Beautiful, bright landscapes and iconic Los Angeles scenes
Korbin Bielski is a professional fine-art photographer based in Los Angeles, CA. His work spans multiple decades as his style and creativity have evolved. Growing up in Detroit, MI, Korbin was very involved in the arts. His parents nurtured his love of photography as a teenager, buying him is first SLR camera, a Minolta X700 which he still has to this day. Korbin would adventure through his neighborhood taking pictures of landscapes, properties, family, and friends. For most of his youth, photography was never something Korbin thought of as a career possibility, it was just something fun he enjoyed.
After attending film school in Florida, Korbin moved to Los Angeles in the late 90s. Seeking to explore all creative avenues, Korbin began taking photographs throughout Southern California. Working exclusively with film photography at that time, Korbin received education from Santa Monica College to hone his craft. This was a time of creative development for Korbin as he explored Los Angeles . His archives feature some of the work produced at this time, most of it in black and white.
Korbin’s love of film photography is something that influences his work to this day. “I’m not really into Photoshop or doing a lot of post-production editing” says Korbin. “Even when working with digital cameras, I like to shoot like it’s the 70s. I like to get the lighting, the angle, the shadows, everything set up right before I start taking pictures. For me, there is something more organic and magical about that process.”
Though he received some education, most of Korbin’s techniques were learned through trial and error. He spent several years in Los Angeles developing his craft. This eventually caught the attention of interior designers and real estate developers which gave Korbin the opportunity to become a self-employed photographer. This spawned some of Korbin’s most beloved photographs of classic Hollywood era architecture. “There is something I really love and appreciate about the 1920s architecture in LA. The character, style, workmanship, and of course the history” says Korbin. His work expanded to include the beautiful topography of Southern California. From the beaches of Malibu and Santa Monica to the mountains in Palm Springs, to the Death Valley desert, Korbin’s work captures a variety of moods and styles.
Korbin’s inspiration tends to come in phases. “What I have to say as an artist changes all the time” says Korbin. “I find that I am often influenced by social issues, current world topics, or capturing a vibe I get from a landscape or architecture.”
This certainly holds true for Korbin’s recent work. His new project, titled American Primitive, is a unique black and white series shot at Old LA Zoo in Griffith Park. It features a nude model wearing a polygonal fox mask, which was made by Korbin. The photos are a commentary on social media; exposing our vulnerable selves to the world whilst hiding behind a socially constructed mask. Three of the photographs from that series are currently available on Korbin’s website, KorbinBielski.com. “We have several other locations we are planning to shoot for the American Primitive series in the coming months” says Korbin.
As Korbin’s work moves in a more moody, conceptual, and mysterious direction, he is hoping to create thought provoking photography. "A great piece of art makes you think. There's no one answer, it's the viewer's interpretation of what that art is. There could be 1000 different answers" says Korbin. “Life is what motivates me to make art. Photographs have the ability to evoke emotion and help people feel what is unacknowledged within themselves.” Coming full circle, Korbin hopes to incorporate video art pieces and short cinematic films into his work in the near future.
