There is another interview with me on www.mykreativci.blogspot.com. You can read it in czech-slovak language there or English version I tried to translate here. Thank you very much Linda Bergerová who sent me these lovely questions and which were so much fun to answer!
Every creative person soak an art brush to own soul to pain a little piece of self. Sometimes art is part of shadow we carry inside, little secrets, rejections but sometimes also full color palette where you can find sunny yellow, carrot orange or sky blue. That´s what we will talk about with Lucie Kout today.
Lucie Kout photo by Ondrej Kout http://ondrejkout.deviantart.com/
Hello Lucie, welcome on "My Kreatívci" blog, take a seat, fasten the seat belt, we take off :). Who is Lucie Kout, where are you from, what do you do and why?
Hello, I guess I won´t say anything new. I am photographer and retoucher from Budweis (Czech Republic) and I do this because it seems like I am able to do it well and I like it. There is no magic behind it :-).
You make photography for living, how does you typical day looks like? What are pros and cons of being full time photographer?
My day starts slowly :). I begin with attempt on waking up (usually around 8 a.m. but I don´t score at this), then coffee, reading RSS and then, in inexplicit hour, starts my work which ends late in the night. Can´t say there is something like a plan. I don´t respect weekends, I work all the time. Even when I am not doing commercial work I am working on something personal. Once I start working I have a problem to stop. Pros are relative freedom, you can work whenever you want (but it doesn´t matter because I work always), you can leave for couple days, make your own business and there is nobody above yelling. Disadvantage is wating for money, if client pays you. That´s uncertainty you have to live with. Other cons are aching back, eyes, carpal tunnel and fundamental lack of sun :-).
Often it´s said it doesn´t matter how much talent you have but how well you know to sell yourself. How much money influences art? Do you see internet as a key marketing tool for artists? How do you present your work and get it to subconsciousness?
It´s not actually truth that talent doesn´t matter. It should be combination of both. Money can be an instrument or goal. Sometimes you create things to pay bills and sometimes because you want to say something. Combining both is ideal. Internet is great tool for presentation. In a fact it´s the only way we promote our work actively. It allows me to work with people across the planet. I assume add in local magazine wouldn´t do this for me. And Banksy´s Exit throught the gift shop nicely shown aspects of money in art. I can reccomend to watch it!
What is your opinion at photo industry in Czech Republic? If we compare Czech Republic or Slovakia with Paris, we still miss fashion shows, magazines, etc. How this affects photographers? Doesn´t they have an abmitions to go to the center spot?
I don´t really watch Czech Republic or Slovakia, I look for individuals their work impress me. Then I do not care if it´s Czech, Slovak, Canadian or Russian. Also work with people from foreign countries seems to be easier, they respect your work and gives you bigger creative freedom. "Our people" still have this need to control everything although they do not understand it. Great example is webdesign, the more animated banners, the better. That´s why they fail.
You beautify your photos with photoshop. How much can graphic software improove or completely rebuild and save bad images? It it important to photographer to have a such technical skills?
Resource, as best as you can reach, should be a base, always! Retouch is not here to save bad images but improove a good ones. It´s upon everyone to decide if to retouch or not or how much. I don´t really think it´s necessary to know photoshop, in a fact it´s enough to have a money and good taste and pass it to someone who can do it :). Of course it´s an advantage to know it because photographer knows what to want and what can be reached. I would try to avoid saving bad photos unless they are family treasures or you have another good reason. You can do a lot but not miracles. When it comes to photomanipulation, it´s a bit different thing. There are no tabus but even here skilled knowledge of editing goes hand in hand with improovement. When you have a good taste and do your job well, people handle a lot :-).
Do you have some other hobby besides photography? What would you do if you weren´t photographer?
I don´t know, probably something around media. I studied graphic desing but I never wanted to compose a typography for supermarket leaflets. Others can do this. I love drawing, jewellery making, I enjoyed sculpturing as well. I always had to do something creative, artistic. I don´t have much time for that right now but I like to go back to it, with a top view and better mood. My other great hobby are dogs, german boxers, so I guess I could be professional german boxer nanny or dogsitter. I have a braincells for it and gene which causes I don´t mind them slobbering all over me :). I like this combination of love to dogs and photography. I´d like to make a monography with boxer photos or maybe a serious publication if I ever meet someone who would be able to write such a special text.
Are there things you still learn or which scares you? Can photographer say once: "Now I know everything."?
Maybe someone else, not me. There are still things, techniques, connections, ideas that talks to me. Can´t say I am scared, I like challenges. What annoys me when gear fails or if I don´t get the result I wanted. I rather give myself goals then questions.
What are the most important aspects to create unforgetable photo? Is that gear or knowing a craft or aestethical feeling?
Definitely aesthetical feeling, you can learn the technique, buy a grear but if someone has no talent, it would be really hard to explain him why some composition sucks. If we talk about these unforgetable artworks, artists (I don´t like this word) sometimes does not even recognize they created something spectacular. At least I usually identify it from feedback :-).
What was the most important lesson you learned as a photographer?
There were more things I´ve learned but it was more personal. Simple principles. To be polite, humble, don´t judge, give a chance, share things, trust my instincts and close people. "All I need to know I´ve learned in a kindergarten.".
Do you prepare for photoshoots or do you leave it intuitive?
I prepare. I rarely do something bang off. Intuitive part comes when already working. It usually blow me somewhere a bit else than expected but it also usually works well.
Where do you get your inspiration from? What inspires and motivates you? Is that another artist, photographer, book or music? Share your success secret :)
Anything can become inspiration. The world around, social themes, feelings, reading something, watching others, associations originates without consequence and always when least needed. Music usually don´t work for me.
How does photography job affected your life? Can you detach it?
It has completely changed it :-). I don´t have typical Monday to Friday job. Sometimes I travel, sometimes I am at home, sometimes I meet new people, it´s a permanent facing a new impulses. I am so happy that I can make people happy. There were some great moments like when a lady made a cake with my photo on it when I came to her. It was soooo lovely. Or when people send me images of my huge prints hanging on the walls to share how nicely it looks. It completely changes a posture of work done to pay a bills.
Difficult topic: what opinion do you have on feedback? How do you take negative critique?
It depends how critique is handled. Speciality of Czech servers is stupid and peckish critique that should only hurt - I ignore such things. Also "this is great" or "cool" doesn´t talk to me much, it´s nice and pleasing but that´s all. And finally there is aconstructive criticism. I am grateful for it no matter if it´s positive or negative. There is only one Czech site I go to and comments there nicely ilustrates Czech nature. But I always have in mind, even big stupid and say a big truth.
There are many talented peple out there who would love to become famous photographers, what advice would you suggest to them?
I don´t know, probably: "Take images! Take images! Take images!" :).
What are you recently working at, what are your plans? What can we expect?
I just finish some commissions, write tutorials and articles, prepare some projects I have in mind. There are many things I work at but I don´t want to talk about it much until it´s done. Simply not always everything works well. But I am about to shoot one female bodybuilder, theme I will surely enjoy a lot. I also started retouching for other photographers not so long time ago. It´s a great experience to see someone else´s kitchen :). Some of them are great people, open minded, collaborations like that are pleasing me.
Last question: "To be or not to be? Mac or Pc? Canon or Nikon?" :-D
It´s nice to be. Related to others, can´t generalize, it´s about everyones preferences. I don´t have a problem to use both, Mac and PC. Both has advantages and disadvantages. I think of buying Mac Book Pro 15" i7 or maybe a new MacBook Air, depends on a bowels. Apple gear can stand my bad treatment and it´s a system I can serve myself. OS for dumbs. And because it would be working tool, hammer for photos, my demands are a bit different than for workstation. My workstation is PC and I am happy with it. Windows are steady and okay for work since Win7.
And Nikon vs Canon thing, I would be rather choosing between Hasselblad and Phase One. But for me, Canon is a winner. Nikon has a subjectively worse grain even on fullframe DSLRs. Can´t help myself but Nikon grain is a bit unpleasant. I also dislike Nikon menu :), it´s not bad, but Canon is more intuitive to me but I still carry a manual with me. There are too much settings there :). And related to cheaper cameras, it doesn´t matter what you get, they all sucks equally :). In a past I thought it´s a Sony speciality but now I see the greenish-yellow tint everywhere, in all labels :). A difference starts at fullframe cameras. I started on Nikon, then I used Sony and finally we got Canon. There is always something to improove but colors, grain and mechanical manufacturing satisfies me.
Thank you very much for a nice questions :)
Lucie Kout
