Interviews / Stories
Interview: Photographer Tonny Nathan Jørgensen (Denmark)
Tell us something about yourself
Im 40 Years old and live in demark. I work as it system administrator and web developer, photography is a spare time hooby. I use a lot of time on that hobby though.
How and when did you get into photography?
It has actually been a hobby of mine. I remember shooting analog when i was young and was on the darkroom chamber with my dad and we did our own black and white developments. Spend a lot of time on it as well during boarding school shooting mostly ILFORD hp5+ and doing the development myself. Took a long break from photography and haven't really touched a camera from i was 14 to 35 except for vacation and snapshop photos.
Started working for bloggersdelight.dk in demark, and the interest in photography came back, and i bought a used canon 5d mark2 from a colleague
which almost all my shots has been done with until i made the Nikon switch a year ago.
What does photography mean to you?
For me its just a hobby. A reason to get out and scout locations, meet people, and research new nerdy ways of doing retouch etc. I very rarely try to tell stories with my images, also there is almost never any subliminal messages trying to be told.
Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.
I mostly do portraits. I like to keep them as simple as possible without to many disturbing elements. I prefer my pictures to have a slight touch of sensualism and also make the model look sexy without the picture being to corny or erotic. Its always a fine balance between the two.
Where do you get inspiration from?
I get a lot of inspiration by browsing my favourite photographers on 500px. I especially like the “russian” style that f.ex https://500px.com/the-maksimov is know for. I like the look and feel of his images, also the grading is very recognizable.
Think you in advance what you want in the picture?
If i collaborate with a makeup artist or stylist, the look and feel of the images is usually very planed in advance. But if its just me and the model i like to improvise on location. I have several times experienced making plans for at shoot and when i arrive at the location it doesn't
work as planed.
Studio, on location or both?
I like to shoot locaiton just using natural light if possible. Even though i dont tell stories with my images, if gives more space to work creatively with the surroundings compared to a evenly coloured backound in a studio.
Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?
I very rarely do commercial photography. Actually i use pricing a lot as an excuse of saying no to a project. like “i can do that project for you, but its gonna cost you xxx kr”. I also turn down every time getting asked to do wedding images. Simply because i think other photographers is doing that genre a lot better than i do, and also because it is not a very interessting project.
What has been the biggest source of inspiration in your work?
The work of photographer Nik Skjøth.
Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?
A year ago i made the switch from canon to nikon. I repurchased the sigma 50mm art with Nikon mount, and almost every shot has been with that lens since then.
What has been your most memorable session and why?
I once did a nude shot in an abandoned house. I had visited the house 2 times in advance to get familiar with the place. In the middle of the shoot and old guy suddenly. Shouted “what the f*ck are you going here”. He then went a got a club and threatened to beat us if we didn't leave the house emediatly.
Actually he followed me all the way to the car to make sure we left. Nothing happened though except from a call from the police a few days later verifying we had been to the house without permission, which then resulted in a fine of 1500 danish kroners.
What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?
Dont get into photography to start a business. Do it because you like it. There is no business in photography, very few people can live of photography alone.
What do you think of our new magazine?
I will tell you when i get the feedback from this article hehe.
http://facebook.com/nathanfoto