Viktor Holm @viktorholm is the lucky winner of the “Me and my bicycle” Mission. We asked him about the winning photo and latest trends in photography. Enjoy!
First of all congratulations on winning the mission! The winning photo is amazing! We’d love to hear the story behind it. Who is in this photo and where is this beautiful landscape?
The person in this photo is me. It was taken in a small fishing village called Råå, where my parents live. It’s a beautiful place with a great history. I took this photo when I was trying out different features of an iPhone camera. I bought a small tripod and shot lots of images with a self timer. Many of these images are self-portraits. I love to go outside and shoot by myself. An image usually makes stronger impression when there’s a person in it. When it’s only me I have full control over the image and I get a relaxing time being on my own. You can see more of my self-portraits on instagram under the hashtag “viktorholmselfportrait”.
All we know for now is that Foaper @viktorholm loves Scandinavia. We’d love to get to know you better – who are you, what are your passions and what do you do in your free time?
I am a person with a need to create and express myself. It has been like that since I was a kid, standing in the mirror and singing or trying to write short stories. My passion, and the greatest challenge for me, lies in getting to know different people and then trying to transform what I know of them in an image. The small characteristic things about people are usually what fascinates me the most. And it’s often what people try to hide that I find most interesting. I try to take breaks from photography at times even if it’s really hard. On these breaks I try to spend time with my family and friends and not to produce anything. I love to take walks in nature and explore new places.
It seems that you like to photograph Scandinavian architecture and people. But please tell us, what’s your favourite subject to photograph and why?
You’re completely right about me liking to photograph Scandinavian architecture and people. I do love that! Apart from the fact that I find Scandinavia incredibly beautiful, I think it might have to do with me seeking for my heritage in some way. There is some kind of a quiet melancholy here that I find beautiful and interesting. I’m very drawn to the really old houses in Scandinavia and the nature here. The best place for me to shoot is always by the sea. The best weather is when it’s cloudy, or even better if it’s misty or foggy. I do love to photograph people of all kinds and would love it if I could find a way to integrate travel with work.
Which photo from your portfolio would you pick as your favourite one?
It’s the image with a person standing in thick mist next to a lighthouse. I love the feeling and mood in this picture. It’s taken on a tiny island called Vinga in the northern part of the Gothenburg archipelago.
The photography industry is changing rapidly. What are the current trends you’ve observed that are shaping photography?
There are different trends depending on which forum we’re talking about. On the internet for example, showcasing your photography has become an endless flow. I think the current trend online on medias like instagram is to focus on the process of creation. Images still have to be good, but being active and productive has become very important for many people. That’s why the method itself for taking images is changing. This is the time for small, powerful cameras one can carry at all times and in every situation. It’s now getting to be more and more about the person behind the camera, rather than that person’s images.
I think there’s also a trend when it comes to color. Most of the images I saw when I started doing photography about four years ago were rather desaturated. Now, I think people are tired of that and long for colors again.
Thank you Viktor for sharing your thoughts with the Community. It’s great to hear your story and your approach to photography.
