A few months ago I reached out to photographer, Kristina Pederson, for an interview. After letting me know that she hadn't forgot about me, she sent me her thorough and complete responses. I had to thank her again, it is such a pleasure to have a close look at a fellow photographers process, especially one of whom I admire greatly. So, here it is. I've included a few more of her pieces to freshen your memory of her work. When I featured her earlier, I included my favorite shoot of hers which was a water portrait/beach shoot. Here are some of her playtime commissioned portraits. Such fun.
Click on the "read more" button to continue to the interview!
Click on the "read more" button to continue to the interview!
A/S/L?
Kristina Pedersen, Female, 22, USA!
What was your first camera / / what is your current camera.
My first camera was a canon rebel that my mom got me for Christmas when I was a freshman in highschool. Cannot for the life of me remember why I wanted one or asked for one but one day I just had to have one. Then I got in trouble for hanging out with a boy when I shouldn’t have been and she made me return it, myself, to Best Buy. Which was evil. Also Best Buy…….. So then a few months later I had saved up enough money and bought a new one! Yay! A few years after that I got a canon 5d Mark I and not long after, a Mark II. Those are the cameras I use today. Also my cell phone.
How did you get yourself off the ground / / launch yourself into the world and industry of photography?
I launched myself into photography through apprenticeship and general hustle. I think apprenticeship is the most important thing you can do to learn your craft and the trade of your craft. When I was in high school I apprenticed with a Kansas City photographer who was the coolest dude and let me use the studio whenever I wanted. Then a few years later when right before I moved to Chicago for school I sent a million emails to different photographers all over Chicago looking for an apprenticeship. Two people were super down to have me, one was a wedding and commercial studio the other was a fashion photographer. Both were invaluable experienes where I learned the tricks of the trade and also more formal stuff like how to manage and set up a studio and set up test shoots and network within the fashion industry. One of the fashion shoots was for the first lookbook of a miss Natalie Wright, now a good friend. Her boyfriend was Vic Mensa and I gave them both my card. He dug my stuff and I ended up shooting a ton of promo pictures for him and an album cover and then doing editorial shoots for two seasons of Natalie’s line and it’s been uphill (downhill? The good one) from there.
Do you submit your work to publications / / if so, where?
I submit my work everywhere and to everyone that I want to see it. In the beginning its about getting your work in front of people’s eyes and with photography that’s really easy its not like asking someone to read your first shitty novel. After a while people start to just hit YOU up which is really the exciting part. Right now I’m at a point where I’m looking for an agent because there is only so much hustle one gal can do for gigs.
The obvious question- where do you find and seek out inspiration for your work? Which photographers / / artists do you admire?
I find beauty in strange places and also in normal places. I think everyone should laugh at everything, not because everything is bad but because everything is great. I am inspired by videos on the internet that are interesting or useful and have 14 views, by tropical island calendars, by Elvis Presley, by gardens, by vernacular typography, by 21 year olds, by office water coolers, by the Situationists, by Blondie, by my mom, by the Pitchfork Review, by old people, by those spam ads that say Eat This Never Diet Again next to a picture of squid leg, by Oscar Wilde, by David Foster Wallace, by Donald Barthelme, by Luke Olson, by stock images, by the Yes Men, by Ryan Trecartin, by parafiction, by minor league baseball games, by pet stores, by mid-level to expensive water bottles, by Marcel Duchamp, by Beverly Fre$h, by Miller Light packaging, by Richard Sera, by Willie Wonka (the Gene Wilder one), by The Adams Family, by David Lynch, by Flannery O'Connor, by antiques, by Kanye West, by the Manifesto of the Necronautical Society, by jello, by good and bad design, and by much more.
(it says this on my website I hope that is not cheating but also don’t care ah!)
I notice in a lot of your portraits, you've achieved a certain ethereal // dreamlike vibe. Some look as though there are light overlays and/or light leaks. How do you achieve your effects of repetition and light distortion in your photographs?
I experiment with my camera and lenses every time I shoot. I always come prepared to a shoot with a lot of different kinds of broken glass and trash. I don’t do any digital editing to my pictures, just color processing, so the way I achieve all those groovy little quirks is through experimentation with light and materials which is really fun and everyone should do it!
Your subjects always appear so natural and genuine. When shooting, how do you typically direct them to move so that it still feels organic?
My direction depends on the subject of the shoot. If its something weird or editorial that is bigger than the person in it, it all sort of depends on the vision. But if it is like about a person or a portrait my direction at a shoot starts off pretty minimal so people get in the zone. I just tell them act natural don’t do anything you wouldn’t do in real life and don’t do anything with your face if it feels weird. And if I don’t like their face I tell them to fix it. And then from there once we get comfortable I don’t mind telling them to do weirder shit with their face.
What's your stance on social media such as instagram, tumblr and other art based platforms? Do you yourself use them, and if so, have they influenced your work and publicity?
Ugh social media. User generated content is the bane of my existence MAYBE. I’m terrible at keeping up my stuff and other people’s stuff. Wish I could say I am trying to be better but I am not. One day I guess I hope that I can pay someone to do it for me like Denny’s.
Where and what do you love shooting?
I used to love shooting outdoors but now I like shooting in the vacuum of a studio. For money, I like working with musicians best because they are always down to get weird. For fun, refer to my manifesto.
What does a perfect day of shooting look like to you?
A perfect day of shooting only requires one criterion the rest is anything goes: have fun! It’s really not cool to be on at a shoot where everyone is really stressed out about how it’s going because I’m like yo I am going make you the best pictures ever don’t worry let’s enjoy the magic.
What does your work week look like usually?
What My work week is different every week. I try to make studio time for a few hours each week. I am a photographer as a job but I am also an…………………artist. So I spend as much time as I can working on my practice but I am lucky that my JOB is also something that I love and is super coolfun.
I read some of your writing, where does that come into play with your photography?
Thanks for reading my writing! Wow! It doesn’t really play with my photography but it does have to do with me as an artist/human. I feel like inside of us we all have all this content and information and we are always figuring out the right way to tell our story/stories so sometimes the right way to tell my story is not with pictures but with words or videos.
How (if so) does being a young, female photographer play into your work?
My being a female isn’t obvious in my work save for the facts that I am a hard worker and a lady hustler and I think being a girl is the best.
Is there anything that I haven't asked that you would like to add?
I would like to plug myself as an additional little plug to all the plugging I just did. Right now I am working on a series of videos called Synfommercials that are funny town city! Most of my work is about the absurd and these videos specifically deal with amateur video content that is made with the intention of being useful of interesting but usually wind up lost in the abyss with 12 views. I just finished my gardening video and everyone should check it out….world wide. Thank you.
Kristina Pedersen, Female, 22, USA!
What was your first camera / / what is your current camera.
My first camera was a canon rebel that my mom got me for Christmas when I was a freshman in highschool. Cannot for the life of me remember why I wanted one or asked for one but one day I just had to have one. Then I got in trouble for hanging out with a boy when I shouldn’t have been and she made me return it, myself, to Best Buy. Which was evil. Also Best Buy…….. So then a few months later I had saved up enough money and bought a new one! Yay! A few years after that I got a canon 5d Mark I and not long after, a Mark II. Those are the cameras I use today. Also my cell phone.
How did you get yourself off the ground / / launch yourself into the world and industry of photography?
I launched myself into photography through apprenticeship and general hustle. I think apprenticeship is the most important thing you can do to learn your craft and the trade of your craft. When I was in high school I apprenticed with a Kansas City photographer who was the coolest dude and let me use the studio whenever I wanted. Then a few years later when right before I moved to Chicago for school I sent a million emails to different photographers all over Chicago looking for an apprenticeship. Two people were super down to have me, one was a wedding and commercial studio the other was a fashion photographer. Both were invaluable experienes where I learned the tricks of the trade and also more formal stuff like how to manage and set up a studio and set up test shoots and network within the fashion industry. One of the fashion shoots was for the first lookbook of a miss Natalie Wright, now a good friend. Her boyfriend was Vic Mensa and I gave them both my card. He dug my stuff and I ended up shooting a ton of promo pictures for him and an album cover and then doing editorial shoots for two seasons of Natalie’s line and it’s been uphill (downhill? The good one) from there.
Do you submit your work to publications / / if so, where?
I submit my work everywhere and to everyone that I want to see it. In the beginning its about getting your work in front of people’s eyes and with photography that’s really easy its not like asking someone to read your first shitty novel. After a while people start to just hit YOU up which is really the exciting part. Right now I’m at a point where I’m looking for an agent because there is only so much hustle one gal can do for gigs.
The obvious question- where do you find and seek out inspiration for your work? Which photographers / / artists do you admire?
I find beauty in strange places and also in normal places. I think everyone should laugh at everything, not because everything is bad but because everything is great. I am inspired by videos on the internet that are interesting or useful and have 14 views, by tropical island calendars, by Elvis Presley, by gardens, by vernacular typography, by 21 year olds, by office water coolers, by the Situationists, by Blondie, by my mom, by the Pitchfork Review, by old people, by those spam ads that say Eat This Never Diet Again next to a picture of squid leg, by Oscar Wilde, by David Foster Wallace, by Donald Barthelme, by Luke Olson, by stock images, by the Yes Men, by Ryan Trecartin, by parafiction, by minor league baseball games, by pet stores, by mid-level to expensive water bottles, by Marcel Duchamp, by Beverly Fre$h, by Miller Light packaging, by Richard Sera, by Willie Wonka (the Gene Wilder one), by The Adams Family, by David Lynch, by Flannery O'Connor, by antiques, by Kanye West, by the Manifesto of the Necronautical Society, by jello, by good and bad design, and by much more.
(it says this on my website I hope that is not cheating but also don’t care ah!)
I notice in a lot of your portraits, you've achieved a certain ethereal // dreamlike vibe. Some look as though there are light overlays and/or light leaks. How do you achieve your effects of repetition and light distortion in your photographs?
I experiment with my camera and lenses every time I shoot. I always come prepared to a shoot with a lot of different kinds of broken glass and trash. I don’t do any digital editing to my pictures, just color processing, so the way I achieve all those groovy little quirks is through experimentation with light and materials which is really fun and everyone should do it!
Your subjects always appear so natural and genuine. When shooting, how do you typically direct them to move so that it still feels organic?
My direction depends on the subject of the shoot. If its something weird or editorial that is bigger than the person in it, it all sort of depends on the vision. But if it is like about a person or a portrait my direction at a shoot starts off pretty minimal so people get in the zone. I just tell them act natural don’t do anything you wouldn’t do in real life and don’t do anything with your face if it feels weird. And if I don’t like their face I tell them to fix it. And then from there once we get comfortable I don’t mind telling them to do weirder shit with their face.
What's your stance on social media such as instagram, tumblr and other art based platforms? Do you yourself use them, and if so, have they influenced your work and publicity?
Ugh social media. User generated content is the bane of my existence MAYBE. I’m terrible at keeping up my stuff and other people’s stuff. Wish I could say I am trying to be better but I am not. One day I guess I hope that I can pay someone to do it for me like Denny’s.
Where and what do you love shooting?
I used to love shooting outdoors but now I like shooting in the vacuum of a studio. For money, I like working with musicians best because they are always down to get weird. For fun, refer to my manifesto.
What does a perfect day of shooting look like to you?
A perfect day of shooting only requires one criterion the rest is anything goes: have fun! It’s really not cool to be on at a shoot where everyone is really stressed out about how it’s going because I’m like yo I am going make you the best pictures ever don’t worry let’s enjoy the magic.
What does your work week look like usually?
What My work week is different every week. I try to make studio time for a few hours each week. I am a photographer as a job but I am also an…………………artist. So I spend as much time as I can working on my practice but I am lucky that my JOB is also something that I love and is super coolfun.
I read some of your writing, where does that come into play with your photography?
Thanks for reading my writing! Wow! It doesn’t really play with my photography but it does have to do with me as an artist/human. I feel like inside of us we all have all this content and information and we are always figuring out the right way to tell our story/stories so sometimes the right way to tell my story is not with pictures but with words or videos.
How (if so) does being a young, female photographer play into your work?
My being a female isn’t obvious in my work save for the facts that I am a hard worker and a lady hustler and I think being a girl is the best.
Is there anything that I haven't asked that you would like to add?
I would like to plug myself as an additional little plug to all the plugging I just did. Right now I am working on a series of videos called Synfommercials that are funny town city! Most of my work is about the absurd and these videos specifically deal with amateur video content that is made with the intention of being useful of interesting but usually wind up lost in the abyss with 12 views. I just finished my gardening video and everyone should check it out….world wide. Thank you.