Today we’d like to introduce you to Bane Visnjic.
Bane, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia. It used to be Yugoslavia back then, but the country fell apart during the civil war in the 90’s. As a kid, I was very lucky to be able to travel and spend time in Paris and my favorite place, a little island in Croatia, called Veli Losinj, where my grandfather had a castle-like house.
I was an exchange student for my senior year in high school in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After that, I went back home to Yugoslavia to serve a mandatory year in military, after which I came back and went to Colorado State University where I got a degree in Zoology and Biology. Then, I went to Alutian islands to work as a marine biologist on fishing boats in Bering Sea, after which I got my teaching credentials and started teaching in Encinitas. I got an offer to visit Japan and stay there for work, so that took me to Tokyo for a year. I wish I stayed longer or forever, haha! I came back and after a year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I came back to San Diego and continued teaching. I have three kids and they are my biggest love, joy, source of happiness and strength. 🙂
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I always loved photography and art in general. My brother is an incredible artist and I have architects, painters and even a primadonna ballerina in my family.
Photography started as an outlet for me, chasing passion, escaping from everything and it turned into a lot more, last couple of years. People often ask me about black and white photography. Some get confused, some ask me ‘why b&w’? I don’t do only b&w photography, but prefer it a lot more to color, unless color has a place, a role, it’s incredible and is subject also. With b&w, since most of my photos are stories, portraits, human emotion, color is not necessary and in fact, impedes the emotion I’m trying to convey, it’s distracting. With b&w, you can focus on what’s being presented to you without and enjoy it in a romantic, melancholy, nostalgic kinda way. You could time travel in a way, since with the right subject in the right environment, some of the images are hard to place in what decade they belong.
I love to take photos of people. Love portraits, love getting close to my subject, love details of their physiognomy. I love to work with natural light the most, i am not into studio and studio lights. You have to work with those too of course, but given a choice there’s no contest there. My favorite is to steal meaningful, story telling candid images of people in amazing natural light.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
Getting the exposure to their true audience. Social media is handicapped with algorithms and advertising, it seems it’s all about that. Instagram became just another appendage of Facebook which I don’t use and pretty mush don’t like at all.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My favorite social media is Vero app, @BaneVisnjic, but of course Instagram, I have two accounts @banevis and @banejitsu, which is for my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu only, since I work in that in sport the most. My website, which I need to update big time is: www.banephoto.com. I had shows at local breweries, wineries, coffee shops. I was also published in several printed and online magazines.
Contact Info:
- Website: banephoto.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/banevis
- Other: Vero – True Social app @BaneVisnjic
Image Credit:
Viking craftsman’s hands, Helsinki, Finland, Taylor, Chef Alex Atala, Daniel Sedlak, Freedom of childhood, Andre Galvao, Upper Antelope Canyon, Austin at the ranch
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