What inspired you to start taking photographs?
I started in about 2009 when I was 14 years old. I think it was mostly a way for me to document my daily life and travels that I did. I then discovered conceptual artists like Brooke Shaden and others during the time when Flickr was very active and felt very inspired by her. I would take my favorite songs and turn lyrics from those into conceptual images. I still do that sometimes, although I mostly do portraiture and travel photography today. So yeah, documenting my moments on this earth and music was what originally inspired me.
Your portraits are very graceful and eye-catching. What do you look for in a model?
I don’t really look for anything, though I seem to be more drawn to women, I am open to changing that! I am of the opinion that everyone is photogenic, most people just are not as confident in front of the camera, so they feel like they aren’t photogenic enough. But really, I love photographing anyone.
You’re also into cinematography. How has filmmaking influenced your photography work?
It has made me a lot more sure and confident in my style, both photography and cinematography wise. I now know a lot more about what I aim to create in both still and moving images. Also, it has made me more confident in my photography and editing skills – I am just starting out with cinematography, so I have been realizing how a lot of photography things come so natural to me now (especially in editing) that I have to completely re-learn for
when the images are moving. But it’s an exciting process and I see cinematography as an extension to my art, not a competition to my photography.
On your website, you state that it’s important to always create, even if it gets difficult. What has been the most surprisingly difficult creative obstacle in your life, and what did it teach you?
Fear. Always fear. My fear holds me back from a lot of creative work and I am still in the process of overcoming that and it’s hard. It comes in a lot of different forms – fear of rejection, fear of not liking the result, fear of your work not matter in comparison to what already has been done, fear of others being better than you and surprisingly to me also fear of what comes up to the surface emotionally when creating. A lot of my work is based on my emotions, especially my cinematography, and sometimes I need that extra push to actually start creating because I know the emotions that might surface can be painful. It always ends up being very therapeutic and I know that I need to get it all out through my art, but it takes a little something to overcome the fear every time.
Your images often feature both people and nature. What would be your dream location to shoot in?
Ohh that‘s a hard one. Travelling is one of my biggest hobbies next to creating and I love to combine those two. I very much love the ocean, so I would like to explore the Pacific Northwest more and also explore South-East Asia. Also Nepal. And the deserts, maybe the Sahara and Joshua Tree. Ahh, so many places, haha.
What advice, in relation to photography, would you give your younger self?
You need to do it. And don’t compare yourself. (Explanation: I took a couple of years “off” from creating as much because I felt discouraged after being rejected from art school. I have been realizing over the past year that I cannot live without a camera in my hand, though.)
What do you do when you feel insecure about your artistic skills?
Another hard question. I usually like to either listen to music that inspires me, go to a coffee shop, or — this method is a hit or miss with me — look at other people’s art that conveys the feeling that I want to portray in my art. That method can also backfire into me comparing myself to them, though, so I need to carefully monitor my mood. Also, journaling, traveling and watching my favorite Youtubers can inspire me and give me back n1y confidence. I like to combine those methods, so you will often find me in coffee shops with my laptop, headphones, and journal doing all of the above.
You’ve photographed a refreshing variety of subjects. Is there a photography genre you’d like to experiment more with?
I think high fashion photography and editorial work is something I would like to explore. I always look up to people who can make pictures look like they’re straight out of Vogue with the retouching.
Your photographs are beautifully edited. What is your favorite editing program to use and why?
I have been using Photoshop for the past seven years or so (currently CS6) and I love it. I used GIMP before that, but I wasn’t super impressed. I love Photoshop’s layout and easy use.
And finally, what is the most Valuable thing that photography has taught you?
Life is too short to not do what you want. What if it doesn’t work out, you ask? Oh, what if it does? Don’t you think finding out could be the greatest adventure? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life asking yourself “What if?”.
I know I don’t. Go out. Do it. It’ll be okay.
Instagram: @fourthousandstars
Website: josefinehoestermann,weebly,com
Shop: society6.com/josefinehoestermann
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