Fashion photography by Sven Kristian
Short profile
Sven Kristian, born and raised in Namibia, now holds both South African and German citizenship. Since 2013, he has been working as an independent photographer for brands such as Oakley, L'Occitane en Provence and VISA. His images have been published in numerous magazines, including GQ, Glamour, Elle and Cosmopolitan. When he is not devoting himself to his commercial projects, he prefers to travel with his camera to lesser-known places. According to his own statements, he is happiest when camping in the middle of nowhere. Here it sometimes happens that he discovers lion or elephant tracks around the tents. He reveals more about this in the interview.
6 QUESTIONS TO SVEN KRISTIAN
Can you tell us a little bit about how you became a photographer?
Hello:-) I actually used to be in the hospitality industry, working in small boutique hotels in management. I spent that time between Namibia (where I am born) South Africa, Scotland and England. At the end of 2010 I felt very depressed started regretting my life choices after doing it for a long while. That’s when I decided to move back to South Africa and study photography in 2011. In 2013 I went straight into freelancing as a photographer and the rest is history!
Photo: Sven Kristian
Please share something about your images. What is your special interest? How do you choose the colors, composition, themes etc.?
I suppose there is not really a set of special interests, but as I grew as a photographer, I’ve always challenged myself to at least try something a little different, be that in composition, in technique, or in grading etc.
They say that pretty much everything has already been done in our industry but finding a new and inspiring way to create different angle to something already explored, is what excites me.
Photo: Sven Kristian
Where does this interest come from?
I am very inspired by nostalgia, and I often lean my work towards memories and moments that I remember as a kid, and using processes of the past, in current and hopefully relevant ways. I enjoy shooting soft and dreamy images as well, and again, it’s a technique that many photographers are exploring again, but my interest in this comes seeing many soft focusrecord covers my father used to own.
How do you get inspired? And what inspires you the most? Films, books, or magazines? Or what surrounds you?
When I am not photographing fashion and models, I get inspired by rural cultures and lifestyles. My partner and I enjoy camping and doing outdoor activities and seeing the land less travelled, and I love documenting those moments away from first world influence.
Photo: Sven Kristian
What are your plans for the rest of the day?
I’ve just come from a trail run on the slopes of our beautiful Table Mountain, a real blessing to have nature and mountains literally 100m from my home. Now it’s 17:00 and we’re heading out for sushi tonight yes!
What else should we know about you? Maybe give us a short profile of yourself (name, age, place of birth/residence, education, profession, citizenship - whatever you want).
I love a bit of information nobody asked for:-) I am a first-generation German Namibian, born and raised in Namibia. Today, I am a dual citizen meaning I have South African citizenship as well as German citizenship, which is a true privilege for some of us, as it makes travelling and moving abroad super easy. I am at my happiest when we are driving on 4x4 trails and sleeping in tents in the middle of nowhere. Often, we get to wake up to lion or elephant tracks around our tents. It’s wild out there sometimes while we sleep haha. For real :-)
