Moments of vulnerability – Interview with Marek Würfl

Can you tell us a little bit about how you came to photography?

Since childhood I have always been drawn to traditional art, painting and drawing. That was my passion, and I could never imagine doing anything else. At the time, photography wasn’t something I was interested in. I guess the idea of capturing reality as it is didn’t appeal to me. Many years and professions later, while working as a retoucher, I discovered the work of photographers such as Erwin Olaf, Gregory Crewdson, and Eugenio Recuenco whose work was influenced by paintings. This discovery completely changed my perception of photography. I started shooting portraits and experimenting with light and trying different concepts. It certainly wasn’t easy and it took me a while to find my voice, blending my passion for traditional art with photography.

Photo: Marek Würfl | From the series SOLITUDE & WINTER

Please share something about your images. What is your special interest? How do you choose the colors, composition, themes etc.? 

I’m interested in capturing moments of vulnerability and the uniqueness of each subject. Finding the single moment when the person in front of my camera is without the masks we are all conditioned to wear by society. To emphasize the importance of the person, I intentionally use negative space, composition, and colors to draw viewers' attention to the subject. I pay special attention to contrast and skin tones, since that is something we all respond to on a subconscious level. 

Photo: Marek Würfl | From the series ENLIGHTEN – Hasselblad Masters Volume 7 (2023) 

Where does this interest come from?

Growing up, we had quite a large collection of books about history, art, different cultures etc. Even before I was able to read through these books, I was captivated by the illustrations, scenes from medieval times, the people, and the clothes they wore. I spent countless hours wondering about the mysterious characters in the works of early Dutch painters. This fascination influenced my own art and later my photography. To this day I approach my photography from a painter’s point of view, by planning and controlling every aspect of the image, model, light, and styling.

Photo: Marek Würfl | From the series POLLUTED  

How do you get inspired? And what inspires you the most? Films, books, or magazines? Or what surrounds you?

There are so many sources of inspiration, it’s almost impossible to name them. Paintings, illustrations, literature, different cultures, traveling by train, foggy morning light... For me the most inspiring is the individuality and uniqueness of the people I choose as subjects for my portraits. Ultimately, it’s exploring and questioning my perception of reality and understanding how I experience emotions. This, and the ability to transform this experience into my work. Only after going through this creative process am I able to be inspired by things I didn’t even notice before. 

Photo: Marek Würfl | From the series BOYHOOD

What was your first camera?

For my 8th birthday I got a Beirette, a small camera manufactured in East Germany.

My father was a photography enthusiast, and even though at the time I didn’t share the same interest, I have no doubt that it was one of the reasons I use photography as a medium for my creative expression today. 

What else should we know about you?

I’m based in Bratislava, Slovakia, and I was born in 1975 in former Czechoslovakia. Even though I don’t have an academic background, I pursued a creative career working as a graphic designer, and later as a retoucher for fashion and advertising. Since 2015 I have focused solely on portrait and fine-art photography. In 2021 I was the winner of the Hasselblad Masters competition in the Portrait category.