So, everyone talks about Kurt Leiter, right? His photos, the colors, that whole painterly vibe. I decided I was going to figure it out myself, you know, really get into his stuff. Thought maybe I could learn something new, shake up my own way of seeing things a bit.
First thing I did, I went online. Looked at tons of his images. Scanned through articles. You get a feel for it, but it’s not the same as the real deal. So, I thought, I need to see these things properly printed. Maybe even an original, if I could find one.
I heard about this gallery, a bit of a trek from my place, but they were supposed to have some of his work. So, I cleared a morning, hopped in the car, and drove over there. Had my notebook and everything, ready to make some serious observations. You know, like an art student.
And that’s where my whole Kurt Leiter deep-dive took a bit of a weird turn. It wasn’t just about the photos anymore. It made me think about a whole lot of other stuff, stuff that still bugs me about the creative world, if I’m honest.
You see, around that same time, I was doing this small photography job for a local business. Nice folks, running a little bakery. They wanted some pictures for their new website and maybe a flyer. Simple stuff, or so I thought. The owner, he’d been looking at stuff online, probably Pinterest or something. Suddenly, he starts sending me these moody, super abstract photos. Photos that looked nothing like his bakery, or any bakery, really. He’d say, “Can we get this kind of feel? Very artistic.” And I’m thinking, artistic for what? Selling bread?
So, back to the gallery. I get there, all eager. And the Leiter prints? Yeah, they had a couple. Tucked away in a corner. The lighting was terrible, like they didn’t actually want you to see them properly. And the way they were framed, behind this super reflective glass. I spent more time trying to dodge my own reflection than actually looking at the photograph. Then I saw the little price tags. Let’s just say my jaw dropped. It felt less like an art exhibition and more like I’d walked into a high-end watch store by mistake.
It just clicked then, standing there. That gallery, my bakery client – it was all part of the same thing. People chasing a “look,” a “brand,” an “artistic feel,” without really getting what’s underneath. The gallery wasn’t really selling Kurt Leiter’s vision; they were selling a luxury item, a name. And my client, he didn’t want photos that showed off his amazing bread; he wanted photos that made him feel like he was part of some cool, artsy trend he’d seen online.
I did eventually buy a good book of Kurt Leiter’s photography. A big, heavy one. And I spent hours with it. His work is genuinely incredible, no doubt about it. The way he used color, the reflections, finding beauty in everyday, messy city life. It’s subtle. It’s clever. But that whole experience, the gallery, the client, it kind of put a filter on it for me.
My “practical journey” into Kurt Leiter taught me more about the business of art and perception than it did about specific photographic techniques, I guess. For the bakery? I ended up taking some really nice, clean, straightforward photos of their bread and their shop. Warm lighting, happy faces. They absolutely loved them. Sometimes, just doing the job well, without chasing someone else’s “vibe,” is the most practical thing you can do.
