| Interview | Sven Kristian: Batman vs. Batman

Born in a small town on the west coast of Namibia called Walvis Bay, Sven Kristian abandoned studying Hotel Management to peruse a career in photography. Now in his second year of photography, we talk to the German-Namibian about realising his ideas, becomming the new Storm Thorgerson and a whole lot more…

untitled

Tell me about when you discovered your passion for photography.
Photography has been in our family since before I was born; my mother was into her portraiture and I remember days upon days sitting in her dark room and in her studio. But this never sparked my interest in photography at a young age and the passion only came along later. I was living in Scotland and England before I came back to South Africa and it was then that I got my first digital camera and started snapping away (more as a hobby in 2007/2008. I would walk or cycle the streets of London for hours just snapping at whatever would catch my eye…

Your images suggest that you are also driven by music – what bands would you like to work with?
I played in couple of bands before, both in Namibia and the UK and I’ve always loved having the promo shoots done, so I want to break into the South African music scene and get involved in doing promotional shots for their E.P.K’s, websites, CD sleeves etc., and maybe get into album artwork too, you know, give Storm Thorgerson (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Biffy Clyro, Audioslave, to name but a few) a run for his money one day, haha.

I am particularly interested in stylised and conceptual ideas, steering away from the typical ‘band posing in front of a wall’ concept…

…I mean, don’t get me wrong, the wall will have its place too, but every band has an essence and I want to realise that essence and attempt to visually re-create it. But I suppose if I am getting paid then it’s what the client wants, but some creative freedom would also be rad! I don’t have any specific bands that I would like to work with; just knowing that my contribution has helped in getting them along up the ladder will be an awesome feeling on its own.

Tell me about how you play with artificial light and natural night?

Sometimes I do love making use of only the natural light that’s available, the ‘golden hours’ of the day are something different and amazing! Mostly, however, I take my lighting gear with me and use the sun as the second source, like a hair light etc. Big, soft lighting is rad and I’m a sucker for modifiers, especially my 2x 47″ octagonal softboxes (octobox), the diffusion and the way the light feathers off the skin is real sexy man! I love heading out on location with these, but if it’s windy it’s hell!

Why do you take pictures?

To remember. When I am gone, some of my memories will still be around and locked in that single frame.

Title: the novelist

Analogue vs. Digital?
Mmmm, thats like asking: Batman vs. Batman? We all know there is still this beautiful aesthetic that comes with the quality of film; the colours, the grain etc, and in many ways it cannot really be comparable to digital. I am aiming to break into commercial photography after college, and with the speed or processing in these industries today, along with the “I needed it yesterday” deadlines, I need to work with digital, for now at least. I certainly do shoot on film, and I have various cameras ranging from an old 1950s Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 524 (medium format) to a Voigtlaender Vito to various Pentax models and an awesome 1963 Zensa Bronica 6×6 medium format camera. All have their place and gives me results that cannot be compared. If I were richer, I’d be out with them all day, but for now my Canon 5d MkII needs to win me my bread, and I’m pretty sure she will do just that! I am sure though that once I am established I will do many shoots on film.

Title: Skin

What’s your thought process behind some of your conceptual photography?
For a start, I have my lecturers to thank for that, they brought to light a creativity in me that I never knew existed before last year. Basically if I want to conceptualise an idea, then I stray from the literal meanings of things and sneak around in the figurative world, looking for indirect alternatives, and thats where I’ll find my concepts.

Simple example: take a random word you’ve read and then try finding as many different ways of interpreting that word, both literally and figuratively – make a mind map, then find narratives that connect to that word, then transform that story into a single image.

Are some results ever spontaneous?
Mmmm, I don’t think so, my conceptual work is very planned out and staged. I mean, sure, there are sometimes spontaneous results in the differing lighting qualities as they change through the course of the day, and then in post production all sorts of different and unexpected things pop up which is fun most of the time!!

Most important thing you have learnt this year?
Don’t keep your images or your talents to yourself, share them, even if you find them mundane. Let the world see. Check out the story of Vivian Maier on Youtube, and you will know what I am talking about. It’s inspiring!

Where do you see yourself in five years?
On the cover of one small seed, c’mon, you know you want to! (laughs) Well, I will drive myself to becoming a household name in the South African commercial photography world and with any luck I’ll have a studio within due course. I am hoping to be exhibiting too one day, that would be awesome!

Any future project you can full us in on?
I am working on something pretty dope right now for my end of year submission and it is something that I want to take further in the following year and who knows, maybe its good enough to get into an exhibition. Can’t say too much right now, but it will be conceptual and very much surreal.

Connect with his onesmallseed.net profile here
Follow his Tumblr, view his website
Interview by: David Plenderleith