Zak Collins

I am a Charleston-based photographer specializing in contemporary landscape. My work is heavily-focused on the coastal and wetland regions of South Carolina. Both are very diverse with their own distinctive aesthetic; an aesthetic that is powerful, mysterious, and complex, characteristics I attempt to convey in my photographs.

I have a reductionist approach to my images. I believe that the purity of a landscape is maximized when stripped of its’ non-essential elements--a representation of our natural environment in its simplest form. Much of my compositions use negative space to isolate the subject, diverting all of the viewer’s attention to the subject or concept of the photograph, resulting in a strong composition that leaves the interpretation up to the viewer. The interplay between highlights/shadows is another technique I use to create compositional tension in an image.

I love the challenge of finding a unique subject for a compelling composition. I am not simply looking for an interesting subject, but looking for an interesting photograph. An image that will surpass the subject’s obviousness. Therein is where photography becomes art