If Creativity Could Speak: Erik Johansson

“Think beyond imagination and let it be a part of your picture”
Some people are talented but there are very few who are born with a sight forart. Erik Johansson is one such person. Born and brought up in Sweden, Erik was always interested in drawing. He got his first ever camera at the age of 15 but he was not so happy when he clicked pictures from it as he felt that the creativity involved in drawing is dying somewhere. And that’s when he thought, with the help of computer, to amalgamate the world of crayons with the world of lens and create something that astonishes the on-lookers.

Set Them Free

He never thought of photography as a career but after graduation he took up this line as freelancer and worked for corporates like Google, Adobe, Microsoft etc. He believes in inspiring and being inspired. Here is a small conversation that One World News had with Erik:

Are there any particular places on the globe where you’d like to shoot?

I had the opportunity to go to Iceland this summer to shoot a project. That was one of the most amazing places I’ve seen. In general, I really like cold west landscapes, places with a feeling of emptiness. I would love to go to Mongolia sometime.

How did you get idea of amalgamating different things in photographs?

To me that is the only way to do it. Realism is very important to me. If it doesn’t look realistic people won’t really be able to put themselves in the scene. I think it’s important that you feel that connection to the scene I create, regardless of how surreal it might be.

Fisk

So, how do you add in these effects to a particular picture?

It’s really just about trying. Always ask yourself “what would this look like if it actually would have been photographed?” I don’t use any magic techniques in photoshop, it’s just a stack or layers blended together using layer masks and adjustment layers.

As an emerging artist, share the challenges you’ve faced in your journey. Which project would you consider your toughest challenge ?

Every new project is a new challenge. I love challenges but to me it’s also very important that I don’t take on a job that I don’t think I can satisfy the client with.

Cut and Fold

Have you ever been to India? Do you see India as a market for your services in the coming years?

I actually haven’t been to India yet but I would love to go. It would be fun to shoot some personal work in India but I would also love to come for commissioned projects. The most fun with this job is that all jobs are different just like all the people I meet around the world.

Breakup

In your opinion, how much has technology influenced the world of creative arts today? Do you feel the growth of involvement of technology is a boon or a bane?

I think it’s just a great time to live! Things are moving so fast and there is so much innovation going on all around the world. We should all embrace technology and what is about to come. Drone photography for example, will change a lot, you will be able to place yourself in completely new perspective for a fraction of the cost of renting a helicopter or plane and the technology is still getting cheaper and more accessible. The technology is just the tool; in the end what matters is what ideas YOU can come up with.

Apart from photography, do you indulge in any other creative activity?

I play some guitar and nowadays quite rarely, I draw. As a kid I loved playing with LEGO and drawing and I think that is where my interest of creating something different begun.

Go your own road

What kind of music do you listen to?

Music plays an important part of my life and I always work while listening to music. As far as the choice or likes and dislikes in music are considered, the kind of music I prefer listening to can differ. It can be quite mixed, but as I live in Berlin it’s quite a lot of electronic music.

Justice, Daft Punk, SebastiAn, Kavinsky, Soulwax, Breakbot, Busy P, Röyksopp, Mr. Oizo, bob hund, White Stripes …to mention a few.