Beyond the frame

For Lithuanian photographer Mindaugas Keblis, capturing the serious, smiling, concerned, surprised and colourful faces around the world is his way of accepting the fact that we have the same emotions, “It’s paradoxical that we are so different yet similar,” says the photographer adding that, “I find purpose through photography and even if one person looks at my pictures, I feel motivated,” he says.

Oblivious to the idea of photography, his love for the camera took shape when his father used to capture his childhood moments on a Soviet camera ‘zenit’ and he would witness him developing the films in a dark room. “It was so magical and mysterious, it’s like painting with light,” he recalls. Years later, Mindaugas captured his first shot with the same camera when he started studying in school and got his first DSLR camera when he was more involved in photography.

“Technical things became more clear and then I became more interested in expression, concept and story,” he says. Since then Mindaugas is trying to devote as much time as possible and every picture of his has a perspective. “It’s like writing a book with light,” smiles the photographer.

Hailing from a small country where he’s able to cross the border in a few hours forced him to look behind the fence. “It’s like walking and feeling the pulse of the world,” he says, adding that he tries to be like a sponge, curious which according to him opens new fields of his consciousness, “and photography is my tool of expression and communication.”

When asked if he leaves an image to chance or picturises the frame first, he reiterates that it depends on the situation and his observation of a particular mood or pose. “I enjoy authenticity and honesty in photos, and hence I make a conversation with the person,” he explains.

He also agrees that some photos are more static and they need several extra seconds, “so you frame it in your head and then translate it into camera language.” His idea of any capture is to synchronise his visuals in mind with his camera “and if your battery is not empty – keep clicking,” he quips, adding “even if it’s empty — you got a nice memory in your mind,” he concludes.