Natalia Majchrzak

Eight in the morning. We opened the doors to the balcony, checking if we could spot Natalia from above. But thick fog blocked our view; as if it was a blank canvas for all untampered ideas that would come that day.

An hour later, the bell of the apartment rang; hello, Natalia here, can I come in? When we opened the door, we saw a Natalia that was somewhat out of breath. She clearly took an effort to be on time. The needless question, if she wanted some coffee, was answered with a craving voice: ‘YES, a huge cup please’. With her fresh hot shot of highly needed caffeine, she walked around. Natalia observed the model, props and playground. Her canvas of that day.

Her moment, now

Half-past nine and an empty coffee mug later, she grabbed her camera. We were about to witness Natalia’s way of working. Her creative process was being activated. After a few minutes and some photos later. We witnessed Natalia’s, fairly quick, transformation. She was getting into the moment more and more. It almost felt as if after every photo she took, another idea already popped into her head. It was clear that she is not the kind of photographer who is following a strict choreography. When her brain is triggered, she takes the camera and captures it. No second later or any adjustments, now is the moment, in its purest form.

Natalia admits that this process is usually quite chaotic and unorganized. But for us, it is a reflection of pure expression and passion. Natalia’s triggers are quite diverse. From a pretty person that passes her by, a location or imperfections. She wants to see people’s lifestyles, their stories. However, she can also be enthusiastic about someone dressed in a divine, wow-ing outfit. Sometimes these triggers are enhanced, by movies that she has seen. A specific event, location, or person all of a sudden relates to a movie. Giving it a completely different experience to her.

The creation of her vision.

When we asked her to be our first LIVE-TO-EXPRESS collaborator, we knew that we were dealing with a pure, and no-nonsense photographer. A truly lovable girl that managed to win our hearts, even more, that day. Born in Poland and raised in Antwerp. Natalia Majchrzak is a photographer and artist that captures contrasts in life with a unique approach.

Already in the early ages, Natalia was a very creative child. She spent lots of hours drawing, reading art books and playing at a theatre group. It was thus no surprise that she ended up at the high school for arts in Antwerp, De Kunsthumaniora. Initially, she wanted to study drama, until audio-visual courses came on her path. Surprised by herself, this led to an unexpected fascination for photography. Resulting in a change of course. 

From a child that found highly styled, almost artificial, fashion photographs intriguing. To a lose-working approach, and contrast-capturing photographer.Not focussing on the ideal photo. But keeping an eye open for imperfections, contrasts, and mood-setting locations. Always armed with an analog camera, Natalia is never sure what her day will bring her. What does she like to capture in a picture? It can be everything. From a posh-dressed grandma to those “innocent” school kids that all of a sudden appearance at a wild extravagant party.

Firing on all cylinders, Natalia was rocking

The music was turned louder in combination with an increased frequency of flashes. you could safely say, Natalia was taking over the place. Her creative process was firing on all cylinders, and we loved it. This is why we wanted to collaborate with Natalia. With people who forget everything around them. Who are driven by passion and their gut feeling.

Remarkably enough, Natalia admitted that she often experiences anxiety to fail. We can promise you one thing. After an intensive day with her, fear of failure is the last thing we expected from Natalia. With boxes full of analog pictures and thousands of images stored on her hard drives. Natalia is afraid that those images will vanish into thin air. But it is this “fear of failure” that is holding her back from doing something with this unused material. A fear that keeps her from sharing great art with the rest of the world.

We believe in her talent and the world’s need for – Natalia’s photographs -. Photographs that resonate femininity, authenticity and roughness. With sexuality as a recurring subject. 

After a long intensive day, we rounded up at eleven o’clock in the evening. Natalia ate the last prop, our well-styled burger and left.

Make sure to check out Natalia’s work via: @nataliamajchr

She also teamed up with us for our latest collaboration: Finding Freedom – The story of René Aguilera