Erik Braziunas is a Northwest-based photographer focused on creating works of art for galleries and museums. He passionately believes in the magic that occurs in the moment when images are previsualized and then meticulously brought to life through the capture of light and art of printing.
Over his twenty-year career, Erik Braziunas has photographed a variety of commercial subjects: album covers, products, portraits, and weddings, to name a few. Now, he is just focused on his real passion — creating fine-art.
Growing up Erik spent many hours in the library studying the work of famous historical photographers. His work has been influenced by classic photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Ansel Adams, Ernst Haas, and Imogen Cunningham. Contemporary photographers like Andreas Gursky, Edward Burtynsky, Joel Meyerowitz, Michael Kenna, William Eggleston, and Richard Misrach have also had a profound influence on Erik's aesthetic approach.
EDUCATION
Photographic Center Northwest 2007 - 2009
Studies advanced black & white and digital printing
The Evergreen State College 2005 - 2007
Studies large-format, analog color, black & white, and digital printing
Nathan Hale High School 1999 -2002
Runs school darkroom for one year during teachers' absence.
Erik's approach to photography and printing have been shaped by the many years he spent shooting film and working in the darkroom. Now, using a 100-megapixel medium-format digital camera, he still draws from the aesthetic of analog.
In a world where most photographers are outputting for social media and the web, Erik's goal is to produce work that looks best when viewed in physical form, rather than on a screen. Therefore, he uses the highest quality technology and materials. Aside from using a state-of-the-art camera, he has meticulously tested the best photographic papers in the world, and is constantly improving his processing and printing process. All of his work uses museum-grade archival paper, and he prints each image himself to guarantee it meets his artistic standards.