Scientist-Turned-Photographer Takes Pictures Of Ironic Everyday Moments (30 Pics)

Bored Panda asked Maciej about how photography first entered his life: “I moved to Hong Kong from Poland to work at university in 2000. I bought my first camera soon after, I think it was 2002 and I was 26 then.

I was very excited about the city and simply wanted a camera to be able to take photos of this place. I spent almost 4 years in Hong Kong and that's where I developed my passion for photography. There I joined some Internet photography sharing sites, then Flickr, and eventually Instagram.

“I always enjoyed taking pictures of daily life in the street, taking unposed photos of people going about their life,” Maciej says. “Later I discovered the idea of a decisive moment and realised that some photos are better than others because there is this extra element of surprise in them, I call it a ‘twist’ - something that makes the picture special, takes it to another level.

I travel a lot and enjoy traveling to countries where people are camera friendly, open to meeting strangers with cameras, curious about them, and don't mind being photographed. Asia is my favourite continent and I have been to most Asian countries.”

When asked about the most special moment in his photography career so far, the artist explains: “It was not a single moment, but a period of time around 2008 when I lived in Cardiff, Wales (since 2004). Then my photos of nightlife in Cardiff were becoming very popular (going viral on the Internet and being published all over the world) and I realised that maybe I could quit my job at university and try becoming a professional photographer. I built enough courage and did that in 2009. Later these photos were published by Thames&Hudson in 2012 as a "Cardiff After Dark" book.”

Turns out, Maciej didn’t really study to become a photographer: “I studied computer science. I learned photography by myself, spending a lot of time on the Internet reading articles and studying photos of masters such as Alex Webb, Harry Gryuaert, and Steve McCurry. I was obsessed with photography to such an extent that I was not happy at work anymore, all I wanted was to take photos.

This obsession and initial success of my photos made me quit my job. All my life was centered around photography. Now things are a bit different because I have a family and run my one-person photography workshop company so there is this daily life that occupies me. Still, photography is one of the most important things in my life, it is what I do and I like what I do. I am very lucky that my passion became my occupation.”