Lofoten Islands (Norway). I’ve been there in summer. Twice. I like Northern Europe and I loved the Lofotens. During these two visits, I saw a really beautiful place – sharp mountain peaks, white sandy beaches, sky-blue water. It was wonderful. But I felt that something was missing, hidden from me behind the crowds of people coming to Lofoten from all over the world. I decided to come back again. This time I chose winter – a season much less favorable for tourism and much more appropriate for knowing the Lofotens closer.
-Alexei Krasnikov

I was looking for a special mood, for a combination of calmness and inner energy, which I believed to be the Lofotens’ essence and which cannon be felt while the place is filled with thousands of tourists. I found all this on winter Lofotens. The sea – at some days it was calm and quiet, at others – it was energetic, throwing tonnes of water onto solid rocks. The sky changed rapidly from dramatic to peaceful.
-Alexei Krasnikov

And what was very important – all this could be enjoyed in a lonely atmosphere, with almost no people around. I concentrated totally on the Islands, on the energy they radiated and emotions they woke in me. I watched the sea, I watched the rocks, I watched their interaction.
-Alexei Krasnikov

Each work in the series is not a reflection of a single moment. It is rather a result of a process happening within a period of time, it is an outcome of wandering along the sea shore, of exploring, understanding and feeling the place. Each separate work reflects hours or even the whole of a day I spent there – mood, feelings, emotions.
-Alexei Krasnikov

It depends on the goals an artist sets. Some want to express themselves, to reflect their inner world. Others want to become (let's say) famous or well known. There are artists who just want to sell well, and this is also a goal. What all this situations have in common is that if you want to reach a goal you have to work hard even if you don't see results fast enough. I guess this can be regarded as a universal advice :)
-Alexei Krasnikov

About Alexei Krasnikov

Alexei Krasnikov is a fine arts photographer from Moscow, Russian Federation. Alexei uses his camera as an instrument to convey feelings and emotions, transform the direct perception of reality, taking from it only those details that are relevant. He wants a photograph that reflect what he felt with his soul when he take pictures, rather than what he merely saw with his eyes. At the same time, he leaves space for viewers to have their own feelings, based on their own experience. See more of his work at Behance or his website.