Jaka Ivančič: Slovenia: A Symphony of Views

Experienced photographers, such as myself, are often asked: “I urgently need a photograph from Slovenia... that lake or those beautiful hills with a waterfall in the background or...” I always answer: “That won’t work!” And why not? Because landscape photography is one of the most difficult tasks for a photographer. It takes a lot of time – an enormous amount of time, actually – because landscape photographs depend on a range of factors: the light, the weather conditions when the photograph is taken, the season, the place from where the photograph is taken, and many other things that may or may not happen. For instance, many of us have seen a wonderful photograph of Lake Bled just after it has been whitened by snow or the morning frost, with an orange-yellow sun rising dramatically somewhere on the distant horizon between illuminated clouds. This photograph then remains in our memory, setting a very high standard by which we judge other similar photographs of Bled, a standard that none of them can match. But Jaka Ivančič is a master of just that... Being in the right place at the right time! When I see his photographs, I often ask myself, “How did he manage to do that?” Even though I actually know the answer very well. In order to put together all of the unknowns we need for an excellent landscape photograph, the photographer must have a lot of luck, but also an infinite amount of patience, dedication, talent and knowledge; not least, he or she must have an abundance of time and energy and be willing to invest it in a single photograph. All of these elements are present in Ivančič’s photographs. But they are not just the statistical result of the listed factors; in them, one can sense the photographer’s genuine and pure love for photography and the process of taking photographs. In landscape photography, the icing on the huge cake is made from a great deal of work and effort. Ivančič’s exceptional photographs from all over Slovenia have won awards at the most prestigious photography competitions, as well as being exhibited at numerous exhibitions and published in many publications.

At the editorial office of the magazine National Geographic Slovenia, we are particularly proud of the article “Greetings from Slovenia”, which we published in August 2021. With Ivančič’s photos, of course! So next time you see a photograph of snow-covered Lake Bled with the sunrise in the distance, on the basis of which you set high visual standards that will be difficult to surpass, it will undoubtedly be a photo by Jaka Ivančič.

Curator: Arne Hodalič

This exhibition was prepared in collaboration with National Geographic Slovenija.

Sponsor:

Isola with the Alps

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Viaduct

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Bled

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Ivy-covered maple

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Rakov Škocjan at night

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