“I love the way John can easily play with tonality and capture atmosphere in his photography. He will take you on a journey to a different dimension and tickle your imagination. His work is rich with emotion and It is very easy to get lost within its intricacies. I adore his work and I think you will too.”
Hengki Koentjoro
Jakarta, Indonesia
“John Kosmopoulos is a philosopher-photographer elaborating the meaning of ‘abstract art’ through his art. By introducing new words in the lexicon of photography and exemplifying the meaning of them with his minimal BW photography, he succeeds in developing a new, exciting and revolutionary chapter in the history of photography. His galleries are most inspirational and someone has to spend a serious amount of time in order to understand the power of his symbolism. Above all, John is a generous and kind person and I am proud to be his friend. I am sure that his work is an inspiration for all of us working in the area of Fine Art photography.”
Vassilis Tangoulis
Professor of Chemistry, University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki
Patras, Greece
“The subjects and themes of John’s work are varied and include studies of human presence, the landscape, the seascape, and architecture, but I want to specifically focus on his architectural work. Let me begin by saying that the decision to enter the world of John’s photography should never be taken lightly, for it is a commitment that requires you to settle … deeply … into the psychology of architecture, its many intersecting lines, its rhythm of shapes that weave in and out of the echoes of the architect’s mind that first set these patterns to paper many years before the building was ever erected, patterns that now afford John the opportunity to shape those lingering visions of these architect’s minds into his own artistic vision. Certainly, architecture is one of the most creative and wonderful pathways for expressing the spirit of geometry, a spirit that echoes the mathematical beauty of both nature and civilization– two at first seemingly disparate and, perhaps, even opposing sources of expression. But after you spend some time surveying how beautifully John captures these strikingly alive facades that jut effortlessly into the heavens or curve and twist out and back into themselves, you will see that there is an organic beauty within the folds of these concrete edifices that are often misjudged as cold and lifeless. At times the buildings in his images seem to speak to each other of things that only buildings can know; other times he captures a series of repetitions that slice across the frame; and other times his images remind us of the gestalt of architecture. But John reflects and reveals the aesthetics of that experienced whole by abstracting, by slicing, but not separating, its varied parts— those lines, those shapes, those undulations, those intersections becoming, through John’s creative eye, their own individual gestalts— and those intensely focused views now taking on an architectural life of their own – and then he invites us all to settle our eyes along with his on the stark, yet also complex, beauty of their presence. I am confident that you will be as mesmerized as much as I am by how skillfully and engagingly he captures that beauty and shapes it into his own unique vision.”
Nathan Wirth
Fine Art Photographer / College Professor
San Francisco, California
“Most photographers struggle when shooting abstracts, I know I certainly do. When I saw John’s abstract photography I was literally blown away. He is that individual that can stand at the same location that dozens of others have and see it in a completely different way – the hallmark of a creative photographer. John has an innate sense of putting together lines, shapes and tones of a complex environment into a masterful simplified composition that celebrates beauty and elegance. I have had the honour of meeting John in person and see first hand how his understanding of human behaviour reflects in his artistic work. His pleasant nature, kindness and understanding of the unspoken words are just another facet of his character that make him the extraordinary observant photographer that he is.”
Sharon Tenenbaum
International Award-Winning Fine Art Photographer
Vancouver, B.C., Canada
“It is difficult to compartmentalize or categorize John Kosmopoulos and his art without doing him a disservice. Amalgamating photography, vision and philosophy, John accomplishes an incisive and holistic dissection of his subject, be it architecture or landscapes, managing to encompass and capture the whole process from prior setting his eyes on his subject all throughout to the end-result of his finished artistic vision. His fine art black and white photography stands out from the myriad others who attempt it, by managing to breathe life into what many perceive to be frigid, distant forms and volumes of buildings, rendering them organic, alive and full of meaning, with lines leading the viewer to contemplate deeper implications. To top it all off, he passes on his knowledge of the arts and the mental/physical process behind fine art by avid teaching, introducing “oramagraphy” and “eclectic aesthetic fine art” to the photography lexicon. Eclectic art, vision and artist, indeed.”
Dr. Charles Paul Azzopardi Malta, Europe
Here is what participants are saying about the workshops and mentoring services:
“I attended John’s workshop in Dubai in 2015. When I saw that John was going there for a 2 day workshop, I immediately planned my trip! I only knew John through social networks. His photography is absolutely amazing and I didn`t want miss the chance to meet him and learn by him.
Besides his exceptional talent in photography, John is a great teacher too. .He explained to all of us all the little tips that make a photo stand out from the rest. He talked about the “EAFA” [Eclectic Aesthetic Fine Art] philosophy and how to use it in a practical way when approaching any subject from composition to post-processing.
I was very happy,with my experience overall and not only because l learned a lot from him but equally because I had a chance to see what a wonderful person he is and how ready he always is to help you at any moment and gave you his best from his heart.
Thank you John for this workshop! This was the type of workshop that I dreamt of when I was flying to Dubai. I can’t recommend it enough.
Solon Malkas
Pro Photographer, Athens, Greece
“I attended John’s workshop in Dubai and I was overwhelmed with his willingness to share his knowledge. He encouraged everyone to look at the world from a different perspective and welcomed everybody’s opinion and point of view.
He combines the principles of design and aesthetics with a psychological approach to produce exquisite masterpieces of fine art. I learnt so much! Can’t recommend him enough.” ~ Marita DR.
“What can I say, John’s workshop in Dubai was incredible!
I was lucky enough to enjoy both of the two days, and it has given my photograph a new life. We started by discussing some of John’s work, and more broadly what makes Fine Art photography. I think that every photographer or artist would find this discussion fascinating, as everyone has a different opinion as to ‘what is art?’. This discussion progressed into a conversation about ‘Vision Drawing’ (please, read John’s website to find out more!), but needless to say this got everyone engaged and feeling creative.
The second half of the workshop progressed into practical post production techniques. I am a beginner with Photoshop, and I had only used it previously to crudely blend different exposures. However, John’s patience and teaching prowess has helped me fully grasp new features of the software, applying it first to a photograph he had taken, and then later onto my own images.
Thanks John!!” ~ Kit B.
“This was my first workshop for fine art black and white which I attended and it met and surpassed all my expectations and was an absolutely incredible experience. John is a great teacher and a great photographer. He puts a lot of effort into working with each member of the workshop individually giving tips and tricks to pull the best out of each person. I personally learnt so much and it was a bad luck we got in a bad weather during the workshop which held back our shooting experience. I highly recommend John to anyone! I hope to meet him again!” ~ Vineet S.
“I recently completed the long exposure course John and Marc teach. The technique, guidance and knowledge they provided changed my photographic direction and vision. This is definitely one of the best courses in photography I’ve taken and I look forward to more of their courses.” Dianne H.
“I first stumbled onto John Kosmopoulos from the Topaz Labs Blog article on his ‘Oramagraphy’ or Vision Drawings. I was captivated by the lines, patterns and light so prominently displayed in his artwork. When I went to his website, I discovered his ‘Archistracts and Euclidian Jazz’ series and was promptly blown away. Conceptually coining the phrase ‘archistract’ as a photographic discipline (a conglomeration of the terms architecture and abstract ) his architectural abstract series is nothing short of amazing. The gallery features BGW (Black Gray White) images distinctly and geometrically euclidian – essential angles & arcs, lines & light, parallels & polygons – alluring, brilliant…compelling. In addition, John is willing to share his considerable knowledge with emerging photographers as colleague and mentor (by way of personal testimony, his technique and workflow tips have proven invaluable in the development of my own artistic vision). As an engineer I applaud his minimalist form and perspective; as an artist I appreciate what he is saying – and his work speaks volumes.” Frank V. (Photographer, Jazz Musician, Engineer)