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Karlis Rumpis
@karlisrumpis
Landscape photographer based in Latvia
It all started in the summer of 2016, when my friends and I went on a spontaneous trip to the High Tatras of Slovakia, departing from our home country Latvia. We had no plan, only an approximate destination for navigation. This spontaneous journey turned into an adventure that is remembered by all with wonderful emotions. At that time, I had never imagined that travel would become an integral part of my life.
The trip gave me feelings I had never experienced before. I felt alive. I strongly believe that this trip to Slovakia was also what led me to my current path, because it was there that I realized I wanted to connect my life as much as possible to travel and photography. Before this trip I had tried a friend’s Gopro and I bought one for myself to bring with me to the High Tatras to capture the place, the adventure, and in general to capture more moments of life. It started as something simple and innocent, later realizing that I wanted more and I was always seeking to improve.
"From that night on, I have spent every single weekend taking photos of nature and landscapes. Photography has become a big part of my life."
"Meanwhile I had begun to travel more. Slovakia has awakened something within me and after each subsequent trip my desire to explore the world only increased."
Now I can no longer imagine my life without it all. You could say I’m addicted to traveling. For the last two years I have spent a lot of my time working in the Scandinavian countries. In my free time I tried to travel and get to know the beautiful north as much as possible. I have never been a winter lover, but one of my favorite pictures so far is from the north of Norway. The cold charm of the north together with the sunset – magical feelings.
"At the moment, photography has been more of a matter of the heart, a passion for me."
But lately, photography has started to absorb most of my life. Now I work hard to be able to stay on track and do what I love. I am constantly following what is happening in the community of photographers, often watching tutorials or creative videos that make me want to try something new. At the moment, I don’t focus on a certain category, because I like to try new things / activities and constantly develop myself in different areas. I believe that the “key” to photography can be found in action, because experience is the thing that drives growth and development.
Photography / filming and creativity recharges me, gives me positive energy for everyday life. It doesn’t take long to look for inspiration when doing what you love. Most of all, I feel fulfilled and motivated when I travel. Traveling gives me the motivation to work even harder so that I can spend my day exploring new places and cultures. I also get many new ideas and obtain inspiration when traveling. Some are recorded directly, some do not leave my mind until executed.
These are specific places or cultural aspects. I always return with new insights; travel is often necessary to realize that stereotypes about people, a culture or a country are not true. Those prejudices or assumptions are usually broken when you travel and make sure that you immerse in the local culture, try to understand them, get out of the comfort zone and learn about the world’s cultural diversity. For example in Georgia, I was very surprised by the hospitality of the locals. Georgians are very happy when they receive guests in their homes, they will try their best to make their stay as good and pleasant as possible. And then earlier this year, I went to Morocco with a friend. It all started with the fact that we wanted to go see something new. I saw an offer from an active leisure travel company that offered a surfing camp in Morocco. I sent it to a friend and he agreed to go. A week later we were there and we were very welcomed by a local representative from Agadir. It was the first time I went on an organized but my own unplanned trip.
"Each morning began with surfing lessons accompanied by local instructors. Soon most of the group became friends and we visited several very beautiful places."
What I remember most was the day we went to the nearby desert, still near the ocean. There was music and we all tried sandboarding. The emotions were amazing. While we were sandboarding at the Youssef Ibn Tachfine Dam, the locals were preparing dinner for us. We had dinner at the top of the hill during sunset, on a blanket, where Moroccan tea was served too. This man’s job is making tea for visitors of this dam, without asking them money – people can give what they want, to share love and appreciation. He is about 94 years old but he still has a good health and energy, he is always trying to explain to people that the secret for a good life is the delicious moroccan food and a good wife. This is where I started to try to capture people’s emotions.
If I don’t get to go abroad, then at home in Latvia there is very beautiful nature and tons of opportunities to express myself by taking photos. There are many forest areas in Latvia – they cover 60% of the entire territory of Latvia, as well as many different rivers, lakes and swamps. I personally love the whole sea shore, Lake Kaņieris or Price Moor for example. I would definitely recommend going to Latvia; it is a small but beautiful country. Some of my favorite spots to shoot are the Venta Rumba (Europe’s widest waterfall) and the steep bank of Jūrkalne. But there is a lot more to see in Latvia, not only for nature lovers, but also for history lovers. Bauska Castle, Rundāle Castle, Kuldīga, Old Riga… Each city has its own unique history, which is very interesting. If you are going to Latvia and look for something to see, you can surely contact me!
“Show me your friends and I will show you your future”, I believe that the people around me are important for my self-growth, from which we can learn both good and bad. Through photography and travel, I have gained a lot of new acquaintances and friends, which gives extra inspiration to work in this field. And I love to be that inspiration for others as well.
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