Tanja Notschaele is a vegan food Photographer and a vegan since 2016. She was born in Netherlands, grew up in Luxemburg.
I hope you’ll enjoy the interview;
How did you fall in love with photography?
I have always been into photography, already at a young age a friend and me would take photos of each other. And I was figuring out post-production with various apps and filters. You can imagine that these photos were not the best but it was a lot of fun nevertheless. At university, we were taught the basics of studio photography, composition, and retouching. My love for photography and photoshop grew even more after I opened up my Instagram channel and turned vegan. My photography is part of spreading the vegan message and since veganism has a lot to do with food, I do specialize in food photography.
How important is having a unique style as a photographer? How would you describe your style?
In my opinion, it is quite important. If you look like everybody else the picture could be from everybody else. But don’t stress about finding your style, it will come to you automatically by just following what excites you and trying out a bunch of other styles until you find what you like. My style is changing with my mood and the time of the year I would say but the thing that sticks out with me is probably my levitation photography, I make food fly. This makes my photos somewhat dreamy and magical.
Where did you grow up? How have your roots influenced your sense of style?
I grew up in Luxemburg, a small country and decided to come to Berlin for my studies. I don’t think that my upbringing influenced my style but who knows, maybe it did and I just don’t recognize it yet. I got influenced a lot by the people I follow on Instagram and of course by my imagination and the daylight. In winter I prefer my pictures to be a bit moodier and in summer, bright and warm.
What advice would you give to aspiring photographers out there?
Just do what you like, don’t be afraid to experiment, practice as often as possible and watch a lot of tutorials on YouTube!
Have you ever run out of ideas?
Yeah, I think everybody does. Having a little creative downtime is normal and not bad at all. I take this time to get a lot of input by work of other photographers, tutorials and enjoying some time for myself. You could also try getting out of your daily regime and try a new restaurant, a new sport or take a short trip. This usually helps me clear my mind and find new inspiration.
How do you find places and for your shootings?
Since I am mainly a food photographer the location scouting is easy. I often photography in my kitchen at home. If I do need to find locations for lifestyle shots I love to take my bike and just cruise around the streets – looking through the seeker of the cam and finding the right spots.
What’s the one piece of photo gear you couldn’t live without?
Tripod! This is definitely a lifesaver. If you have to shoot in low light situations it is really helpful since you are able to increase the exposure time by a hughe amount. In food photography especially, you can mount your camera on a tripod and adjust your food and props perfectly to the image frame, without changing the frame and angle everytime you go back and forth.
Do you edit your photos? If yes, which programs do you use?
Yes, I do edit my pictures. It gives the pictures that finishing touch and can really contribute to the athmosphere and mood you want to convey.
We would like to express our gratitude to Tanja Notschaele for this great interview.
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