Legacy

By Aleksandr Karjaka
Letter from the Editor
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The Illusion of Knowledge
Master Retoucher and Printer to Avedon, Penn, and Vogue.

2pm on a Tuesday and I’m getting weepy listening to Strauss in my Studio. Yeah, Art makes me weep and getting lost in a live recording of Don Quixote, waiting for the last 6 minutes with Rostropovich, Berlin and Karajan (3min listen/watch) is everything. (Listen to the full length clip here.) It feels like Home. Quite possibly one of the best recordings of the work, with legendary soloist, conductor and orchestra, the film and recording itself are immaculate. No matter how many times I’ve listened to this recording, I have such a visceral response.

Like any other artist or creator, I wonder what my impact/contribution to the world will yield in my lifetime and beyond. Will complete strangers be moved to tears, or laughter, a cherub-like smile or longing gaze, to a gasp or an exhale of relief as they view my art and those I’ve collaborated with? That unicorn like demon is something many of us chase after. Call it perfection, knowledge/enlightenment, ecstasy, in some form or another we’re driven by it.

Illusive.

My concern throughout this journey is that we, myself included, don’t spend as much time living in the present as we chase the Siren. Just look into those eyes of Rostropovich in the 3 minute clip; Karajan pulling the swell out of the orchestral; bearing it all in a fleeting moment. There’s pure flow and drama in that moment. No different than letting it all out in the studio, or where ever you make your ART, especially when you post and share your new art that you’ve labored for with such intensity. To think of Berlin, January 1975, the members of that audience didn’t realize, nor did the performers on stage, that that moment would be forever immortalized.

They just WERE.

Absorbed.

Be the moment.

Weep with me.

Aleksandr Karjaka
Aleksandr Karjakahttp://karjaka.com
Aleksandr Karjaka came to New York for the music, but stayed for the visuals. As a classically trained musician, he’s had the honor of performing with some of the greatest musicians, and artistic houses, in the world. Often quoted as "Listening through his eyes." he's photographed the lives and stories of thousands of artists of all fields over the years. Here are their KARJAKA portraits.

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Letter from the Editor

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: The Sounds of Soil and Seed

Aleksandr Karjaka -
Of the Earth, get dirty, dig. Journeys are never what they seem to those who aren’t you traveling your path. Plans, ideas, seeds, we all have idyllic visions of how things could or should look, only to be surprised at what actually takes hold in the soil. Regardless of what we do, what we can all agree on though is that digging is required. Photoshoots are no different. Every piece of art, an exploration of dirt only to uncover that piece of Gold amongst the failed attempts, and Fool’s Gold.
Letter from the Editor

Lose It.

Aleksandr Karjaka -
The phrase is Yacht Rock.  About three years ago I’m blasting 70’s classic rock in the studio, Chicago’s classic Saturday in the Park to be exact, and we're styling the last bits before shooting some fashion line, and my 30 some year old stylist says to me snidely, “You play all the music my Dad likes. It’s like I’m in his Volvo. You know, Dad Rock.” Ahem, Yacht Rock. What can I say? I love classic rock. A horn line, a killer beat and a groove to get me up when I need to be at my most up-est. My inner classical clarinetist yearning to play one of those cool instruments. Alas I digress. The kicker is every client, every mood/moment deserves the right music. Something to lose yourself in, to love, but not be distracted by.
Letter from the Editor

Letter from the Editor: KARJAKA is confused… or is he?

Aleksandr Karjaka -
Everything I do has a purpose, so when I bought a Leica  in December of 2019, to the chagrin of my studio community, I knew I'd be on the streets of Soho squeezing every drop out of this new tool. Little did I know how much I'd be using it a year and a half later. If you're following me on social media, I'm all over the place. On the street, in a studio, on a boat, in a darkroom etc., try this, taste that, "Oops, well that's a bust." "Oh, I like that" ... and from my critics I get the, ... Sit Still Damn It,  that you got when you were a child from your Mother. That's how I like it, all over the place. Try and keep up & watch your step. 

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Aleksandr Karjaka
Aleksandr Karjaka
Aleksandr Karjaka came to New York for the music, but stayed for the visuals. As a classically trained musician, he’s had the honor of performing with some of the greatest musicians, and artistic houses, in the world. Often quoted as "Listening through his eyes." he's photographed the lives and stories of thousands of artists of all fields over the years. Here are their KARJAKA portraits.

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