Lukasz Wierzbowski

How beautiful and original are these photographs! This is one of my favourite shoots to date and you can see why. I really enjoy the various and unique compositions both of the space and the models. There is no direct attention to the models faces which allows the colours and prints to take centre stage. I must attempt to emulate this myself! Just brilliant, well done Lukasz. 

Below is an interview with the photographer himself and Urban Outfitters:

We gave you a selection of our Spring/Summer prints collection 

but what's your favourite season and how does it affect your photography?Spring. I love this freak-like energy kick it gives. Everything becomes vivid again. As days become longer I just spend everyday outside taking photos.

Tell us a little bit about the locations you shot in for the photo shoot…

Family and friends' apartments, parks, woods, and gardens. I wanted to try a few spots I found recently, as well as rediscovering a few places I haven't been for ages. I very much enjoy finding lovely spots in the parks or city areas. I guess that's why every session is unique and funny, as I don't usually plan the details of the shoot in advance.

You took some of the photos at your parents' house and we love the decor!

Is it a true representation of a typical Polish home or is it just your parents' style?Thanks! Over the years I kinda persuaded my parents to preserve the old-school type of interior design. I find old polish apartments extremely inspiring. The colour pallet, style, and fabrics; it's almost breathtaking. Nowadays all Polish apartments look pretty much the same, very modern and very boring. Sometimes I wish I could live in the '60s and '70s just to spend time in various interiors.

Is that a photo of your parents on the wall?

This particular photo was taken in an apartment of a 93-year-old lady called Stasia. She is an old family friend and one of the most fascinating people I have ever met. Her storytelling ability stays truly unbeaten. In the photo I took you can see her wedding photograph.

You have a degree in social psychology. Do you think studying people's thoughts,

feelings and behaviour has had a dramatic effect on your photography?Definitely. It helps me to communicate certain ideas more clearly. Recently I got interestedin the psychology field of Neuroesthetics, which tries to define the way the human brain reacts to art.

All your photographs seem to capture the in-between moments of a model in motion. What attracts you to these unconventional poses?

I like the feeling of these uncontrolled situations, certain moments in time when everything looks more natural but also confusing in a way. It makes all the captured situations a bit more unexpected. At first it seems rather strange for a model that is used to the regular kind of posing, but after some time she stops playing this role and shows her real personality, and that's what I'm attracted to.

For a period of time you worked on project "Picture Shop" where you only shot the shapes

and patterns of Polish architecture. What made you swap back to photographing people?I guess I was always fascinated by Polish architecture coming from a certain era, especially patterns and shapes made of concrete, steel and glass. With "Picture Shop" I wanted to try something I've never done before and see how it works for me. At first it was great, I was traveling all day long looking for little gems, but after some time I started switching more and more into photographing people. It has just happened in a sort of natural way and "Picture Shop" will stay as my little monument of that fascination.

A recurring theme in a lot of your photos is to hide or obscure the models' faces.

Was this a conscious decision or the result of natural evolution in your work?My photography is very much based on the relationship between model and the surroundings, which creates a balance of equality between these two. The human face very often becomes the center of attention and steals the impact of the composition. Hiding faces is like setting my own rules of the interaction.

Do you think this adds to making other elements such as locations,

clothes and patterns more prominent?The active use of space gives great possibilities of playing around with all these elements. As a result the viewer starts to notice more details, something not necessary visible at first glance. It's a bit like looking for clues and finding surprises - a game I like to play with the viewer.

Do you have a motto or rule that you conduct all your work by?

"Less is more"