365 Projects: An Interview with Anja Poehlmann
“To me, photography is the opportunity to share with others how I see life. There’s so much beauty in the most mundane moments and most people don’t see it. This is what I love capturing.
My camera is an extension of me and I have this urge to capture life as it happens around me. It’ll let me keep the moment forever.”
In this crash course, photographer and filmmaker Anja Poehlmann shares her processes and tips on how to set yourself up for success when starting a project 365. Follow her from goal setting to finding the right frames, how to improvise and motivate yourself as well as organise a whole year of photos in a crash course.
Let’s meet Anja…
1. What’s typically in your camera bag?
I’m a Fuji fangirl. I currently shoot with a Fuji X-T30 and mainly a 23mm 1.4 lens (35mm FF equivalent). With this combo, I can get any photo I want. Most images in my portfolio have been taken with this setup.
I also always have another X-T30 in case I do need to shoot with a second lens and my old trusty X-Pro2 as a backup. When it comes to lenses I shoot on primes only and I have a 16mm (equiv 24mm), 23mm (35mm equiv), 27mm (equiv 43mm), 35mm (equiv 50mm), 56mm (equiv 85mm). Rarely do I bring the whole crew with me on a shoot but I am prepared if I have to be.
2. From your point of view, what makes a good picture?
A good picture is one that makes me stop scrolling. I’m a fan of layers and stories.
A good picture doesn’t have to be technically perfect nor does it have to be beautiful in the common sense. It’s got to have a meaning or a message for the audience though - no matter what that is. I can be pleasing or challenging or controversial.
The definition of “a good picture” is very relative to the viewer but “a really good picture” speaks to more than just the photographer and the person or moment that’s portrayed.
3. What or who influences your work the most? Where do you draw inspiration from?
It might sound cheesy but my inspiration is life itself. Even on boring days, there is so much happening around me. The older I get, the more aware I am of how short life is and that everything can change any minute. I try to hold on to how life is today through my photos - not to stand still but to be able to vividly remember how it was when I look back.
I think the main reason is that I don’t have a lot of photos of my life as a child. I’ve forgotten so many things already and I have no control over which memories I get to keep. Photos and videos help us remember not just a moment but so much more of what happened around this split second that’s been caught on camera. Our brains are fascinating machines that can hold so much more information than we think. But sometimes it needs a little help - those photos can do that.
4. What are you passionate about outside of photography?
I love creating things. I recently discovered pottery for myself. I’m not great at it but I enjoy it. And I’m passionate about traveling. Well not so much the travel itself but being able to see the world, explore cultures and countries that are foreign to me.
5. What’s been the biggest highlight in your photography journey so far?
I think the biggest highlight for me was to be asked to take photos for an exhibition in my local town. The museum was working on a project to share the stories of how the local community was affected by the pandemic. Together with a sound designer and a journalist, I got to tell people’s stories of how 2020 was for them in personal and professional matters. Being able to do what I love - photographing people - and having those images blown up larger than life for others to see, was definitely an amazing feeling.
If you’d like to see what that looked like, I wrote an article on my blog about it.
6. What are you currently working on? (Photographically or creatively?)
Apart from my third year doing a project 365, I have a few other personal projects in the pipeline. One that’s been paused for 2 years hopefully will get a come back in 2022. It’s a video project called “long portrait” - a very intense way of portraying another person. You can watch my previous video here.
7. If you could give yourself one piece of advice when first starting out, what would it be?
Don’t follow everyone else, it’s not going to work for you! Do what feels right to you instead, even if people tell you that it’s not going to work.
