he started out with photography and was originally inspired to work in the industry by National Geographic Magazine. Since then, he’s gone on to win many awards as a photographer.
“I borrowed a DSLR from a friend and then it began,” Jakub said. He grew as a photographer by posting images in online communities and getting feedback from others. Years later, he would get more into landscape photography and as the industry changed and grew, he got into drone photography.
We talked to him about photography and creating landscape images that captivate a viewer.
Phoblographer: Talk to us about how you got into photography. What made you get into landscapes?
Jakub: My adventure with photography began in 2005. It was very difficult time for me. I finished school, and I didn’t know what to do in my life. I had no plans for the future. While reading an issue of National Geographic magazine the simple idea came across my mind – why not to try taking pictures? So I borrowed camera from a friend. I began taking pictures around my hometown Cieszyn, and I really enjoyed it. I was reading about photography and learning myself. Since 2007, I have been awarded with many prizes and commendations in various photography contests. However after gaining National Geographic statuette for the first place in category “Polish Landscape” in 2010 I decided to make photography my profession.
Phoblographer: Moving from shooting landscapes to working with the totally new perspective from above with a drone is a huge one. It’s also tough on the culling/editing process. What was this like for you?
Jakub: Actually, that was my first trip with drone which I bought 3 weeks before. My experience with drone is rather short. However it is a really great tool. Photographing by drone in my opinion is more difficult. Mainly because composition is tough when the camera’s so high up. The second difficult thing is that you have to focus not only on photographing, but also on piloting drone safely.
Phoblographer: How did you go about scouting and choosing the areas first before you even began shooting?
Jakub: I was choosing route and locations by checking weather forecasts, by finding places where it’s the best chance not to rain.
Phoblographer: Talk to us about the gear that you use.
Jakub: Drone: DJI Phantom 3 Advanced (12 Mpix camera). Camera: Canon 5D III + 16-35mm F/4 + 70-200mm F/4.
Phoblographer: Lots of photographers have a “Eureka!” moment. During the shooting, culling and editing process, how do you usually know when you’ve achieved it? To be more specific, what to you makes for a photograph worth putting into your portfolio? What questions do you ask yourself?
Jakub: Selection is the hardest process for me. I don’t make it in one time. I view pictures several times in different ways to make decision about final selection and post-production.
Phoblographer: What do you think makes for better scenes personally: green landscapes or epic snowscapes? Why?
Jakub: Definitely I prefer snowscapes because I feel better in low temperature than in tropical locations.
Phoblographer: How do you go about gaining revenue from this type of work? And with that said, how much time is spent shooting vs networking, doing sales, marketing, social media, etc?
Jakub: Actually, I get proposals and inquires from different people and organizations. I spend a lot of time on replying to e-mails. Among marketing, networking, social media, etc. photographing takes 10% of my time.
