People places and perspectives Marcin Nowak

My name is Marcin Nowak and I am a Polish photographer, born in 1990 in Pabianice. After graduating from The Culinary College of Łòdź as a chef in 2009, I moved to London in 2011. Here, I completed a BA (Hons) in photojournalism and documentary photography (PDP) at the LCC, University of the Arts London.

My portraiture and documentary work deal with environmental, social and political issues facing society today. Often, the different themes of investigation I look at can be combined, such as my ongoing body of work focusing on the government-driven deforestation projects in Europe and the activists who resist the progress of them.

Currently, I am exploring the representation of stereotypes among certain groups of people in London. I work as a crewman at a photographic lighting and digital equipment company. I am in my element when I’m working on photojournalistic assignments because this is what want to do professionally in the future.

I was able to find out what really interests me as a photographer. My degree also helped me to change my previous career path as a chef and gave me the confidence to work in the photographic environment.

I enjoyed processing and scanning film in a darkroom, finding extraordinary books in the library and attending guest lectures and contextual studies. I was also able to meet legendary photographers such as Jocelyn Bain Hogg and Roger Hutchings and learn of their experience and thoughts about the real world of photography.

I feel a strong sense of belonging and friendliness within Elephant and Castle. An example of this can be seen when I was working on a photography project that required the community’s support. I found a Facebook page “Elephant & Castle residents” to post my idea and requirements and was contacted by a resident of 11 years. He allowed me to take pictures from his balcony on the 24th floor and helped me complete my project.

The area is very dynamic . The continuous energy with the backdrop of a historical point on the map of London gives endless photo opportunities.

When I was a student I preferred film photography. I have experimented with many different cameras and formats that have led me to my preferred tool – a mirrorless, full-frame rangefinder camera.

Since graduating from LCC, I no longer have access to the darkroom. This means I’ve had to switch exclusively to digital but I do keep shooting on my favourite system. Digital is better with for my workflow and I can see effects on the same day. I definitely prefer digital, however, I still have my film camera as a backup.

All roads lead to Elephant and Castle.

Elephant and Castle was the very first destination I visited when a friend invited me to London in 2008. I was amazed by the sense of community that exists in Elephant and Castle; in less than a year my friend had become a local. He knew all the shopping assistants and neighbours by name.

My favourite places are St Mary’s Churchyard, London College of Communication, Tai Tip Mein.

Green. Historical. Truthful.