FFO: VERY PLEASING PORTRAITURE AND LANDSCAPE IMAGES SHOT ON FILM – CELEBRATING THE BEAUTY OF GERMANY!
Who are you and where are you currently based?
My name is Jan Ringwald and I’m a 18 year old photographer from Karlsruhe, Germany. I’m still living with my parents but I’m planning on traveling the world once I start making money.
Is there any country in the world you’d particularly like to travel to and photograph in the future?
My first destinations will be Paris, Amsterdam and Prague. I didn’t make further plans but my goal is to visit each continent at least once.
What is your current photographic work about?
Currently im doing an internship and have limited time to focus on my photography. Because of that Im trying to create a body of work within my 30min breakfast breaks.
What sort of images have you taken within your 30-minute breakfast break photo series so far? What sort of challenges have you found whilst shooting in a limited time frame?
I’ve focused on documenting the area around the office, like the landscape, architecture, cars and so on. The biggest challenge was the lack off time. Once I was in a flow off shooting the break was almost over and I had to go back to work.
What’s your internship in?
My internship was at a local newspaper and I’m starting my training as a media designer (digital and print) in September.
What got you interested in photography and taking images?
As long as I can think I’ve always wanted to play with my moms camera, though she didn’t want me to accidentally break it so I got a cheap analog compact camera for my 5th birthday. Since then I have loved taking pictures but my passion for photography first really took off when me and my best friend started exploring abandoned buildings. After shooting some images on my phone I’ve wanted to capture our adventures more professionally and therefore got a new camera. Since that day photography has became my biggest passion.
What attracted you to urbex photography/photographing abandoned buildings?
My main interest with urbex was the adventure itself and not shooting pictures most of the time. When I started shooting urbex images it was a mixture of documenting the decay of the buildings and documenting the adventure that comes with it.
Do you still have the camera you received on your 5th birthday? If so, have you tried shooting on it since then?
No, I sold the camera on a flea market when I got my first digital camera. But I bought the same one on Ebay and I’m planning to shoot a project with it.
Who are you inspired by?
I’m inspired by many different photographers for different reasons. My favourite photographer is Ryan Muirhead because of his ability to capture emotion and feelings within his images. Some other photographers I’m inspired by are Matt Day, Nick Mayo, Caleb Jenkins and Sam Phillips.
What are your future aspirations?
In the future I want to focus more on personal work and create more meaningful images. Also I want to start publishing my work in the form of prints, zines and maybe even books. Another project I’m planning is starting a blog about analog photography.
What interests you about analog photography? What would you hope to accomplish if you started a blog about it?
For me personally, analog photography is a way to slow down and be more decisive of what I’m shooting. Also the archival qualities of film are way better than digital files and of course I love the look of it. I mainly want to start a blog to practice my writing skills and share some of my knowledge on photography.
Would you ever consider a formal career in photography, or do you just see it as a hobby?
I thought about it for quite some time but I’m afraid to lose my passion when I have to shoot stuff I don’t like. So I decided that I wont pursue a career as a full time photographer as long as I can’t have complete creative freedom.
What advice would you recommend to young photographers today?
In my opinion the most important thing for young photographers is not to worry about gear and to just focus on shooting.
You can keep up with Jan’s work via their instagram and via their website!
diyyouth.com 