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| comment | | "parent_author":"",<br>"parent_permlink":"dinokuznik",<br>"author":"lyfstyl",<br>"permlink":"journeytotheamericanwestwithdinokunik-q0edj4hrrr",<br>"title":"Journey to the American West with Dino Ku\u017enik",<br>"body":"<center>https:\/\/lyfstyl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/dino_kuznik_2019_08.jpg<\/center> <br\/><h4>New York-based photographer Dino Ku\u017enik organically finds his visual style through his frequent travels around the West Coast.\u00a0<\/h4>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dinokuznik\/\">Dino Ku\u017enik<\/a> is no stranger to surprises. In fact,<br> it\u2019s how he describes the day he was born in 1986 when he decided to \u201cshow up early to the party\u201d while his family was on holiday on the Croatian island of Mali Losinj. He grew up in the bordering state of Slovenia,<br> which eventually won independence in 1991. Like most new nations,<br> Slovenia had a real lack of national identification at first,<br> and the decade that followed is marked as an era of dramatic change and westernization. \u201cI grew up watching all these Hollywood movies and cartoons,<br> getting my music from MTV,<br> learning about skateboarding and snowboarding,<br>\u201d Dino recalls. \u201cSo I can kind of attracted to the American aesthetic by default.\u201d\r\n\r\n<center><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10003142\" src=\"https:\/\/lyfstyl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/dino_kuznik_sbtw_23.jpg\" alt=\"Dino Ku\u017enik - LYFSTYL\" width=\"1200\" height=\"959\" \/><\/center><br\/>\r\n\r\nBeyond the constant bombardment of images of Green Day,<br> Britney Spears and Daft Punk,<br> Dino was also exposed to photography from a very young age. He\u2019s been capturing moments since he was a child on family vacations and flipping through his grandfather\u2019s collection of National Geographic magazines that date back to the 60s. The Slovenian photographer looks back on these times alongside his grandfather with nostalgia,<br> as moments that have stayed with him and really sparked his interest in photography.\u00a0\r\n\r\nDino didn\u2019t really get serious with photography,<br> however,<br> until his college days when he bought his first-ever DSLR. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a very visual person,<br> so getting a camera felt like an extension of me,<br>\u201d he explains. \u201cIt felt natural and super exciting to me,<br> although my roommate at the time hated me because I was photographing everything and everyone,<br> all the time.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\r\nIt didn\u2019t take long for Dino to begin working as a journalistic photographer and at first,<br> he was heavily influenced by street photography. \u201cThe thrill of shooting something that scared me made me feel really alive and gave me so much satisfaction,<br>\u201d he explains. If you ask Dino,<br> however,<br> his evolution as an artist has simply been an organic progression based on time and place. He points to his time spent as a graphic designer,<br> which made him rethink the way in which he captures his photographs. \u201cI would describe it as \u2018OCD compositing\u2019,<br>\u201d says Dino. \u201cI\u2019m super aware of all the things in the photo and I\u2019m really precise with how I position them,<br> but I try not to get to the point of being sterile.\u201d\r\n\r\n<center><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10003143\" src=\"https:\/\/lyfstyl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/dino_kuznik_ss_18.jpg\" alt=\"Dino Ku\u017enik - LYFSTYL\" width=\"1200\" height=\"722\" \/><\/center><br\/>\r\n\r\nWhether he\u2019s documenting his personal road trips through the desert in his <i>Arizona Pastels<\/i> series or taking branded shots for Tesla,<br> Dino likes to think of his photos as a way to immortalize scenes that are aesthetically unique. \u201cI like to imagine that it\u2019s similar to being a painter,<br>\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s just that I position objects in my compositions by moving around,<br> not by actually painting them within the frame.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\r\nOver time,<br> Dino has carved out his own visual language,<br> characterized by sparse composition and muted colours for a soft look and vibe. Coming and going with what life brings,<br> the photographer decided to move to San Francisco. \u201cThat really was a stepping stone for my photography,<br>\u201d he recalls. Not only did it fulfill his influence of American culture,<br> but he really fell head over heels in love with the West Coast. \u201cWhen I moved to California,<br> my friends and I would always go on weekend trips and I always carried a camera,<br>\u201d says Dino. \u201cIt started there and sort of progressed naturally.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\r\nLiving and travelling through California gave Dino a completely different perspective on life than in Slovenia. He\u2019s always been drawn to the fleeting feeling of freedom that comes with the open road. Naturally,<br> his time spent in San Francisco tremendously shaped his aesthetic vision and it began to seep unconsciously into his photographs. \u201cI never think too much about it,<br>\u201d he explains. \u201cI just do it by feeling.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\r\n<center><img class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10003141\" src=\"https:\/\/lyfstyl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/dino_kuznik_2019_21.jpg\" alt=\"Dino Ku\u017enik - LYFSTYL\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1536\" \/><\/center><br\/>\r\n\r\nHis work often feels like a peaceful documentation of the American landscape and feeling,<br> something that greatly reflects his creative process. \u201cI\u2019ve fallen in love with the process,<br>\u201d explains Dino. Being immersed in your environment and alone with your thoughts can be very therapeutic,<br> and Dino\u2019s photos are ultimately a projection of his state of mind at the time. \u201cI really like the feeling of solitude when I\u2019m photographing in the desert or exploring a new place,<br>\u201d he explains. \u201cI get into this weird mode where I see so much stuff that I usually miss. It\u2019s almost like a meditative state.\u201d\r\n\r\nWhile he\u2019s now based out of New York,<br> which has its own kind of beauty and inspiration,<br> Dino finds himself often coming back to the American West,<br> something that\u2019s ingrained into his style forever. In direct contrast to the hustle and bustle of Manhattan,<br> Dino keeps his trips organic with a few markers on Google Maps and a great road trip playlist. \u201cIt usually helps if I\u2019m inspired by something,<br>\u201d he adds. \u201cNot necessarily always positive either. Sometimes good,<br> sometimes bad,<br> but I try to shape those feelings and inspiration into something good.\u201d\u00a0\r\n\r\nWhile the solitude and immersion that comes with freely roaming around and photographing along the way is a tranquil and therapeutic process for Dino,<br> it doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s rigid. In fact,<br> like his decision to move to California,<br> he embraces change. \u201cI don\u2019t like to get stale in life,<br> so I always like to experiment,<br> try new techniques and photograph different things,<br>\u201d he says. \u201cThe process of evolving something I love and hold so dearly is something that really makes me feel alive.\u201d\r\n\r\n<em>Words by Braeden Alexander \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dinokuznik\/\">Discover Dino Ku\u017enik work here.<\/a><\/em> <br \/><center><hr\/><em>Posted from my blog with <a href='https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/steempress\/'>SteemPress<\/a> : https:\/\/lyfstyl.ca\/journey-to-the-american-west-with-dino-kuznik\/ <\/em><hr\/><\/center>",<br>"json_metadata":" \"community\":\"steempress\",<br>\"app\":\"steempress\",<br>\"image\":[\"https:\/\/lyfstyl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/dino_kuznik_2019_08.jpg\" ,<br>\"tags\":[\"dinokuznik\",<br>\"infocus\",<br>\"photography\" ,<br>\"canonical_url\":\"https:\/\/lyfstyl.ca\/journey-to-the-american-west-with-dino-kuznik\/\" " |
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