PHOTOGRAPHY • INSPIRATION

Creator Collective: Amelie Satzger.

The German photographer and art director is always evolving.

Tell us about your journey into the world of photo and video.

I got my first version of Photoshop when I was 12, way before I got my first DSLR camera. I loved manipulating images and trying out new things, but I never considered it could eventually lead to a profession. For my 19th birthday I bought myself a used Canon 60D and, as I didn’t have any good photos yet to show and therefore was too shy to ask any models, I started to take self-portraits. I shared my images on Instagram and within just a couple of months I had already gained a load of followers.

In fall that same year I also started studying photo design at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich. As part of the course I started getting to grips with film, particularly stop-motion video.

After I graduated in 2019, I applied for the Adobe Creative Residency and became a resident for 2019/2020. That year really helped me develop my style and taught me skills I would have never learned in university. Since May last year I’ve worked as a freelance visual artist with clients such as Adobe and Apple.

What’s your favorite part of the creative process?

My favorite part is seeing all the final pieces of a project come together in the end. Especially if I’m editing an image and I can already guess how beautiful it will turn out, but I still have to make a couple of final touches. It makes me super excited, especially if it’s a more complex concept that I wasn’t 100% sure I could achieve.

What inspired you to teach and share your knowledge?

When I was in school I had a couple of mean girls in my class, and they all had images of themselves with angel wings as profile pictures. They didn’t want to tell me how they did it, as this was a “secret” that they’d only share with one another. It was right at the beginning when I started with Photoshop and I was super curious how to edit angel wings into a photo, so — of course — I searched for it on YouTube and created my first-ever photo manipulation out of bird wings and an image of myself. It turned out that they simply used a wing brush; mine was already much more complex.

But I know exactly how I felt back then being left out and don’t want anyone to feel like I did, so I love to share my tricks and experiences with others.

Your work is often bright and playful. How did you shape your aesthetic originally? Was there plenty of experimentation along the way?

I think my style is something that shifted — and keeps shifting — over time. It’ll never be static. I think it is important to be true and passionate about your art. For example, for the first four years of my photography journey my images were darker, mostly in earth tones with a tiny pop of color. I was going through a tougher time back then and the images reflected that.

After a while I couldn’t quite feel the mood in my images anymore and I was bored of the lack of concept. I’ve actually always been a colorful person, and it felt more inspiring and challenging to think of cool surreal photo concepts, so step-by-step I changed my style. Now I’m bored again of shooting almost all my photos inside, so now that lockdown is lifting I will try to work on concepts in the outside, shooting on location.

Any tips for up-and-coming photographers on securing commercial work and working with clients?

My biggest tip would be: Don’t be shy and be a clear communicator of what you would like to do for a certain client. I think if you already have an idea of how you can serve a client and how that would be beneficial for them, you have the best chances to convince the client and actually get that job.

Do you collaborate often with other creatives?

I didn’t collaborate at all with other creatives during the pandemic, which is pretty sad. But usually, if I have a cool idea that I need another creative person for, I’ll usually make a moodboard or gather some references and reach out to people who might be a great fit to work with. If their reaction is positive and they’re also excited to work on the project, I have a call or meet up in person. And then it usually depends on the project. Often we have a shared folder, where we collect ideas and inspiration images. We set a date and a list of things to do before we shoot together. A couple of days before the shoot we’ll talk over the concept to make sure we’re on the same track.

What’s one piece of equipment you couldn’t live without?

Probably my remote control! I mean I can shoot with my Canon, I can shoot with my iPhone, but to be able to play the characters in my photos myself, I always need a remote.

What’s your dream project?

There are so many projects I am hoping to bring to life, so it’s hard to choose! But if I had to, I would probably like to work on a project where I can bring to life my surreal images in short video clips. I would love to build sets that look surreal and shoot within these sets or even work more with 3D programs to bring some of my wilder ideas to life and blend the worlds between reality and imagination.

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