GR: Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you live.
CG: I'm 29 and come from Stockholm, Sweden. I used to work as a pilot until I bought my first camera 3 years ago. Eventually I couldn't continue with my flying career. All I wanted to do was to put 100% of myself in to photography. And so I did.
GR: Inspiration/influences?
CG: Inspiration comes from places I visit mostly. Sometime I come to a place and it feels like it "talks" to me. I have thousands of photos I like, but I don't know what to do with all of them. Just a few comes up on my webpage.
A movie that inspired me was "Himmel über Berlin" with Wim Wenders. Besides that, a lot of other things I guess. Life. If I'm allowed to be a bit corny. :)
GR: Favorite band(s) at the moment.
CG: First Aid Kit or Timber Timbre.
GR: What kind of camera(s) do you shoot with?
CG: I shoot with an old Nikon camera from 65 and a compact olympus camera. I also shoot a lot of digital but I don't do much with these photos.
GR: Night owl or early bird?
CG: It varies, sometimes I'm a night owl and sometimes I'm an early bird. I'm often a night owl when I have a lot of inspiration.
GR: Favorite alcoholic beverage.
CG: I like mojitos very much, but a cold beer at the right time or a glass of red wine at the right time is also unbeatable. But I don't really drink that much.
GR: Has modelling changed your perspective on photography?
CG: No, modeling and my own photography are two very separate things to me. I started modeling after I started taking photos and it didn't really change anything.
GR: Do you have any tips/tricks to share with someone just starting out in photography?
CG: Yes my tip would be, listen to advices but be critical, remember what you like and if that breaks rules, don't care about rules, in fact you should almost enjoy breaking them. And also take a lot of photos. That's the only way to get an eye for it. You do it for yourself, enjoy it.
GR: You have $8 left in your wallet, what do you spend it on?
CG: Hmm that depends I guess. If it's the only money I have left, period, I would spend it wisely, oatmeal porridge can get you a long way for very little money. If 8 dollars is all I have left on me at the moment and it's a hot summer day. I would buy ice cream or a few cold beers for me and my friends.
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To view more of Christian Göran's photos
www.cgoran.com
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GR: Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you live.
DS: I am a 21 year old photographer, presently living in Paris, but my heart is wherever the sun is.
GR: Inspiration / influences?
DS: I'm inspired by the gaze of the people I meet, by the direction of the sun, pretty girl's smiles and music.
GR: How did you become interested in fashion photography?
DS: Actually being a fashion photographer is an excuse to be a photographer, do what I love and actually get paid for it. I think my work is more about the feel coming from the image more than the clothing, but they work together very well so that's a good thing for me.
GR: Favorite band(s) at the moment.
DS: Rght now I'm obsessed with Foster the People! OBSESSED :)!
GR: What kind of camera(s) do you shoot with?
DS: I used to shoot with a Nikon D200 but I've been working for a year with Canon 5dmkII and I also make videos with it. I also always carry around a analog compact camera for my "souvenirs" pictures. Right now it's a LC-A+ made by Lomography.
GR: Do you have any photography tip/tricks to share with someone just starting out?
DS: Take pictures of what amazes you. It's always going to turn up special.
GR: Night owl or early bird?
DS: I'm a daytime person. Not much of an early bird nor a late nighter, I think the time in the day I like the most is between 4 and 7, when the sun is really low and makes these amazingly large shadows but still heats you up, until sunset.
GR: How did you come up with the concepts for your videos?
DS: I'm not sure, it depends on the video but it'll often be from a dream or just an aesthetic i'd be obsessing about for days. Sometimes it'll just be like "I've got this person, and this background, let's do something with it and see how it goes", and things just seem to speak for themselves.
GR: You have $8 in your wallet, what do you spend it on?
DS: A bag of ready to eat almonds, a coffee in an outside bar table and I'll borrow a cigarette.
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To view more of Diane Sagnier's photos
www.dianesagnier.com
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GR: Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you live.
AS: I'm originally from Houston, Texas but moved to Portland, Oregon 5 1/2 years ago. I am a full time student studying political science and had always planned on going to law school, but not completely sold on that idea yet. I also work as a social worker at a youth homeless shelter and as a freelance photographer for a local newspaper. Photography has mostly been a hobby, creative outlet and a passion for me - I never really concerned myself with making money off of it, but rather doing what I wanted in the way that I wanted to do it.
GR: Inspiration / influences?
AS: Other photographers: Petra Collins, Saga Sigurdardottir, Steven Meisel, among many others. I draw inspiration for shoots from all kinds of things: fashion, art, music, nature, movies, fantasy, architecture, people I meet ... a random assortment of things I'm exposed to on a day to day basis.
GR: How did you become interested in photography?
AS: I've always enjoyed taking photos, but I really got into it after my art teacher showed me a book from 1973 called Suburbia by Bill Owens and after taking a photojournalism class when I was 14 and then joining my high school newspaper. I mostly was a writer and editor, but one year convinced my teacher to let me participate in a state-wide photo competition and ended up winning best of show. After that I was given more freedom to participate in the photography aspect of newspaper and started focusing on that more rather than writing.
GR: Favorite band(s) at the moment.
AS: Wishbone Ash, Iron Claw, Lee Hazelwood, Marine Girls, The Green Arrows
GR: Do you have any photography tips/tricks for someone just starting out?
AS: Other artists are a wonderful resource. Don't be afraid to reach out and contact others who inspire you, even strangers, with questions. So many people, both good friends and strangers, have been an enormous help with answering questions that I've had about photography, especially around the business aspect of it or questions about equipment. Most importantly I would say to be true to yourself and follow your heart. There will always be people who are critical no matter what you do... Concern yourself more with doing what feels right for you.
GR: Night owl or early bird?
AS: Total night owl. Although I wish I was better about getting up early because the days in Portland are super short during winter. I need more sunshine.
GR: 3 places to visit in Portland.
AS: The Rose Garden in Washington Park during summer, The Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals (technically in Hillsboro, about 30 minutes outside of downtown Portland), and a drive through the West Hills/Skyline Drive... there are some of the most amazing houses up there and great views of the city.
GR: How would you describe your personal style?
AS: Optimistic, idealistic, romantic, & colorful.
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To view more of Amanda Smith's photos
www.aleighsmith.com
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