Rafal is the photographer behind the lens of Photofoyer. Based in the West Midlands, a region of the UK, Rafal specialises mainly in female portraits, fashion and art nude. ‘When I was in high school, my grandfather gave me my first simple film camera — a Russian brand called Smena. That’s when I started taking photos, mostly black-and-white landscapes and some artistic street scenes.’ Despite his academic background in engineering, Tafal has always been involved in various artistic projects. Hence, over time, his passion for photography grew, and what started as a casual pursuit gradually evolved into a professional career as an art photographer. But his childhood in an artistic family environment also had a significant impact on his orientation towards art photography. ‘When I was young, my childhood revolved around school, athletics, dance, music and football. I was always a strong student, so learning came naturally to me. My father was a professional athlete — a middle-distance runner specializing in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m — and I believe his example inspired my own success in sports. Both of my parents are fantastic dancers, so when I decided to give dancing a try, they were fully supportive. In addition to his athletic career, my father was also a tailor by profession and spent several years working at the Ludwik Solski Theater in Tarnów, Poland.’ All of these experiences came together to form the foundation of Rafal's artistic background. Rafal describes his artistic style as natural, simple and organic. ‘I'm deeply inspired by the work of several artists and photographers, including Martin Kuhn, Jessica Dorssin, Irene Rudnyk, Peter Coulson, and Sebastião Salgado.’ On the other hand, his main source of inspiration comes from personal experiences, as well as films, especially classic cinema, and the work of other artists.