Post by urbancinderella on Jun 2, 2007 9:03:27 GMT
Interview with =Nullermanden deviantART - Photography
Administered by Whitney.
Let’s get the ball rolling with the bare basics.
Name? Lasse Damgaard Elholm
Age? 18 (birthday February 19th)
Gallery? nullermanden.deviantart.com
Where are you from?
I'm from a little country north of Germany called Denmark. Americans might know us Danish people for our tasty, freshly baked goodness.
Do you have any other hobbies besides photography?
Well, I must admit that I have always found great pleasure in the art of knitting... but other than photography really, no. It’s my everything.
How did you come to… shall we say, find photography?
It's kind of a weird story, really. A friend of mine once linked me to deviantART, telling me to check it out. I checked it out, created an account, and noticed all the cool photography on the site. I had never really touched a camera before that, and I remember my first uploads to dA were photos taken with an old cell phone. I then slowly got more and more interested in photography, and eventually bought a digital compact camera. Didn't take long for me to realize how much I liked photographing though, so after a couple of months, a week before going on a trip to Scotland, I decided to finally surrender and spend all my money on a digital SLR. And so, here I am today, with two years of experience behind me and a good $4,000 poorer.
What sort of photography interests you most?
Real life. I've never been much of a fan of 'set-up' photography like fashion and still. I like photos that depicture life as it is: untouched, raw. So basically street-photography and photo-journalism (as you might notice from looking at my gallery).
Do you think the $4,000 spent was worth it?
Considering that I didn't only buy camera gear, but also a completely new life, I'd say yes.
How is it that you also bought a new life?
When I decided to buy my lovely little Canon 350D, I changed my life. Thanks to it, I am now a school drop-out with a basic 6-month photography course, who works as a cashier in a supermarket on weekdays and at a bar on weekends. It might not exactly sound like a dream, but I'm happier than ever. It might also be worth noting that I quit both my jobs just a short while ago.
Do you make a living (or plan on making a living) off of your photography then?
I currently don't make a living off of it, no. One could hardly say that. Unfortunately, being a street-photographer isn't the most well paying job in the world. People like seeing photos taken on the street, magical moments caught on film – but they don't like paying for it.
You’ve said that you’ve recently quit both jobs and also don’t make a living off of your photography – how is it that you earn an income?
The reason I quit my jobs is because I'm leaving for the United States on the 10th of March to travel the country for a good 3 months, spending my hard-earned money and hopefully meet lots of interesting people with interesting stories that will let me photograph them.
However, truth be told, I'm not. Right now, I'm just messing around the house, pretty tied down due to recent surgery (nothing serious). That was also the reason why I had to quit my jobs a month before my planned 3-month trip to the United States.
Do you ever hope to own a studio or anything of the like for a career?
Never. If there’s one thing I fear in life, it's routine, being stuck somewhere. My ultimate dream would be to travel the world and be a in a new place every day. With a studio, I couldn't do that, since I would be tied down to that one place.
Are there any photographers or certain people who have been especially influential to you?
There's one photographer who had a great impact on me: Sigit Prasetio, a member of deviantART (sigpras). A photo of his was once displayed on the front page of dA, and that picture was pretty much what made me want to buy a digital SLR. Not to mention a special someone in my life who has supported me and made me a better person. She knows who she is.
What are some ways that you would like to see yourself develop as a photographer?
I definitely need to work on my courage when it comes to street photography. Although you might look at my photos and think I have guts, I really don't. I freak out when I get eye contact with people – unless it's through the lens – and I definitely need to work on my stealth too! I'm a rather big guy with a rather big lens, and both are hard to miss in an open street!
I'd like to become more photo-journalistic. Great photos taken by such have always fascinated me, and my dream is to one day be able to take pictures that others will feel the same way about.
While looking through your gallery, I couldn’t help but notice that you favor black and white photography. Why is that?
I'm going to quote one of my teachers from the photography school on this one. He once told us why he preferred black and white over color: we all (or at least most of us) see the world in colors. If you strip an image of colors, it's turned into something we would never see in real life, creating a whole other 'feel' to the image. Like a whole other dimension of life. I could agree with him on that.
Have you ever ventured into other areas of art, such as digital art, literature, etc.?
If you look early in my gallery, you'll find some incredibly poor attempts at digital art; they’re basically photos taken with my cell phone and then messed with in Photo Impact. There are also one or two stories hidden there, I believe. It’s nothing serious, although I did consider becoming a journalist before getting into photography.
Do you have any tips for beginning photographers?
Don't give up. Don't re-use old ideas. And most importantly: drop the attitude. If you go into this believing you're the best money can buy, you'll never get anywhere. I would know, since I was completely convinced that I was the best when I started out. It took both time and some major setbacks before I realized otherwise, but I'm glad it happened.
No matter how hard it might hit you at first, appreciate and take notice of negative feedback. It's the only thing you can use. It's always nice to hear words of praise about your work, but one person tearing it apart is worth ten telling you how wonderful it looks.
And for the serious photographers out there: never leave your camera at home, no matter what. This is one even I can't follow myself, but I have been in several situations where I have regretted so.
