Insights from Karina Koba: Photography and Art
Today on Travel to Art, we’re talking to Karina Koba, an international photographer who sits on the judging panel for the annual creative competition.
As one of our jury members for the 2024 Travel to Art Awards, what three pieces of advice would you give to aspiring young photographers who want to enter the American market?
Offer clients a range of services, from the basics to the most comprehensive one. Good service is the top priority. If you do your job well and with integrity, you will succeed and be undoubtedly recommended to others.
Don’t be afraid to make a name for yourself and promote your brand. I’ll say it again: in the USA, they value quality service. If you can provide clients with a range of quality services, you’ll be on top. People will get to know you!
It’s important to find a niche! Choose a niche and develop your skills in it. Then, put together a portfolio that will show clients why they should hire you. From my own experience, I’ve found that focusing on one area (in my case, newborn photography) gives me the best results in terms of quality and earnings. If a photographer shoots everything in a row, their portfolio will look pretty disjointed. It’s hard for the client to know exactly what they’re getting if they don’t have a clear idea of what they’re looking for. They’re probably going to go with someone who’s an expert in the type of shoot they want.
What are your top three locations for family photography in New York?
– Central Park
– Gantry Plaza State Park
– Dumbo (Pebble Beach)
Damien Hirst’s sculpture Miraculous Journey in Qatar has caused a lot of discussion. What is your attitude to this art object? What modern art objects inspire you?
Damien Hirst’s sculpture, Miraculous Journey of the embryos in Qatar, is impressive in terms of both scale and symbolism. I take photos of newborns (I speak to mums of newborns almost every day) and I’m a mum myself, so this subject is very close to me. Embryos represent life itself and its beginning, prompting us to reflect on the nature of existence. I think it’s great.
I’m really inspired by Cassie Arnold, an artist and designer from Texas who makes knitted tops called “mom bras” that imitate the shape of a woman’s breasts after childbirth. Her work is a contemporary art piece that raises some interesting questions about how we perceive the female body and motherhood (it’s also a topic close to my heart, along with knitting, which is my hobby). Cassie’s project is inspiring, but it’s also inspiring to see her as a woman and mother. She helps us think about changes in the body in a new way.
In one of the most famous art hotels in Mexico, Casa Malca, there is an art object: huge curtains made from wedding dresses. Which art hotels around the world would you like to have a photoshoot at?
There are a few hotels I’d love to visit with my family, and if possible, I’d also like to do a photo shoot there.
– Hotel Cactus (Italy) – a desert hotel where each room is like an oasis with huge cacti.
– The Dog Bark Park Inn (the USA) – a unique hotel in the shape of a giant dog – great for unusual photoshoots.
– The Giraffe Manor (Kenya) – another unique hotel where you can meet giraffes right at the door. Giraffes roam freely around the grounds, and you can feed them from the window. I wouldn’t mind feeding a giraffe myself.
– Treehotel (Sweden) – in this hotel you can spend the night in one of the unique tree houses. One of the most popular rooms is a bird-shaped house. My son would definitely like it.
Foto Damien Hirst’s sculpture Miraculous Journey in Qatar by https://qm.org.qa
Oleksii Didihurov, Art Curator
