John Kosmopoulos, Biography, Fine Art Photographer

John Kosmopoulos is a Canadian art photographer who has received multiple international distinctions (PX3-Paris, IPA, FAPA, B&W Awards, ND Awards, etc.) for his breadth of work. His images have been featured in galleries throughout the world, including the Louvre in Paris, on billboards, and in several national and international publications such as Digital Photographer Magazine (UK). His photography is also featured in a new cinematic essay entitled “Greece Year Zero” (2016).

Always in pursuit of an exquisite enlightenment with the practice of an insightful imagination to fulfill his artistic imperatives, John embodies an “Eclectic Aesthetic Fine Art” (EAFA) philosophy of photography where his specialization is in a generalist approach. His intent is to capture the complexity of beauty across multiple subjects and translate them back to the viewer with a felt aesthetic and sensory sophistication that is thematic, symbolic and cinematic.

He resides in the great city of Toronto where he balances his passion for the photographic arts and writing with his love of the Behaviour Sciences as a consultant and educator. John also conducts “finer art” workshops in Canada and around the world with an emphasis on the expressive evolution of the emergent artist.

Philosophy & School of Photography: Eclectic Aesthetic Fine Art (EAFA)™
Psychology of Photography: Vision Drawing / Oramagraphy™, The Art of Oramaku™
Photographic Vision: The 5 C’s of Photographic VISION (Exercises)™ & FAB Time CoNTRoL using the 4-8-16 Method™ (A Guide for Long Exposure Photography)
Practical Theory: Fine Art Photography Definition (Felt Aesthetic)™, FEEL Principle™, LEICA Theory & The G-Zone (BGW Photography)™, Archistract Art: Theory & Types™, The Double Portrait: People & Architecture™
Post-Processing Principles: Infrachroma™, MCM (Muted Colour Metallics) Photography™

Artistic Statement

I am guided by an “Eclectic Aesthetic Fine Art” (EAFA) philosophy of photography that evokes a passionate and sometimes provocative discourse on multiple subjects and styles of photography. This discourse inevitably leads the photographer to discover how the ordinary is made extraordinary and how the psychological and emotional impact of their art imparts meta-creative impressions between the photographer’s realized vision in their art and the observer of the photographer’s art. As much as it is a practical philosophy, it is also a guiding principle of how to educate the eye to envision the world with a different and authentic purpose – to find the complexity of beauty where you least expect it, in the simplest of moments, and to capture it deeply, viscerally and cogently with a personal, meaningful, and affirmed vision and voice. It is more challenging to the artist to find something almost raw or esoteric about a subject as if discovering the subject’s secret wisdom, than to photograph for posterity at the expense of timelessness. Photography offers me a sense of therapeutic mindfulness and forgetfulness at the same time. I often focus intensely on a subject and forget the world around me. My entire being is lost and found in its value and pursuits.

Vision Drawing (Oramagraphy)™ – I have introduced a new word / phrase in the lexicon of photography known as “vision drawing” or “oramagraphy” (which you can read about in several interviews and on my blog). “Orama” is a Greek word for “vision”. The term “oramagraphy”™ or “όραμαγραφία”™ literally translates as “vision drawing” similar to photography which translates as “light drawing”.

It is a new psychology of photography that focuses on the artist’s creative process in fine art photography based on creative experimentation and evolution. What you capture with your camera is photography; what intellectually, emotionally and behaviourally motivates you to imagine and create a photograph is this complimentary term, “oramagraphy”. This concept also refers to a personal pursuit of vision in photography specific and original to the photographer that may lead the photographer to discover an inspirational or innovative form of photography within the photography community and in the evolution of photography as an art form. In essence, this concept focuses on personal revolution for evolution in the photographic arts as a medium using a psychological framework. This concept is also applicable to all artists who practice various fine arts (e.g., film, painting, music, architecture, etc.).

Portrait Courtesy of Ian Good at Good Light Hunting

I have ventured into my own definition of “fine art” or “fine and applied art” photography through an interview entitled “Odyssey of Vision“ along with the FEEL Principle of Fine Art Photography.

“Fine art photography is a style or genre of photography that offers a harmonious composition of elements within a frame of reference whose content provides aesthetic, sensory, and sometimes surreal qualities that fulfill the authentic, creative, and personal vision of the photographer as artist while heightening the emotional and psychological response of the observer. It is an established but evolving discipline in photography whose essential condition is the ‘felt aesthetic’ (the feeling of being immersed in and inspired by something intellectually and imaginatively beautiful). This type of photography is often exemplified by but not limited to black and white compositions, various exposure lengths, and eclectic subjects (e.g., abstract, architecture, landscapes, nude portraits, etc.). It may also be interpreted by refined theories and concepts across disciplines (e.g., philosophy, psychology, literature, music, film, culture, semiotics, mathematics, science) and past and current trends in art, photography and technology in part or in whole. It is often defined in contrast to journalistic, documentary, and commercial photography. It also adheres to quality standards in post-processing and printing as part of the creation of art.” © John Kosmopoulos

Thank you for stopping by…

John