I have a newly formed admiration for still life photographers. It’s a discipline I never cracked. Agata Pec is one of those photographers who’s work I really appreciate. Her product photos are vivid, masterfully lit compositions. Her lighting forms shapes, highlights and deep shadows. She brings out the textures and qualities of materials in a way that makes you want to hold them in your hand. Products leap off the page. Creams and lotions invite you to ski on them or scoop them with a spoon. I had a lot of questions, and Agata had the answers. Here we go:
I’m a London based still life and product photographer. I work for brands, magazines, agencies and businesses. In addition to that I’m one of a few photographers in England who photograph art glass.”
I come from Lodz in Poland, where I got my BA degree in photography at the National Polish Film School. I moved to London 13 years ago and ever since I’ve been working as a photographer.
I always wanted to become a doctor, but during the final year of high school I had a last minute change of heart and decided to pursue cinematography. In order to get accepted for the course I needed to present a photographic portfolio. So I picked up my dad’s old camera and started to take pictures. I fell in love with the whole process – from concept to processing in the darkroom. That’s when I realised that it was what I wanted to do in life.
I find it very hard to define my style other than “my own”. A client of mine recently described my work as “beautiful, polished and well thought through”.
I have my own studio in Park Royal, NW London, where I do most of my work. I like to be in full control of the light and environment in my photography. Shooting in the studio, using strobe lights gives me an unbeatable level of control and grants endless possibilities of lighting setups.
Occasionally I shoot on location too, in a gallery, artist’s studio or a location house. When I worked on the social media campaign shots for Radox, we’d go to some amazing houses all around London. We shot in so many beautiful and cool bathrooms. One of them even had original Helmut Newton’s prints on the walls signed by the photographer himself!
I used to work as an in-house photographer at Bauer Media and later at Hearst Magazines. That meant that on a daily basis I was shooting for titles such as Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Elle, Grazia or Men’s Health. Now that I’m a freelancer I still regularly shoot for some of those magazines. Editorials are actually my favourite type of work. These are also the shoots during which I push myself the most. Knowing that those pictures are going to be printed makes it feel more “real” than when it’s just for digital use. That’s why I feel like I need to make them extra special. Plus I still can’t get over seeing my name printed next to my work.
It was last year, an editorial shoot for No7’s new skincare range. It was supposed to be their biggest launch in years and so they wanted some beautiful images for use in press and magazines. A lot of research went into creating that range of product and the client wanted to reflect that fact in the images. At the same time we didn’t want them to look too “clinical”. It was about finding the right balance. We ended up building the most extraordinary structure out of laboratory glass to present the products on. With big campaigns, like this one, there’s literally no room for error. The final images need to be flawless. It takes a lot of work during each stage of such a project, but it’s all worth it. I felt really proud once I saw it printed in the magazine.
Thank you Agata, for taking us behind the lens and sharing your story.
If you’re as excited by Agata’s photos as I am, and want to commission her to photograph your products and advertising images, you can view more of her work on here Photographerforhire page or on her website AgataPec.com.
Interview by Odi Caspi
Founder @ Photographerforhire.co.uk, a marketplace helping you find the best UK based professional photographers.
