046 - Swimming with Sharks, Publishing Books, and Travel Photography w/ Nikola Kostic
“If you had done it my way, 99% of the time it would just end in hunger… I did it all wrong.”
Yet somehow, for Nikola Kostic, it worked out. He has made a career in travel photography, photographing some of the most amazing events, places, people, and things on this planet.
Today on the podcast, we are talking with Nikola about his travels, his adventures and how he creates his photographs.
“I find all these places I’ve been to, people are super friendly. I think there is no traveller who is thinking of the world as a dark and gloomy place and people as bad if you are travelling enough. I have yet to meet anybody who has travelled a little bit who thinks the world is a dark place.”
Highlights from the interview:
The Gear
Nikola sticks with his Nikon camera equipment. It’s the brand he started with and the one he trusts for all his travel work. His favourite lens is the 70-200 f/2.8.
“I love how landscapes are looking with that one, I love how portraits are looking with that one, and I don’t have to be in your face to take a photo. I love that lens, but the downside to that is that 3.5 kg carrying around, and that adds up over a month.”
The one thing he notes, though, is that you can do a lot without purchasing much gear - like renting what you need when you need it - and understands a base tenant of photography.
“Equipment doesn’t matter, and it’s very, very important.”
The Big Moments
A couple of things happened for Nikola to find his way into photography.
His Uncle handed him a camera and challenged him to take photos until he created one his uncle loved
An ex-girlfriend gave him the opportunity to display and sell images in a shop in Bali
He worked with one of the world’s best sommeliers, photographing his work
The Big Photography Moments
Nikola has an affinity for capturing images of people all over the world. It is one of the things he truly loves. So he has sought out different cultures and different perspectives and works on photographing them whenever possible.
When photographing someone on the street he has a simple approach:
Approach someone nicely
Ask them to take a photo
They say yes
You take your photo
Give them a bit of money - which he thinks is fair for him to be able to take their photo
He has seen some amazing sights and places, including:
A month in Berma travelling in the monasteries
The Holi Festival in Nepal - “You really can’t miss here.”
All across India - “This is, again, you just can’t miss here.”
Bali - it’s where he has lived for 20 years.
Portugal
Greece
And so many more places
Travel Photography Advice
Common sense is his biggest piece of advice.
Some of these places can become a zoo with tourists and people and things happen.
“Don’t do anything spectacularly stupid because you are in a foriegn land and your ass will be handed to you.”
But, on the other hand, you also need to be able to get a great shot. So oyu have to balance out the two issues of being respectful and cognizent of the people around you and taking a great photo.
“I don’t do disrespectful stuff...but sometimes you’ve got to grab that photo too.”
Get up early
“The wake up to the city is super special.”
He loves the vibe and the feeling of a city as it is waking up. The people are friendlier, because the day hasn’t worn them down yet, and everything feels amazing.
Nikola loves to grab a coffee and talk to locals as almost everywhere someone speaks just a little bit of english.
“You just have to get up a little bit earlier if you want this experience.”
Take a Breath
“Everything is full RPM. You are living the life so intensely. And the trick is to calm down. To have that coffee, to calm down, and just do nothing.”
The Next Project
Nikola and his wife are currently working on a film about the fully sustainable island they are starting up in Komodo. This will be his first time directing something like this and he is stoked - and a bit scared - for the opportunity. They are currently in pre-production for the role and will be heading to the island soon to do principal photography. Nikola currently envisions the film as being part reality tv, part Monty Python. It sounds like it should be super interesting. Keep an eye on his social feeds for more info as that is where he will be sharing info about the project.
Two Last Pieces of Advice
“If fear is the one thing stopping you from going somewhere, shame on you.”
“There’s massive discovery that comes with moving around and being in multicultural places.”
Go follow him on Instagram: @Nikolakostic_prints and @baliartprints
He likes doing stuff one on one, so DM him and talk, if you like something he can print it easily for you.
You can also find his work online at www.nikolakostic.com
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You can follow along with Robert’s adventures on Instagram as well @RobertMasseyPhotography.