At CoinaPhoto we’re always keen to catch up with people who have a particularly interesting perspective on photography. You may have already seen our latest guest on the blog, Andrius Aleksandravičius, starring in Nikon’s latest advert ‘I am different’. Well, we were so intrigued by Andrius’ ‘Glass Ball project’ we caught up with him to find out what it’s all about.

So Andrius, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What do you do?

My name is Andrius Aleksandravičius, I live in Kaunas, Lithuania. For 4 years I have been working as a press photographer. In my spare time I am working on a few personal photography projects.

How did you get into photography? What made you want to share your own projects with the world?

I discovered photography when I was finishing high school. I always admired images and photography, whether that was in the press, on the Internet, or printed in books etc. The first step was buying a camera. I got a relatively cheap digital camera back in 2005. At the time, cameras were quite expensive so I had to choose the simplest one. But it was my first one and gave me a lot of joy.

Back then social networks were not that popular, particularly ones aimed at photographers. Then some photo-sharing sites, like Flickr were launched. I found it extraordinary to be able to live in a different part of the world and see what is happening in other parts of the world. That trend has really taken off now, with millions of images being uploaded everyday, giving you the ability to see more and more of the world. 
I decided that I should do the same. And now for 8 years I have been sharing my work with everyone I can online.

How did you acquire your photography skills?

Photography for me is an art of discovery, with Internet and books as my main sources of knowledge. By analysing images of other photographers, reading articles about photography on the Internet, about different kind of photo equipment and subtleties of using it, I tried to do the same or better with my camera. Of course I would always get the same problem – “I need a better camera, I need more lenses”. However, equipment is only one part of photography.

To notice, to look at things, which for us may seem ordinary or extraordinary from different perspective is another big part of photography. For me this is the most important part and I think about this the most when I am working. All photographers have a goal to acquire their own kind of perspective.
Every year my skills are improving. The goal of personal perfection and finding something new keeps me going.

The results from your ‘Glass Ball Project’ are great. Can you tell us a bit about the project and how your idea was formed?

The “Glass Ball Project” is another big discovery for me. Back in 2012 I noticed a kaleidoscope and inside it was a glass ball. The purpose of glass ball was to enhance the effect of light – the view was magical. I took it apart. I looked at the view out my window through the glass ball and it seemed very interesting to me. I decided to try to capture it with my camera.

That is how the “Glass Ball Project” had started. Even though photographs through a glass ball had been done before I to try to find my own view, a different one.

We took at look at your Nikon ‘A different perspective’ campaign video, how did the concept come about?

I was very pleased when Nikon noticed my work and decided to take a look at my “Glass Ball Project”.

The idea was to travel around Spain while capturing the most spectacular buildings and objects through the glass ball. It all started in Seville. There I was taking pictures of the town’s cathedral –Cathedral de Sevilla. It is a tremendous building, with many facades that all look very grand and majestic. After that we travelled through Madrid to Valencia. There we visited Museum of Science (Esp.: Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe). The architecture, shapes and reflections in the water of this museum looked impressive through the glass ball. Our next stop was a town called Morella. A town in the mountains with narrow streets and small buildings, which from a distance looked even smaller. It seemed as a huge castle in the mountains. Ultimately we came to Barcelona where I tried to capture sights and sceneries.

You spend a lot of time traveling, what’s your must have photography essentials when you’re wandering the globe?

Mobility is very important while traveling. The last trip I took to Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland I had to carry around 17 kilos of equipment on my shoulders. A short stop at Milan didn’t seem very enjoyable because the weight wore me out very soon. I didn’t have anywhere to leave it so I had to take it with me. When travelling, less is more in terms of equipment.

If you were to give top tips to photographers out there, what would they be?

● Have a camera with you at all times. You never know when the right shot will cross your path.

● Carry out experiments and never stop trying out new techniques and styles etc. This is the only way to find your own unique approach to photography.

● Share your work on sites like this. Only letting others see what you’ve done will get your work can get you noticed. It also helps to evaluate if this is the right way of photography for you.

And do you have any words of warning for aspiring photographers?

• I think the biggest mistake you can make in art, not just photography, is to stop producing it. A lot of people try something out and move on. Don’t do that. It’s only when you stick to something that you achieve better results.

We’re looking forward to catching up with Andrius again later in the New Year to see how he presents ‘London in a glass ball’.

In the meantime, remember to share some of your best shots with us in the public gallery!  

*All photography rights in this post are reserved to Andrius Aleksandravičius Photography