Interview: Photographer Alexander Forst (Switzerland)
Can you tell us a little about you?
Hi I m Alex, a Landscape, Street and Portrait Photographer Original from Berlin in Germany.
10 Years ago I moved to Switzerland. Beside Photography I like also windsurfing and traveling.
How and when did you get into photography?
After I moved to Switzerland. I started with photography by accident 6 years ago. I bought a motorbike and was driving the passtreets of Switzerland and made pictures with my phone. Soon I felt that my pictures are not good enough for what my eyes seen. That's why I decided to buy me a better camera. I started with a small camera. But my pictures still was not very good. So I slowly started to become interested in photography and picture post processing. I started with Landscape Photography but I was always interested into shoot portrait. I m a very shy person so it was hard to me in the beginning asking someone to posing for me. My first Portrait shooting I had 3 years ago. I made a request in a TFP group and I got answer from a very kind person. Her name was Linda and it was also her first time to be a model. We spend almost the full day together shooting and I began to be more and more secure with what I am doing during the shooting. After that I've got more models and also professional models. But I m still shy and I prefer to work with one model more often and doing projects as to shoot always someone new.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography means to me to tell a story or submit a feeling. I very rarely describe my pictures I want the viewer creates their own story to my shots.
Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.
If I would describe my Photography I would say it is more on the darker side.
Where do you get inspiration from?
From everywhere but Movies and Paintings mostly.
Do you think in advance what you want in the picture?
Yes. For landscape for Portrait and also for Street. The shot is already existing in my head.
Studio, on location or both?
I like Both. With Studio work I started just a few month ago.
Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?
I would love to get paid for my work but till now this is not happened. Right now I pay for my hobby.
What has been your most memorable session and why?
The most memorable session was a landscape shooting in Madeira which went viral.
I've got a lot of requests for Interviews and publishing my work in many Magazines and
even the President of Madeira was sharing my Pictures that time.
Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?
I feel insulted. Sony, of course. There is no favorite lens. There is only the right lens for the right conditions and idea.
I love to shoot with old classic lenses with character like the Helios 40-2 but also love to take my 50mm f1.2 gm from Sony. For Landscapes i m shooting Daytime mostly with my 16-35 f2.8 gm and in the night I m using fast primes from 15mm up to 135mm. For Portraits I m using only Prime lenses from 35mm up to 85mm. For street I m shooting 35 or 50mm
I m a lens fetishist. I own around 30 lenses. I love to own them and I love to use them from very old to super new and high-tech.
What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?
I don’t have a business with Photography. I would be a bad advisor.
What do you think of our new magazine?
I really like it. It is great to have a platform like this to publish art. You have a great selection of excellent Photographers, and I feel very honored to get chosen from your magazine to publish my work.