Kalle Gustafsson
Hello Kalle, could you please tell us a short biography about you? How did you start to be a photographer? What inspired you?I was born and raised in Sweden. In school I was studying Aesthetics, I have always loved drawing, paintings and photos. After school and some photo curses I went to Paris to learn more about photography and to study french. I stayed for 2 years before heading of to Asia, where I traveled around for a couple of months until I finally ended up studying film production in Sydney, Australia, for 1 and a half-year. After I had completed my studies I settled in Stockholm under the comfortable guidance of fashion photographer Bersa working as an assistant and 18 moths later I’ve been working to establish a career as a freelance photographer.Photography has been with me since childhood, I always made drawings from photos and I loved to use my famelies compact camera to do pictures of eveything, espessially when the light was special, I remember that I espessially liked the sunlight when it was low and warm, I guess I still do. This inspired me to find out more about photography, the endless possibilities of what you could acually do with this device. There is inspiration in everything I guess. Espessially in music.
By looking at your works, it looks like you use some photoshop over your pictures, right? Please, tell us, what position photoshop takes in your work process?There are some photoshop work in my pictures, this because it could make the picture more interesting. I can’t remember the last time I saw a picture that has not been worked in photoshop with. This tool is so common today by photographers, especially now when almost everyone turn digital. I get a lot of email from people who wants to know how I do to get the look on the pictures that I have, what kind of film and process I use and so on. This just make me happy to hear, that people like my work but i'm also very carefully about telling people about my techniques. You don’t want people do exactly the same as you are doing, your personal style is important.
What do you prefer to make pictures of? Why?The location and the light have always been very important to me and I like to put a situation in to it. I just like nice pictures and the ideas that pups up in my head are just that, nice pictures. But I mostly get all my ideas from fashion; I believe this is because this is such a moving theme that does not have its rules.
What are your hobbies? Do you travel a lot? What country and place were the best inspiration for you?My parent has been traveling a lot when they where in my age so it was very common that we traveled a lot with the family. I guess that this also became one of my biggest hobbies. I also did a lot of traveling by my self or with a friend while still in school. I think I learned a lot of this, being in another country, in another culture, with another language and a long way from home, and I still do. Last year I was traveling from Mexico down to Rio in Brazil by bus in 6 months. Many of these countries were a lot of inspiration for me, but one of the places that inspired me the most must have been Cuba. I was there 7 years ago and I remember that I got so fascinated by the light, all the colors and architecture, the cars and the people. But all the new places I visit are a great experience and good for inspiration.
Which equipment do you have?Canon 5D, 24-105 lins, Nikon F4, 35-70 lins and Sony Cybershot DSC-N1
What would you suggest to young photographers? How they should start?For almost everyone it starts as a hobby and I guess it’s really hard to start livings on it, as everyone already know. For those who try to take the hobby further they could pay a lot of money on photo schools but I wouldn’t say that this is the best way. Assisting other photographers was the best experience and learning for me. I thought I knew a lot before this but I realized that so was not the case. After assisting there could be a gap before you actually make money on what you do. It’s about so many things and I don’t think there is a right or a wrong way to get in to the industry. It’s about contacts, you as a person, your picture, your style, where you live, what you want to do, your attitude, what you did before and so on.I think it’s good to believe in yourself and being very forward.
Do you have favorite photographers? Who are they? Maybe links to their sites as well.There are a lot of photographers that I like and who gives me a lot of inspiration, so I can’t put any specific since their style is so different from each other’s.I like photographers like Solve Sundbo, Mert Allas & Marcus Piggott, Helmut Newton, Guy Bordin, Anton Corbijn, Camilla Åkrans, Irvin Penn and Nick Night to mention some.
What do you think is essential for photographers? Any rules? I don’t believe there are any rules in photography, or I want to believe there aren’t. People do photography for so many reasons. But I believe that a photographer really have to love their work otherwise they should not do what they do.
Please, describe us some your shooting process, so how do you get the idea of the image you going to shoot? Is that far away before you shoot or you get them during the session shooting? I get my ideas from basically everything. I read a lot of magazines and books. But I can also get a lot of ideas from design, movies and art. Also music is a big inspiration source. You always have an idea, a feeling, a lightning that you want to achieve but its not always it ends up exactly how you imaginary it from the beginning, kind of like the Life itself.
Do you have your own photo studio? Work alone?No I don’t. For the moment I use my apartment as my office and it works out well.
Please, show us favorites of your work and why they are?N°1 – This is from an exhibition in Stockholm were I wanted to get an old movie feeling over it. I wanted to create a love story from the 1950:th. I like the look and also the models look.N°2 – I let the picture speaks for itself.N°3 – This is from Acapulco. I wanted to use the lines of the pool and create a kind of old look without making the person in the picture personal. N°4 – From Ipanema, Rio, just a nice travel picture.N°5 – I like the 1960:th feeling and the girls attitude and the quality of the black and white grainy film
What was the worst client and work you have done?So far I haven’t had any bad clients, but I have seen strange stuff while working as an assistant with others photographers. A client that suddenly, during the shoot wants to change the whole idea and models going nuts.
How much time a day you spend on your photography?Almost every hour I’m awake. But I try to limit it to normal working hours like from 9 to 5.
Did you learn photography somewhere in a school or college, or you are a self teacher? Is it necessary for young photographers to go to such schools?I did some photo curses when I was still in school and then in uppers secondary school I was studying aesthetics. After that I went to Paris studying photography in and by this time I started to freelance assisting photographers and from that I learned a lot. I also did some shootings for different magazines. I don’t think that is necessary to do a photo school, just to have a really interest in photography and the learning of it. The best way to learn is to assist a photographer for a couple of years and choose a photographer who does the same kind of work that you later wish to do in the future.By doing this you get to know how the whole business works but also all the equipment and so much more.
What are your plans for the future?I think I want get more established in Stockholm and then maybe move to London for a year.I tend to change my future plans from day to day so I never know where I will end up.
