Dear readers,
Starting your own project is easy, compared to how hard it is to make it thrive. At Frameload we celebrate members of our community for their accomplishments as talented photographers, of which all would not be possible without persistence, consistence, and a whole lot of passion. So today we are writing about one of our most recent members — Gregory Koefer.
Gregory Koefer
Videographer, Photographer, Director.
We admire Greg for his impressive achievements only 6 months after turning his passion into his full time job. And believe that these came from a strong mindset, which you can easily identify through one of Greg’s favourite quotes:
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
– Charles R. Swindoll
We found Greg incredibly ambitious, humble, smart and a true go-getter. We admire that! So we decided to dedicate one of our blog posts to tell you a bit more about him, what he’s been up to, what his career goals are, and more. We hope you’ll enjoy it!
Which photographers influenced you, and how did they influence your thinking, photographing, and career path?
One image that brought back my interest, that I already had since I was 16, came back to me during my trip to San Diego. I took an image with a GoPro and the image was pretty popular and I noticed how much pleasure the editing and everything that is part of it gave me and it gave me that nostalgia from when I was 16.
You said you watched a lot of Youtube videos to learn most of what you know now. Do you recommend a few Youtube pages to the readers eager to learn about photography?
That depends on the level but the ones that go from Amateur until tech pros I would suggest those:
Tell us a bit about your internship experiences and how they helped you develop.
It helped me see the bigger picture, learn some basics, camera technical related stuff such as shutter, ISO, influence of light, grading and so on
Who do you follow on Instagram?
I follow over 500 people, but the ones that I regularly check and come up to my mind are:
How would you describe your style and approach?
I think my style is not fully mature yet, but if I had to describe it: Deep and Cinematic. I’m a deep thinker.
Exactly what it is you want to say with your photographs, and how do you actually get your photographs to do that?
My biggest goal in videography and photography is always to inspire people and make their day, somehow better. A short escape in a nice world, where your problems and thoughts don’t exist for a short moment.
What is the thing you like the most about being a photographer?
The mental creative challenge that is always there and thinking out of the box. And having no boss of course!
What are your career goals as a photographer?
That my work can make an impact in people when they see my work. It can be as simple as putting a smile on someone’s face, just by looking at an image.
What technology/software/camera gear do you use to keep focused on what you do best, as you photograph?
I always try to take as much stuff as possible, since you never know what could happen.
But my Run and Gun Setup is:
Sony a7R III
24–70 2.8 GM
24mm 1.4 Sigma
15mm 2.0 Laowa
Tripod
Remote Control trigger
DJI Mavic pro 2
How do you find new clients? How challenging is it?
Calling, texting, and trying to get in touch with them. And if it’s someone I am really interested in, I text them until they answer back.
In today’s society, everything is fast, meaning: People forget very fast. Way more then 10 years ago. So putting the ego aside and just insist on getting an answer, will bring you something at one point.
As a young photographer, you mentioned that there have been times when you had to work for free. Can you explain why that’s a “part of the deal”, what works you’ve done for free and where it has taken you?
If you want to start out, you MUST do things for free. Why should someone pay someone else without any experience?
And the amazing thing about free things: You can do as many mistakes as you want, nobody can get mad at you, because you are doing it for free. The moment when you start to charge for your services, you will notice yourself. There is no “right” moment, everybody has a different path. Some fast, some slow, but take your time.
What was the most exciting project you endeavoured in?
The most exciting project I worked on so far was one in the United States for a startup, which is still in the making and I can’t tell too much about yet. One of my biggest projects so far was Huawei Mobile.
What was your biggest accomplishment so far? And what did it take you to get there?
People telling me, that I inspire them or helped them through a rough time and with my images allowed them to get immersed in another world for a short moment.
What companies have you worked with?
Red Bull, Huawei, TUI, UberEat, Dolder Grand Hotel, Switzerland Tourism, Swiss, Starbucks.
Many photographers are also getting into video production and aerial photography. What about you?
I am putting more weight in video then in photo. A picture says more than a thousand words, so imagine what a video can do.
How do you think technology is impacting the world of photography and the role of professional photographers nowadays?
It’s getting easier and easier to have produce sharp images and manipulate colours, but that’s about it. You cannot teach a machine to be creative. Even myself, I sometimes don’t understand where my ideas come from, they just pop up — I have my techniques, but I get surprised every time. So technology won’t be the end of photography, and even less videography.
For those looking to be photographers for a living, what’s the best advice you can give them?
To not start to think how, when, what if, etc. Just start somewhere, and you will find a way to fulfil your dream.
It’s like digging for a hole and looking for gold. If you don’t start, you will never find it, but if you start, you probably won’t find something straight away. But with time, you will get there. Starting is half way there.
What are your goals for the next two years and how do you plan to achieve them?
I would like to produce corporate and high-end video work, and have more travel-related jobs to have the chance to explore different countries and cultures. Also I want to have a successful, Swiss wide known podcast and step up my video and photo game to the next level. My ultimate goal is to live in Los Angeles.
To receive daily inspirational notifications from Greg, please follow him on Instagram @gregslens.
If you’re a photographer in Switzerland looking to expose your portfolio, find new clients and connect with a talented creative community, visit us at www.frameload.com. You can also follow us on Instagram @frameload where we praise the work of our talented photographers.
We would like to thank Gregory for taking the time to answer these questions for us. Just like him, we are at the beginning of our journey, and we look forward to our next steps. And we’d love to share these with you on our blog, every week!
Stay tuned for more interviews coming up soon!
