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Jessica Napolitano ... creating artworks

26/3/2017

We recently have been able to admire some of her fantastic pictures on facebook and 500px. Photographer Jessica Napolitano does not just take photos, she creates artworks, that move between dream and reality. We definitely wanted to introduce you Jessica and were lucky enough, that she accepted to go for an interview with us. She also provided some of her great pictures to show them to you here in Streetfashion MagZZine.

Jessica, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
Hello everyone, my name is Jessica Napolitano. I am 22 years old and I was born in Gaeta. I live in Italy precisely in a small village called Santi Cosma and Damiano in the province of Latin. In life as well as to dedicate myself to photography, i help in a family company. I love traveling. I love hot countries. I am a very open person, cheerful and always ready to help others.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
mmmmm no ...

Seeing your remarkable work, I am curious where your creativity comes from?
Fundamental characteristic of my photographs is the creativity, that accompanies me since i’m a lucky girl. Why? Because through photography you have a vision of the reality, that is more ''fantastic and expanse as in a fairytale''. To say it short: It is as if I thought like a ''child“, that seeks to create that kind of atmosphere, you find ''there''. As well as being creative I must say I am also a good observer. I observe everything around me and even with a ''simple location'' I can often pull out the best or rather hopefully;) I always loved pictures in general. I think the camera can reveal the secrets, that the naked eye or the mind does not grasp. Everything disappears except the one, that is focused with the lens. Photography is an exercise in observation and a ''challenge'' to consequently creating through it the combination of truth and beauty called art. But another very important thing as well as the ''creative'' is the makeup artist. To me the makeup artist plays a vital role in getting the photos already good before the post-production. I was lucky enough to find ''Lina''. She ''facilitates“ the job with her tricks nothing less than from fantastic to perfect. Without her, i think, the result would not be the same!

Could you share with us how you first became interested in photography?
I always loved photography in general, but I never studied this passion, until I had the good fortune to meet a great person, my boyfriend, who is a portrait photographer. Initially i lent myself to him as a model. Then about 7 months later I decided to stand behind the camera and I truly have to say“ I LOVE THIS FORM OF ART “. I love it as you see in my pictures. I love to create atmosphere and the perfect location. To say it short: I love EVERYTHING. It gives me really a lot of satisfaction and i’m even more pleased with the result, that I managed to get it done in such a short time.

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started?
I started with a Canon 600 d and now use the Canon M III. My favorite targets are 2:85 mm and 35 mm, of course it depends on many circumstances which one to use. Usually I need about an hour to create my pictures and the programs I use are ''photoshop and lightroom ''.

As I said before, I was ''influenced'' by one person. That is my boyfriend. For me it is now a point of reference as well as in everyday life, even in the work, and it is great to share with him this passion. We help each other and I hope to become more and more clever, because in life you never stop learning.

What would you say characterizes your work in comparison to other photographers?
Every photographer has his own style and I think everyone is different from everyone else

Among your works, which is your favorite and why?
My favorite photo, I have to say, comes from my last shoot and the title of the photo is ''relajacion''.

Tell us your funniest or most awkward photography story.
The fun thing I like have to tell you, because I always enjoy taking pictures, but I remember one in particular, when i was some weeks ago together with my best friend to take some pictures. She is not a professional model, i was working with, but for me she showed herself very willingly to take pictures. I asked her to do something really easy and trivial that is to ''create movement with her hair'' and at the same time to be able to look into the camera. But all without success. The only thing, that I could capture in that shoot (we were trying an hour to figure it out) was a sea of laughter, looking at the pictures on the display and it really were unnatural poses :) so the photos from that day I call ''Valeria Marini''.

What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
I would say not to despair of the difficulties, that surely will be there initially and above all to be always ready to learn new techniques

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Jo Zeitler ... everything around us is some kind of art

22/3/2017

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He's the photographer of Streetfashion MagZZine's cover photo March 2017. Jo Zeitler is a professional photographer, based near Dresden, eastern Germany.

After we discovered the amazing photo, that we have chosen for our cover, at the page of cover model Olivia Leps, we had a more extensive look at the portfolio of Jo Zeitler and were impressed by his work. Now you have the chance to get your own impression of Jo's work and background in photography by reading our interview with him.

Jo, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
Hi, my name is Jörg, but you can call me Jo. I was born in 1967 in Nabburg, a small town in Bavaria. In 2010 I’ve moved to Dresden, a really nice city with amazing spots. I work as a full-time photographer since 2015. My mayor areas of work is people and wedding photography. Before that I was a self-employed web developer.

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
If you see the nature as art then absolutely yes! Everything around us is some kind of art and I like doing outdoor sports and travelling plus I’m a wildlife fan. Nature is always a perfect inspiration.

Seeing your remarkable work, I am curious where your creativity comes from?
For one thing it is my age When you get older you have a different view on things. You aren’t in a hurry like most younger people. Look at a piece of wood. Sure it's only a piece of wood but if you take the time to look at it more closely you will discover wonderful things. This piece of wood in front of you is something unique. That's exactly how I see photography. Everything and everyone is something special and photography has the chance to discover it and show this particular.

Could you share with us how you first became interested in photography?
1980 I got my first camera. I was young and I wanted to show the world through my eyes. The eyes of a young boy in the 80s.

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started? what is your favorite lens?
My first real camera was a Canon A1 and I got my first paid job, for a local newspaper, when I was 16. Today I use different Canon DSLR cameras. For People Photography I prefer the 5D Mark 3.
My favorite lens, a good question that I can not answer easily. But fashion and people photography I would not renounce the Canon 70-200 2.8.

Can you tell us about your work flow from the point until you showcase the developed picture?
Before the shoot everything is discussed and planned as far as possible. This does not go into detail, however, because my kind of photography is spontaneous. A moodboard usually suffices completely.

At the shooting I am very focused on the finished picture. I imagine the finished picture before I take a picture. Model, environment, light and shadow must coalesce and support the effect of the image. If that is not true, the photo rarely has a mood for me.

Do you see a particular influence, be it a photographer or school on your work? Any subject that attracts you?
Not really a photographer. In our time, we are inevitably influenced by the social media. As a photographer you must be active on many platforms like Facebook, Instagram, 500px, Flickr, youpic. This automatically affects the photographic output.

What would you say characterizes your work in comparison to other photographers?
I take photos for people and not for me. If people are happy with the pictures, then I am. But I am never satisfied with these pictures, so I always learn to do better pictures.

Among your works, which is your favorite and why?
Always a picture from the next shoot, because I can make someone happy.

Tell us your funniest or most awkward photography story.
That was in 2016 at Borneo, when my wife and I arrived at the airport in Banjarmasin. We stood at the luggage rack and waited for our backpacks. Then a group of young people came up to me and they asked if they could take a picture with me. I felt like a star

What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
If photography is your hobby and you want to do it professionally, then consider that you have a hobby less.

featured models: Lily.B, Lindá Vivere, Lisa-Marie Brückner, Isabel Kasper, Tim Klingenberg, Phlox and Olivia Leps

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Harry Wilcken ... has always been fascinated with photography

9/3/2017

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He is regularly uploading his photos to Streetfashion MagZZine's Flickr group. Meanwhile we have seen lots of great photos of him in the group and asked him for an interview and to provide some of his photos to be published in the magazine. He agreed and so we finally today can introduce you photographer Harry Wilcken, who is based in Utrecht, Netherlands.

model: Alya Soloukhina

Harry, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides photography?
My name is Harry Wilcken, born in Bogota (Colombia) in 1968, actually based in Utrecht (Holland). I have two professions, Dr. in Veterinary Medicine (La Salle University - Bogota) and Photographer (Art & Design College –Utrecht).
As a professional photographer, I have been working in portrait, product, event and fashion photography. In the last two years I became more interested in making street portrait photography, a combination of two disciplines that gives me the opportunity to make short stories using the city landscape as a background.
I prefer to work with women, who have little or no experience in modeling, because it is more challenging. During the photo shoots I take care of every small detail that can compromise the esthetics of the final picture, like dirt, garbage on the street but sometimes the same items are important for the picture, so I leave them in place.

model: Marianne Adriana

Have you been involved in the arts in some form other than photography?
Not really.

Seeing your remarkable work, I am curious where your creativity comes from?
Well, real creativity is not shown on my street portraits, rather than that, I like to think that I make good combinations between the model, the outfits, the poses and background. The end result is a short story with a bit of the essence of the women on the pictures. I consider myself a very sensitive person, with a good eye for detail, very intuitive and with passion for photography.

models: Manon Werkman | Joanie den Oudsten

Could you share with us how you first became interested in photography?
I have always been fascinated with photography, but back in the day, photography in my country was not considered a real profession and more like a hobby (expensive by the way), so I decided to follow my other passion and became a Dr. in Veterinary Medicine in the 90’s. But, photography was always by my side and the real connection started when I developed my first 35 mm b/w roll by myself, that was the beginning of an endless love with this art.

What equipment are you using now and with what did you get started? what is your favorite lens?
I started with a 110mm cartridge-based film Kodak camera (those with cube flash) back in the late 70’s; since then I have worked with wide collection of Canon 35mm film camera’s and lenses, nowadays I am using a Nikon D-810 and an 85 mm 1.8 f lens for my street portraits. But I am still shooting with 35 and 120 mm film cameras when possible.
I have no favorite lens per se, but, I love the 50mm, for film or digital it’s a great lens to work with, it has its particular way of showing the world through it.

Can you tell us about your work flow from the point you first step onto the street until you showcase the developed picture?
Everything starts with a plan and a route for the shoot based on the outfits the model wants to use, usually I choose 5-6 different locations where something special about the city is to be seen (i.e. architecture, street, sculpture, urban furniture). The day of the shooting, I meet with the model and occasionally a MUA - Georgiana (Vivid Loox) – who takes care of the make up. I make a few shots to break the ice and show the model the end result on the iPad, once she sees the images on a big screen, the session can start fluently and we have some fun. I try to avoid giving to many commands for posing, as I prefer the natural portraiture technique. I use the city as a background and I put a beautiful woman in it, the end result is always a story, which you need to read between the lines. I work fast, not staying for too long in one location and trying to maintain the model’s enthusiasm up during the whole session. I usually prefer to have an assistant, but I manage to work alone with the model on a street full of people. I love when men on the streets stop by to give the model a compliment: they make them feel beautiful.

Do you see a particular influence, be it a photographer or school on your work? Any subject that attracts you?
My principal influence comes from the b/w film masters like M. E. Mark, H. Cartier-Bresson, A. Adams, I. Penn, R. Avedon, D. Lange and L. Matiz among others.

What would you say characterizes your work in comparison to other photographers?
I try to mimic the old school of photography by preparing myself to capture a more natural portrait of women. I don’t repeat myself; every shoot is different from the previous one. Also, I consider myself as a photographer that makes portraits with the camera and not with a photo editing software (let me clarify here that I respect and admire some of the amazing images made by few photo-editor artists).

Among your works, which is your favorite and why?
The ones I have made with my 120mm cameras (Rolleiflex, Mamiya), it taught me how difficult composition can be when your frame is a square and you look everything mirrored!

Tell us your funniest or most awkward photography story.
I was doing a street life reportage with a 35mm film camera and saw a silhouette of a man standing in front of a shop like in the 40’s or 50’s and I decided to take the risk and I did it, I took the picture, but then I was trying to calm down a very angry man who wanted to have the entire film roll off my camera. Luckily for me, I just could convince him to stop fighting me and to give me his e-mail address. I sent him a digital version of his picture a few days later asking for his permission to use it, but until today I have not received an answer at all. And I can tell you; the picture was (is) really good, in the style of Ed van der Elsken.

Daphne Felter | Mayke Schieni | Lianne Schoot

Moral: Shoot if you can, no matter what, just shoot. Afterwards there is always an option to get the credit and permission to use the picture. Don’t let anybody stop you.

What would you tell a newcomer who asks for your advice on how to start?
Go back to film, try it once – at least – see the magic of a b/w photo developing before your eyes in a dark room, go visit art galleries, take a look at the paintings, try to understand the mind of the artist, read about the history of photography let yourself be influenced by everything (art, music, architecture, landscape, street life, children, older people) and then choose your own way. Let the camera be a part of your daily life.

model: Mayke Schieni

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ZZ PHOTOGRAPHER FEATURE

Jessica Napolitano ... creating artworks

Jo Zeitler ... everything around us is some kind of art

Harry Wilcken ... has always been fascinated with photography

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ZZ PHOTOGRAPHER FEATURE

Jessica Napolitano ... creating artworks

Jo Zeitler ... everything around us is some kind of art

Harry Wilcken ... has always been fascinated with photography

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ABOUT

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Contact

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