Dragomir Vukovic
When you ask award-winning Yugoslavian-born photographer Dragomir Vukovic to tell you his story, he finds it hard to put in words. He’ll usually respond by saying, “What about me? It is hard to say! I did not come to that place yet, the place of knowing the real me…but the journey is on.” Then you learn the details of the unfinished journey Dragomir has been on. A world traveler, philosopher, Renaissance man, and healer: Dragomir Vukovic is all, or maybe none, of these. His life experience can be seen in every photograph he takes; his journey has given him the gift of a truly unique eye.
Dragomir, who was born in Yugoslavia in 1955, the year of the Ram, discovered a passion for photography at age 12. He recalls his first camera: “My first medium format camera was a bit more money than my first roll of film, a Lubitel 2, a great Russian-made camera. It was a gift from my father. I had shivers receiving and holding that camera.”
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj said, “The truth is only in the unknown.” For Dragomir, spending time in the darkroom developing photographs meant merging with that great unknown and seeing the truth, because as early as Dragomir can remember, he was searching for answers…big answers. What was he doing here, in this universe? And why? “Viewing my first photographs brought me to a unique moment in my life, the present. At that moment I realized there was no past, future desires or hopes, just that one present moment.” That moment is the real beginning of Dragomir’s journey.
He said, “I did not want to go to a regular school. Somehow, I ended up as an engineer anyway, but always a camera or two was with me.” He decided to leave Yugoslavia and “journey into the great creative unknown,” eventually making it to California in 1985. There Dragomir dove into many different professions, from systems engineer to teacher, natural healing counselor, massage therapist, herbal spirit, and chef. Always, that “camera or two” – or three – was with him. Eventually he became a professional photographer.
Dragomir learned that he had to listen, and only then would he start to see: “I could see certain pictures when I was working with people who had cancer, diabetes, heart problems. Many had been given two, three months to live but their strength and belief overcame diagnoses. Many went on to live beyond their doctor’s predictions, and many never died from their illness. I try to communicate some messages from those experiences with a camera.”
Humble and unassuming, Dragomir never discusses the numerous awards he has received for his photography, nor does he name drop from his impressive list of past clients, who have included Houghton Mifflin Publishing. Awards include: Elliott Erwitt M.I.L.K awards, Hemispheres Magazine award, Annual Photo Awards 2011 & 2012 (Prague), Photography Masters Cup 2011, Photographer’s Forum Magazine 2011 & 2012, Santa FE Photographic Workshops 2011, Silver Metal PX3 2013 Paris
