With an impressive collection of black and white street and portrait photography, Luc’s work celebrates timeless, everyday moments in and around The Big Apple.
Being an avid traveller, Luc shoots many different people and locations expressing his creative freedom through various conceptual photoshoots.
Read on to discover more about Luc’s creative process and how he became a professional photographer in New York.
I like to employ chiaroscuro to make things less literal and more graphic. I also like using unorthodox lenses that allow for blur or light leaks. When shooting in black and white I like to evoke mystery via a film noir mood creating openings for multiple interpretations.
Luc Kordas
SH: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a visual artist?
LK: I am a photographer based in New York. My work focuses on portraits, fine art and street photography. I got into photography in my early twenties while living in London, initially experimenting with film photography. With my first digital camera came a sense of greater freedom, I started taking more photos and exploring different avenues from landscapes to portraits and some abstract creations.
Street photography came later when I first went to New York, where I later settled for a decade. I came to New York to become a professional photographer, but also just to photograph the streets. Last year I published my first monograph New York Unseen, which is a nice closure to my decade in New York.
SH: We love the portraits you take, especially the ones that lean more towards the conceptual side, could you talk us through your creative process?
LK: I have a very minimal approach to portraits. It’s always just me and the model, natural light or city lights and the city itself, nothing else. I like photos that tell stories, that leave room for imagination. That’s what I try to do. Show a different, lesser known side of the models, I want them to be surprised to see themselves in a new light.
In more conceptual work I like to employ chiaroscuro to make things less literal, more graphic. I also like using unorthodox lenses that allow for blur or light leaks. When shooting in black and white I like to evoke mystery via a film noir mood creating openings for multiple interpretations.
SH: We can see that New York has had a big influence on you, could you explain your connection with the city?
LK: I’ve lived in New York for a decade now, I moved here to become a professional photographer in 2014. Apart from portraits and landscapes that you can see in my Alamy collection, I’m also an avid street photographer who chooses black and white for all of his shots. New York is a paradise for photographers, especially street photographers, it is without a doubt the photographic capital of the world.
It’s definitely not an easy place to live, it’s the source of many frustrations and – being so huge – it wears people thin in the long term. But all that is annoying for me as a New York resident, is a source of inspiration for me as a photographer. That strange dichotomy is what has been feeding my creative process all that time. It’s a love and hate relationship, but a strong one, one that makes you do good work. The competition is strong and the city is ruthless, but there is certain beauty to that struggle. It’s not noble, but it’s very human. That tough love attracts me as a photographer.
SH: What is your favourite image in your Alamy collection?
LK: I went with this self-portrait taken in Patagonia/Argentina. It evokes an epic monthly trip during which I hiked 300km around the Argentine part of Patagonia. I love the colors and the scenery, but more than anything else, it brings the memory of an exhausting but rewarding hike to Loma de las Pizarras near Chaltén. The photo which marks a new era in my collection on Alamy – the introduction of drone photography. I fell in love with it a few years back, it gives me new perspectives, allows me to go to otherwise hidden spots but also makes the experience of photography more exciting and refreshing, sort of gamifies it a little.
SH: Can you tell us about your next big project and where it will be taking you?
LK: My next big project is moving out of New York, which is happening exactly in two weeks. After a decade of living here I am now returning to Europe that has always felt like home. I am curious and excited to see what turn my photography takes. New York will leave a big void in my portfolio, I look forward to seeing what takes its spot, what comes next.
To see more contributor spotlights just like this, make sure to follow us on Instagram or you could go ahead and explore more of Luc’s work by following his Instagram here, looking through his website here or checking out the rest of his Alamy collection here.
If this trip through New York has inspired you to go out on your own journey make sure to check out our top twelve travel trends for 2024 blog.