AFTER travelling the world and shooting war zones, fashion models, athletes, actors, and all sorts of intriguing faces, photographer Gordan Dumka is training his keen eye on founding an artists' agency in Vancouver.
Dumka, who lives in North Vancouver, recently started The Artists Collective Group, designed to promote the talents of different artists at the top of their respective industries.
The agency could be simultaneously occupied with an actor's photo shoot and a music video while the ground is cluttered with leather outfits for Smallville's villains and the air is filled with house-music beats, he said.
It might sound complicated, but the idea is simple enough - Dumka hopes that by collaborating with each other, each of the artists will gain cross-over exposure, while clients will be able to fulfil their needs with just one phone call.
Born in Saskatchewan and raised in Vancouver, Dumka was 12 years old when he laid eyes on a Pentax SLR while at a swap meet with his father.
"I said, 'Hey dad, I want that camera,' and he said, 'What the hell for?' and I said, 'I want to take pictures.'"
By the time he was in high school, Dumka had an arsenal of used photography equipment, and was frequently putting it to use. Still, photography didn't seem like a career until he'd graduated university and was working as a pharmaceutical representative.
"It was a good job, high paying and stuff, but my boss happened to be very interested in photography," he said. "He was really the one who said, 'These are great, you should do something with them.'"
With his interest in his job waning, Dumka headed to New York City. There, on his way to an NHL playoff game, he came across a horrific bus accident.
Dumka submitted his shots of the crash to The New York Times. The photo editor there advised him to make a career out of photography.
Eventually, he began shooting war zones in Cambodia, Burma and Tibet but after visiting one too many, a simple thought occurred to him: "I don't know if I want to die doing this."
While Dumka didn't stop travelling, he began to alternate his work with commercial photography in Vancouver and fashion shoots in Europe.
He also developed his own esthetics, which tend to lean towards a documentary, voyeuristic style.
"If people come to me to be really glossed over and really pretty, they're probably coming to the wrong guy," he said.
When it comes to his agency, he said he hopes his fellow artists tackle big, fulfilling jobs, but have enough free time to enjoy life.
For more information go to http: //artistscollectivegroup.com.
jshepherd@nsnews.com
