#onchain
About this series
The work of dubhz0 is a continuing study in photography capture and often not immediately evident. He searches for artistic beauty, but intentionally without heading into the oversaturated and immediately 'likeable' but often superficial 'beautiful images' that are so visually accessible on social media. Satellite Forecast by dubhz0 is an abstract fine art diversion into scale, perception, seascapes and the environment, captured in black & white.
Interview
To start, can you talk a bit about your background as photographer?
First off, I am entirely self taught. After having received my first camera, a little Ricoh AF at around 13, I always just seemed to have a camera with me growing up. As I studied and traveled I just kept quietly observing what I saw that interested me, which was mostly architecture, due to the nature of that being my professional education. Moving into architectural photography felt like a very obvious, although massive, leap into the world of commissioned photography.
Can you talk about what brought you into the world of NFTs?
It took me some time to get into crypto and then more time understanding NFTs, I’ve been on Twitter for years but setup a fresh account and made an attempt to dive deep into NFT Twitter to try and understand the space and specifically its relationship to photography, art and the Metaverse.
How did you first begin to develop your unique style?
I find I dislike the term ‘style’ I think the outcome of an image or series should be directly related to the message you are trying to portray through your work - with a particular body of work. Whether that means shooting in color on an iPhone or with an old film camera to me is irrelevant. That said, I prefer the honesty of natural authentic photography over hybrid over/photoshopped images. True photographic art for me is to create art through patience, light and message. Compositing etc definitely has a place, but then I feel it becomes digital art and not pure photography…
Can you tell us more about your series Satellite Forecast. How did it start, where did you shoot it and how long did it take?
I’m going to ignore how, where and when questions, and rather talk to why? My photography is generally an observation on the environment, however with this work I specifically wanted to create something that was highly conceptual, visually abstract (artistic) and timeless but also simultaneously had a broader appeal to the NFT audience than let’s say more highly niche theoretical work.
I wanted a set of work with mass appeal that would still be relevant years later after the ‘pretty postcard’ photography in this space reaches its shelf-life. The work has received some wonderful support and compliments in the space, so my hope is worth more exposure comes more resonance and understanding of its place.
Reducing the power of water to black and white makes it an even more stronger series than in color. One can literally feel the strength that is behind nature forces and getting rid of the color makes it appear like an abstract painting. Was that what you had in mind or was your intention totally different?
Yes I wanted to create work that felt painterly and artistic at the core, that specifically played a game with perception and scale. The leading image, of course, at first glance appears like a very high up satellite image, yet is in fact ocean foam. Other images are less abstract but probably have a broader appeal. I wanted this set of work, to be at base level–the sort of generic art that most people would feel comfortable placing on the wall of their living room.
With a background in architecture photography, how much preparation do you put into taking a photograph/series of photographs?
Preparation is essential. Both practically and conceptually. As you are often working with clients you need to get it right first time and this pre-shoot preparation is a fantastic grounding for approaching personal work.
You are preparing a new series titled Bad Lands - what's the scoop?
Bad Land took a while to conceptualize, it’s perhaps a more personal and introspective body of work and combines observational work created across many years…not quite ready to scoop scoop but keep an eye on my Twitter!
Artist Bio
Dubhz0 is a photographer exploring the intersection of architecture and environment. Ex-architect. Ex-architectural photographer. Widely published on-line and in print.
He has been featured on over 50 international book covers and his early conceptual work has been featured in group exhibits for example at Hype Gallery, Palais de Tokyo and the art of love exhibition at the Bargehouse/oxo gallery.
Photographer: dubhz0
Twitter: @dubhz0
Foundation: dubhz0
Photos copyright dubhz0
DRAWLIGHTS | 1/1 – one post/one photographer, weekly. Off-chain and on-chain. By Peter Nitsch, lens-based artist, a member of Jenny Metaverse, RawDAO and lifetime Member of the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand.
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