Ep 12 - How to approach photography with an open mind with Johannes Reinhart

Hey Wicked Hunters,

Welcome to another episode of The ART of Photography Podcast with Stanley Ar. Today I want to introduce Johannes Reinhart who's a master in performance photography but also in finding unique perspectives in common places. He shared how to approach photography with an open mind to be able to capture one that is unique to you.

For those of you who want to learn more about Johannes:

• www.johannes.com.au
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johannesreinhart/

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Johannes Reinhart  0:00  
It's really like keeping an open mind. Like, look around and keep an open mind and don't get stuck on. I want to take this particular photo

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  0:18  
here, we can do this Welcome back to The Art of Photography podcast where we share our passion as a photographer, and we share how photography has brought hope, purpose and even happiness to our life. So today we have someone very special from Perth. I met him back during one of the project is called the 730 project. We were we were doing that as fundraising. And he is definitely one of the top Perth event photographer and one of the most creative photographer out there. He definitely find beautiful things in the order in ordinary things. So I'm very excited to welcome Johan is, are you doing your hunters?

Johannes Reinhart  1:09  
Yeah, good. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:12  
Yeah, no, great. How's things back in Perth?

Johannes Reinhart  1:15  
Pretty good. We don't have much COVID restrictions or life goes mostly normal.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:21  
And it's crazy. It's just amazing. Yeah, yeah, it's crazy. I mean, like, it's crazy how people can you know, all the everything's open to venues and stuff. Like there's practically banging? Well, I guess that's the one advantage of being the most isolated city in the world. A

Johannes Reinhart  1:37  
definitely. Yeah.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:40  
All right. So like, thanks a lot for coming in. And yeah, we met on, you know, that is 730 project there. And I think that was the first time I met you, which was a little bit embarrassing, because you're very young. It looks like everyone knows you. And you got definitely one of the top photographers begging for them, especially to learn from. Give us a little bit just introduction about yourself, you know, where are you? Where are you coming from in what type of photography you do and how you kind of get there.

Johannes Reinhart  2:15  
Because I come from Germany, and it's where the accent is, I moved to Australia, I think I was 25. And I live here for 20 years already. And I started photography, probably around 25 years ago, like proper way, I bought my first SLR camera and then really gotten into it. And in the last summit in 2003, I started going out professionally as well maybe like, after 789 years, being really keen photographer. So I shot a wedding at you know, we went to a wedding and took some pictures. And that turned out better than the ones from the wedding photographer. And the same thing happened again that year for another wedding. And then I thought I'm becoming a wedding photographer. So I started Yes, I started off as a wedding photographer, you know, just like, Okay, I'm a wedding photographer now. And that's why they're and you know, and then learning and then all learning and then digital came around. And then everything had to be learned kind of new, you know, computers and colour management, all that. And then and then after a couple of years, I didn't really pick up my camera anymore. Because I was associated picking the camera up with Burke and and then through some coincidence, and there was this photographer, like PIP photographers and Kurth group on Flickr. And then people being like going out and meeting each other. And I always did photography in isolation, really. And so Oh, there's other people like me, isn't that amazing? And then I went out and to the mates and we shared the photos after on online I mean, it's all normal now but back then, it was like to start off the internet, so to speak. And then I've really reignited my passion for photography. And I also realised what I've lost with you know, not picking up the camera for myself anymore for my own book. Just for playing around and then yeah, and then I never stopped, you know, taking pictures for myself and my personal work is really important to me, like I mean I'm really busy doing professional work which I kind of shoot everything nowadays, but I concentrated events and especially performance and a bit of commercial and bit of everything and teaching obviously. So it's it's a nice variety nowadays, that I can

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  4:37  
set that up. So would you say that performance and art photography is your main passion? Is that why you kind of you know, sway into that categories or

Johannes Reinhart  4:51  
nothing? Well yes and no performance for that used to be a passionate because it was so you know a such a different world. Hold on I Love You know, having access and the camera is a bit like a passport as the saying goes. So you Yeah, I I, I had total passion for performance photography and now I'm doing it for maybe over 10 years and then so it's not in I really love it. But it's it's kinda it's not this strange, exotic real animals, everything kind of becomes quite normal, which is really interesting, isn't it? And it's definitely a passion but at the moment I'm, I'm, I'm more kind of interested in my personal work I'm more interested in like, which sometimes performance matches like themes like light and shadow and alienation and life and death and loneliness and and subcultures, which, which performance, obviously, part of.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  5:51  
Yeah, that's, that's really cool. I think definitely one of the photo that really catch caught my eyes on that project was that, just that the way you play with the shadow, you know, playing that contrast, it was it was, I never actually do that, in previous to that it was, it was mostly about, you know, trying to get the even lighting, make sure that all the subject is lined up. And it was, it was definitely a big mind shift, when, when I first saw that I was like, wow, like, you know, like, you don't have to see the dark, like, you don't have to see what's under the shadow, it actually could create something, like, quite unique about it. So that was really cool to see. What, what inspires you to, you know, do to do that kind of photography in the first place? Is it just as a, like, accident that you kind of come across it? Or was there an inspiration somewhere along the line

Johannes Reinhart  6:49  
that already leads back to my childhood? Because I, I've been really drawn to, you know, days to be black and white photographs and magazines and papers. I don't know where I've seen them. But I've been really drawn to Yeah, with the stark contrast the images, which, which those sometimes used to do and then when I had a camera, I kind of tried to do that. And obviously it doesn't quite work like that. And then you come to Australia and the sun is so much harsher than in Europe, as you know. Yeah, it's crazy. Like in Germany, if I should, in the middle of the diet, it's like a kind of overcast ish, almost overcast dish down here, the lights really soft in comparison. And in Perth, we have this extraordinary hard light. So you can create you know, if you expose for the highlights and your shadows become really deep and dark and, and I really love that kind of effect. And I'm, I'm naturally drawn towards it that just sort of an extension of myself really?

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  7:47  
Well that's, that's really interesting, you know, like, because, you know, most photographers look for that soft light, right? Where we're taught, like, hey, you know, go in the morning, or go in the afternoon where the light is soft. But here you are, like just taking advantage of something totally different. Something that's just so harsh, and people would probably stay at home, I probably would be stay at home by that time. But you take that into advantage. That's really cool.

Johannes Reinhart  8:14  
So can I just say something for that? Yeah, for sure. So it also came through necessity because I'm a stay at home dad, and I look after my kids and when they were little. So now they're teenagers, but whenever little is like during the day was the only time I could go out and have my own life. So, so I was like, I felt like I'm the lunchtime photographer, you know, the middle of the day here, I'm out and then I just kind of had to do with what I got. And then that's another layer that kind of added on to that. Yeah, that's I think

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  8:45  
that's that's also an important factor. You know, a lot of a lot of photographers out there, especially the one that can just start it, see those explosive sunset or sunrise, you know, for landscape or, you know, a special lighting and we are so fixated with those lighting, that, you know, if we go to the location, and then we didn't get that light, we would just pack our gear and go home which, you know, you said it perfectly sometimes you just have to take advantage of were what was the condition that you have? So that's that's really amazing. Yeah, so what what was your what's your biggest inspiration if there is any, you know, what, what, how does this creativity mind works? Like, you know, what sparked this create DVD? I suppose.

Johannes Reinhart  9:35  
That's a really hard question for me. It's like, I just thought back and mind I mean, the Magnum photographers used to inspire me. And now because I do photography for a long time and like 20 years intensively really, or obsessively could say, so now at the moment my inspirations really kind of trying to go deeper in my own personal work and vision and whatever that means, I don't even know what that means but but that's the kind of place I want to go to. So I kind of work on projects, I just finished a book from a Japan holiday that I might free books out of it, one family, one, street photography, and one that's about to do with, you know, the temporary nests of everything in our whole life. And, and, and, and that's just me, you know, being in middle age and trying to get my head around, but I'm going to die 40 years, maybe sooner. And just kind of being more aware of my time is limited here. And, and it just comes out in the work I should naturally and then it's like sequencing and putting it together and finding the theme. And just how I photograph, usually it's very much based on serendipity, I kind of go through everything a little bit. I something pops up, and then I go Oh, that's interesting. And I take note and and then over time I work out what are the important themes in my work, or what are themes in my work that just naturally come up and trying to kind of dig in on that and move forward. And so it's all like it, it's, it's a little bit like just finding myself and photography helps me to kind of put a light to what's in my subconscious then I can learn our game that's going on, because the subconscious was like maybe a year ahead or half a year ahead of what you actually know what's going on. And, and then just trying to combine it with my photography and learn about myself and my feelings. And, and, and also have fun and just like we beat New Zealand in January, which was very, very good timing and very lucky. And I was so excited about you know, discovering all I mean, we go for those beautiful nature walks and seeing those amazing things and, and I'm there with my camera as I can capture it and I'm so excited. And I think photography with photography, the the whole worlds like a treasure box, really. And it's just like, going out and discovering what's around the corner here and what's there and, and that brings a lot of joy into for me and capturing that it's a lot more fun for me than just seeing it. So because then I guess I can go hey, look at this. Look, look what I've seen, you know, and I mean, when I go with my family, I go oh, look at this and amazing, they're lucky or whatever. And once I take a picture, sometimes they go oh, that's actually not bad. Yeah, that's,

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  12:43  
that's a it's really funny, isn't it? Like, and it's really cool as well, like, how so basically, you're saying, you know, use photography as a way to express yourself and, you know, express your kind of inner thought and where you can going or what's in your head? In terms of photograph? Yeah, so like that, I find that it's really definitely one of the reasons that a lot, a lot of us do photography as a creative outlet. So how does that you know, how do you look beyond the ordinary? You know, because I see a lot of your photos, you, you, you focus on things that people wouldn't focus on just the quirky things, the little small details. And that was the one thing that I really noticed, you know, when I was there next, you cannot watch your work. It was just like, wow, and it was just like, how did he think of this just like blow you out of your mind, because it's not something that people would normally think about.

Johannes Reinhart  13:47  
When it comes to I think there's two different layers of it. One is I'm not interested in just another pretty picture. So I'm, I you know, that's how you start off or that's how I started off, you know, trying to emulate the photographer scene and emulate, you know, the great photos or, you know, Christian Fletcher took this photo of something and you know, and Duncan and you have that in mind when you go to Ayers Rock and you're trying to take kinda that similar photo and then you're very proud when just looks kind of similar. And then and then the next step was like, more finding my own voice and because I mean me lighting is just a great thing to learn photography, but then it's really like it might have been when I went to photo for you, which might have been 2003 or four. There was photo for you and then I went there and I say in photography that kind of found confronting is like, what this is, like supposed to be good photography, you know, because it wasn't just pretty pictures and then and that kind of really opened up my my world and seeing this was photography and that is photography and then going okay, what is it that I do? And I guess then I took a little bit of is a free pass to explore, go a little more me personal. And for a number of years, I was really struggling with that, you know, like this is popular and you feel like you're supposed to do what's popular, right. But then it's also but I prefer those pictures, you know. And then eventually, I ended up winning prices winning documentary photographer of the year, at the IPP with my own picture with that, yeah, put my own pictures in, I actually won. And I was like, amazing. And then that really manifested in my, okay, I, I basically, I won those prices, because I did what I did my own thing anyway. And then it's after that, it became really easy to just follow my own thing. And nowadays, I just do my photography, the why, in my personal work, do my photography that the way I want to do it. And then and it's very easy just to and then the other part of that is I go out and I try, I basically go out with an open mind and just look around and see what I find. And just trust in my gut instinct and trust in serendipity and, and often start with light in our NSA some interesting light somewhere, and then I look closer, and then I find something and then if I react to it, and then I start to take pictures of it. And then I mean, obviously if I react to it, and there's there's something that interests me, and I just kind of follow that. So yeah, like a treasure hunt, like, like in New Zealand. Yeah, that's, that's come out the way I like it in a way, which does not there many pretty pictures. But I don't know, oh, they're a little more more clutter, they're not as clean, I think I could shoot a lot more cleaner. If I and I do that more in my commercial work, where things are more orderly and clean. And in my personal work, it's sometimes maybe a little messy, but there's still some structure to it. And I guess my brain is a bit messy. So it just comes out like that.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  17:03  
So that's, that's really cool to hear. And, you know, it's, I think a lot, a lot of people out there might have that thinking of, or pressure I should say, or pressure of reproducing something that you know, is beautiful as what the status quo accepted. So that's great to hear that you say that because, you know, it was a testament to itself that you you were able to win an awards just by being original. So you know, what sort of advice would you say to people who kind of just started and struggled to find their voice or, you know, try to find to be where you are right now. And they are still in the emulation sort of period. Yeah,

Johannes Reinhart  17:51  
I mean, just be yourself. Really, it's, it's sounds simple. And it is it is hard, because I mean, the old trying to fit in, like all of us, and I mean, the older you grow, maybe then you have a bit more luck with that, I just do my own thing, I think he probably really helps. It also really helps that I I had recognition with doing what I do. And then you know, it took like 10 years to get there. And I was sometimes really torn and not knowing what I'm supposed to do and, and but I learned by winning awards, I learned that you know, it doesn't really matter, like it's you just do your own thing and and if you get recognition, that's great. And if you don't get recognition at least you do work that's meaningful to you. And and that's I think that's a bigger price than winning awards. By ending up having photos they mean something to you and I got a couple of projects that that you know, they go a lot deeper and they're a lot more they're kind of important that in my life the kind of key the mark sort of key points and that came out in photography and I have a lot of pretty pictures that are really nice that you could hang up the wall but I don't really I don't have no deeper connection to them so they they're just kind of nice in our and maybe they get likes on Facebook or Instagram but they don't they don't do anything other than just being pretty to me and and I guess for your listeners if you if you just go out and you do you do what you connect with and you do things uy uy just means you like it like this and you're like high contrast or low contrast and it's just do that and and don't worry about you know the likes and what how it resonates with other people initially because if you just posted it just post you what you will really like to do over a period of time you will attract the people who connect to that kind of thing. And then you know in the long run you're gonna get your your recognition run by people liking what you do. And don't worry so much about the gatekeepers. You know, like we all we get recognition from our friends or friends, God is amazing. This is awesome, you know, but we want it from some strange, unknown people like an industry or somewhere that that we don't even know. But we want the recognition from them. And, and I mean, what does what's more important your friends are some random stranger really. So put emphasis on that to just play like, you know, move, move the blocks around a bit and give yourself the freedom to just go and explore.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  20:36  
Yeah, that's that's a really good advice. I think that's, it's really powerful to say that, you know, do what, express yourself and do what do what's right for you and let those people that resonate with you follow you and not worry about those people who doesn't follow you, or doesn't resonate with you. So I think that's a really good advice. So, you know, you were sharing earlier about meeting up with this group of photographers and they were going out together and that kind of sparks back your your photography after kind of a wall, how important it is to have a community and you know, being able to be part of community in terms of progressing your photography, I guess not only just progressing your photography, but also enjoying photography.

Johannes Reinhart  21:31  
Yeah, I think it's like, for me, it's more enjoying photography and also enjoying connecting to people and, and sometimes I guess we feel, you know, like, I had this from a lot of photographers or artists, they feel a little isolated. I feel like I'm a bit weird. And then you go to a photographer's me, then you go, or I'm not the only weird one. There's, there's lots of us. That's, that's a really nice thing too. You know, I mean, I have friends of our family friends, we have friends who get my photography, and we have friends who just don't get you know that they like to pretty pictures and they go, Oh, that's great. But if I show them like my RT book, then I go it's all a bit strange and random. You know, not not everybody's gonna get it. And, and yeah, photography mates. It's nice to meet those people. And you can, I mean, human connection is like, many when you look at life, I think that's, that's the biggest thing, like your family and friends comes, I think when you all that comes before everything else it will crystallise for I think for most people. And photography is like a way to make friends and to meet people and be don't feel so lonely and isolated, I guess.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  22:46  
Yeah, it's, it's actually really interesting that you say that, because sometimes photography, for me is a good thing. It's a thing to run away and actually be alone and isolated. And I think it's one of the reasons why I like to do Astro photography, because, you know, he was so serene, like, you know, being out there at night. And yet you you don't feel alone, because you know, you get to enjoy all the stars. And it just give me a perception that there's somebody out there. So yeah, it's really, it's really interesting to see that different perspective. And you know, how everyone have that different perspective. So what, sir, yeah,

Johannes Reinhart  23:25  
good. Yeah, but um, I totally get what you do. And I do that too. And, and I'm an introvert and I need time on on my own, but then it's, it's also really nice to be kind of connected to photographic community. Like, for me, it's a real benefit. To be, you know, to have that community. Yeah. And then, also going out alone. I mean, my best pictures I usually take when I'm on my own, because that's where you can really focus and connect with what you're photographing.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  23:57  
Yeah, it's, yeah, it's, it's very interesting. I mean, like, one of the things that I like about hanging out with like, other photographers is just the inspiration and different perspective that I get learn from them. And, you know, like, for example, when I was meeting you or like, for example, now I'm part of the collective exhibitions, shorts, photo exhibition, and that was that there was a big sort of mind shift in my photography, because I saw some photography that I've never seen before. And I was like, wow, like, you know, possibilities, just analysts. So so that's really cool that you know, you kind of have that realisation and you know, follow that your own path. So how how do you translate a lot of this in terms of to your do your professional work you know, because then you how do you how do people can see is like, Okay, I'll hire Your Highness because he's really good. When a lot of your photo are more like, you know, really artsy and Really, I should say that a lot of people, like you say, hard to resonate with.

Johannes Reinhart  25:06  
I mean, the ones I've posted are mostly mostly like what I consider the cool photos. And then so that's in other performance ones, a lot of them apply to most of them. And some event photos sometimes I post but mostly it's like work I finished the job and I kind of move on to the next one. So it kind of works because I have enough people who know me and know my work and I've worked for them previously or that you hear recommendations are made my business kind of doesn't run online, it is just like word of mouth and, and I don't actually post that much. I started posting a little bit more with COVID since I lost all my work and then I thought oh, maybe I should post a bit of this what I can do kind of thing for you. Yeah, the business is it's a little bit different as an I photograph to you know, you need a product or you need a promo shot or you need a photo for specific purpose and trying to deliver on that purpose and provide value to you. And I've been very lucky because I shot weddings for almost 15 years. And then I realised I don't have the passion for it anymore. And I thought it's time to move on. And I was really worried that you know, I don't get enough business after because that's my bread and butter. And then I just realised very quickly that I said no to a lot of jobs when you know when when people ring as I can you do this next week, and often they go can you do this next week, and I always had to say no, because I've been booked out with weddings, and I didn't really realise that so so much. So that really helped and I started teaching and then over the over the years I've build up performance photography, especially at fringe and a little bit during the year to that kind of Yeah, just just just by doing it passion first for passion for a while and then you know works kind of crystallised out of that and then more work crystallised out of that. And nowadays, I don't shoot many shows for free anymore, so to speak, you know, the most of them are paid. And when I shoot free, I'm shooting very different. I'm picturing fairy, like I'm trying to get artistic photos, which are sometimes better, or I find them better, but they're really hard to photograph and you missed a lot of good shots, if you follow down at artistic rabbit hole, because then I go blurry, and I go, you know, all sorts of stuff. Because I'm really, in my personal work, I'm experimenting, like a lot, and I just, I just play around in a way. And through the applying, I'm learning and become a better photographer, which then feeds into my professional work that, you know, I have all those tricks up my sleeve that I could, you know, this scenario could do this, and that's an I could do that. And I you know, break it up here a little bit and they and and also realised over the years people book me for my artistry, not just for commercially pretty, like, you know, nice, nice images, they also want a little bit on maybe extra feeling or something.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  28:18  
Yeah, that's, that's really cool. Because, you know, at the end of the day, it's it's come back to what you say about being yourself and then just let those people who can resonate, you know, come to you and not worry about those. So that that really, really good to see how that translate just not only in the personal side, but also to professional so so I want to talk more about your event photography side of things, you know, you take the amazing event photos, performances and stuff like that. Whereas a lot of this angle came from you know, like the the creativity and you know, playing around with the lights and so forth, the poses and so forth.

Johannes Reinhart  29:02  
Well, depending on where it is, it always often always starts with light, I look for good light. And as an event photographer, especially if performance photographer, you you are a little bit at the mercy of the lighting guy or the lighting, shot out show connections last week that had amazing lighting and now in it, it makes my job to create powerful images like much easier even though I was like a crazy man. But, but you know, like if they liked it well and they have to smoke for extra effect and all that that really adds or like in French, you know, the Spiegeltent shows so much better than some of the other venues where you just have one spotlight, and that's about it and then you a lot more limited in what you can do as a photographer. So light comes first and then the performance because I mostly should live performance. It's And it's really, by, by doing a lot of my doing a lot of photography does this kind of sixth sense to know when to press the button and things line up to you kind of now, I mean, you, you keep a light, you know, is obviously something I pay a lot of attention towards, and then the performance to and and, you know, you soom in and you zoom out and just trying to anticipate what's going to happen next, which then experience experience really helps, you know, like, you've seen a lot of shows and do certain things do you think art is probably going to something, something big is gonna happen? Maybe soon, that I better be ready to capture that, you know, over fire, you know, when I go fire, you know, and you have to then underexposed before it starts. So you're ready, and then and you hope you do, right. And because there's only one goes on often. And then you know, zoom out a bit, because often that that fire goes up. So it's just the experience and trial and error and, and everything I do you I kind of put in a memory bank, and I was like anything you've ser that works, I put in a memory bank. And I just kind of keep building on that. Yeah, that's cool.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  31:11  
I do that as well, in terms of the memory bank, I think like, you know, you find a little quirky technique that comes up really nice, or that you really like you just like, oh, yeah, that's, that's a good technique, if it and then, you know, eventually, you have so many libraries you could play around with. But, um, and then, sorry, yeah,

Johannes Reinhart  31:30  
can I just add on to this. The other thing, the obvious thing that I haven't mentioned is, there's also the performance, I mean, they they bring their own artistry and creativity to this day, and their talent to the stage, and that, it kind of makes my job easy in a way, you know, because I don't have to make it all update, they create this world that I then really just kind of capture sometimes. And sometimes I'll fill in my own. Also with the

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  31:58  
with the live performances, you know, I see a lot of your work with the performance photography, it's, it's, it's usually on a dark condition, right, it's really dark, and then you got maybe a spotlight and hence what you say about how light is important. The ticker is true in terms of how do you go about and thinking about you know, because the most important things is in photography is light timing and placement, right, those three really dries the type of photo that you get. So how do you go about this thing? And how do you you know, how do you know when it's how do you decide I suppose not to know because you know, knowing can be from experience, but how do you decide when you want to go to this angle that angle or overexposed underexposed, and so forth.

Johannes Reinhart  32:54  
A lot of it is it's, it's a bit like being a documentary photographer, or wedding photographer, where you just you kind of photograph and you anticipate what's going to happen next and you think, is just going to be better from this side or that side. Or, or sometimes I like to move around. So it's not all just the same angles, there's not just you know, same angles as a TV camera will be which often is the best angle like the front and centre, you know, but you know, if you run around and you should from the sign up closer and shoot up and you just get more variety for for the client. And then you Yeah, it's really like trusting my gut instinct a lot. Or I'm going oh my god, this is gonna happen I'd better shoot off to the middle again, because then just needs to be photographed in the middle. So it's, it's I think previous visualisation plays a big role in that that you experience the performance especially where you can anticipate you kind of know a few things by seeing a lot of shows that this might go this way or that might go that way. And and then yeah, and then just paying attention to light and your camera settings and under exposes like I'm mostly exposed more to the right so I don't really try and blow on highlights but then sometimes I just go darker and then it's just I say something and I I react to it and I go I got to photograph it this way or that way and everything happens so fast that you really just kind of I don't know like it's like it's being driven

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  34:30  
cool. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz you go to this to this performance is the first time isn't it? It's not like you go there once and then you can watch

Johannes Reinhart  34:40  
a lot of Yeah, on most shows I should one time sometimes i I'm lucky. I should, you know, like, design people who put shows on and then some parts of that is similar as seen a couple of performers that I rephotographed and then sometimes so you design your shows or whatever, start off this I'm going to change it later slide. It gives me more sense of what might happen. But yeah, a lot of them is just reacting to because every time they put on a different show, it's usually it is a different show. And then you just kind of, but that also keeps it really fresh. I mean, if I photographed a snapshot twice, I could, I could improve some photos of that. Definitely. But then by photographing a show once it keeps it fresh, and it's better for the budget of the company twice.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  35:37  
Yeah, like, that's, that's really cool advice. And it's, yeah, I find it great. I mean, I've never really done it myself. But just in my head thinking about, man, how do you know when you know things going to happen? And you know, when kind of placing yourself and especially when you saw it for the first time is, it's almost like you always have to be ready or something like that. A? Yeah.

Johannes Reinhart  35:59  
I take a lot of photos. Usually. It's not like film.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  36:06  
It's that's the good thing about the digital camera. Right? Yeah. Cool. So now that's awesome. I love how how you share your perspective, or you hear that, you know, go with your gut. I think you said that a lot in this conversation, conversation is that go with your gut, and trust yourself and express yourself. I think those are the few things that are really important. So if you were to go back, let's say, you know, let's say you wake up tomorrow, and you lost all your skills, and you have to start all over again. How would you do? Like, you know, for those of you for those of the listeners who kind of just get started and want to get to it, you know, how would you do it? What are the steps that you would take?

Johannes Reinhart  36:55  
So what I, what I really, if I lose everything, I kind of want to lose it in a way that I also don't remember that I had the skill before. So I can just be fresh. And the beauty is like, the beauty is, when you don't do photography for very long, that you have this kind of inner sense, and everything is new and exciting and fresh. And I don't have that anymore, because I've been doing it so long. And yes, I can get probably a really good quality consistently. But the images that excite me, for me, it's much harder to get those images, because you just don't find them very often. And when you when you're just starting out, you know, like an image that maybe five years from that time you took it you think, Oh, this is amazing. And three years ago, oh, actually, it wasn't. But at the time was amazing, and a lot more things are amazing. And that, that that is really so beautiful. And I think it needs to be enjoyed. And rather than trying to be somewhere at the top, whatever the top might be, because, um, you know, that all those things are kind of, I feel like they're a little bit concepts, you know, I mean, I don't see myself at the top, I just do my photography. And, and it's, it's really great that I'm very lucky that I have a lot of people connect to my work. I made people who told me that they really love my photography, and I really valued it and, and appreciate it. At the same time, I just kind of do it for myself, it's kind of a little bit selfish, you know, exploring my little rabbit hole of photography, so to speak. And, and, yeah, and, and each stage you are on, like whether you're just starting out, or whether you're doing this for 10 or 20 years, it's, it's, there's a benefit to it, and you but you can't have everything and so just enjoy the state you in and not worry so much about, I guess external validation, that's, I think, a really big tip and just kind of do your own thing and, and ply and feel free and try not to force things too much. You know, I see a lot of people that kind of create it to the block, you know, because they kind of want to do something, but then in any event, I do that myself and you know, like a year and a half ago, I was like I wanted to do some great project, you know, I'm thinking about the outcome. Instead of thinking about the actual project and doing the project kind of freely, you know, I'm thinking about the outcome and because I want the outcome to be great. I put pressure on myself to even you know, even get started and can be blocked to even start which is kind of really the opposite of when you start out and pick up a camera and everything is just kind of playful and nice. And so I guess we all try to keep more of that so and I would really enjoy like you know, just starting out and and not knowing what I was good at and just you know, kind of just playing around.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  39:59  
That's that's cool. I think that's really cool. You know, the fact that you see just focused on on having fun and enjoying it, that's, that's really amazing. We just have that conversation right there. You say something about, you know, just just gonna go your own way, enjoy it have that first perspective and have enjoy that first back first perspective. And as you kind of get get along, the more you do it that that excitement can go away. So, for yourself, um, you know, how do you keep the excitement going like do not burn now in photography, and to keep enjoying photography.

Johannes Reinhart  40:41  
I mean, I burn out once or twice a year, usually, usually when I work too much, and it's kind of I've gotten, I'll just say, I'm alright with that. I know, I need to back off, like, I just can't work all the time. But then, and then there's also lose my mojo at least once a year, if not three times a year, when I lose my mojo that I don't want to, I don't feel like picking up the camera. And I usually force myself to pick up the camera and just go, you know, I feel like, everything's a bit jaded and bit boring or whatever. And, and I'm not really in the mood to force myself to go out and take pictures, you know. And by going out, I find, you know, once I find something that I just really cool, then that gives me the first spark and then that leads to Oh, that's really cool, too. And then, you know, I got three of really cool things. And then then I'm back in, you know, enjoying photography and, and doing it. So for me, it really works to push myself and force myself not to not to force myself to pick up the camera and, and that will I learn from that, that, hey, I really love this. Because by doing it, I realised how much I actually love just capturing moments and, and looking at things. Because it's also reminds me of when I've been out on a photo walk, you know, and I'm thinking, you know, like, oh, isn't that nice? Here? Yes, I don't have to perfect clouds for this perfect landscape shot that you probably hoping for, you know, but I still find things here and there. And isn't it just nice just to be out in that beautiful environment and soak up the atmosphere even though it's not perfect for photography. And then I thought, you know, that was poor landscape photographer who make a living, they go out and I think ash clouds are wrong. And it's, it's, it's the same sunset at the beach. But it's two different approaches, right? One is like, I'm so happy I can be here and enjoy it. And the others, like our shirt is not working. Because I want perfection. And Perfection doesn't happen every day. And I'm trying to be more than that, that first one, we're just trying to enjoy my environment. Even if I don't get the perfect pictures, and I'm quite famous. So

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  43:02  
it's interesting that you say like, because I think I'm not well, maybe I'll just speaking for myself, but I feel like a lot of photographers out there are really perfectionist about their art, like, you know, they, they really want to make sure that everything's right that you know that the noise is really low. Well, most of the most of the time, like the viewer actually just enjoy it the way it is. So what have you, you know, what advice or what have you got to say to the listeners out there who really basically stopped progressing further or stopped taking more photo because they're looking for that perfect one photo.

Johannes Reinhart  43:42  
Yes. Like, open your eyes. And, and I guess, you know, you go down to the beach, just use the beach as an example you go down and, and you want to take this amazing picture of like a shovel of rock, you know, like, iconic web location. And then the clouds is you know, there, you take a really great photo there when the clouds landscape is as always to do the clouds have to be in the right spot. So it frames it just the right way, right. And you want to match them with sunset time. If those two things don't match up, you know, you can go there like 200 times a year and maybe five or six times a year you get something that's close to perfect. And maybe once a year or once every two years from that spot that you think is the best spot to photograph you might only get that once and then but the thing is like when the clouds are a little off you can move left or right to Frank a subject you know so you don't get it from the perfect spot but just by moving around a lot. You can you know work compositionally and then when you open your eyes you can find a lot of other things you know there's this decide Robin Sugarloaf that looks a little bit like a hawk, you know that. You can just take a photo of that and last time I was there after sunset, I was like seagulls landing on and Flying offence I took kind of, you know, sumed in the big lens and, and took photos of that in blurry birds and, and it's really like keeping an open mind, you know, like, look around and keep an open mind and don't get stuck on, I want to take this particular photo and but it's more like reacting to what's around you and making making the most of it working with what you got in and then looking around you know and keep keep looking to see what you find.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  45:28  
Yeah, that's, that's awesome that is really awesome. Like to get those kinds of photos I would imagine because, you know, those, those story that you just told me there, I was just thinking that requires a lot of observation and actually, you know, looking into the different thing and looking actually quite deep into the scene, right? How how long you usually spend in a spot do until you can, you know, come up or notice those quirky things that most people don't notice it.

Johannes Reinhart  46:01  
Yeah, no, I totally, I don't have much patience. I really thought about taking up painting and it's like, when I see them, I spent like three hours on a painting and it's on quarter finished or something it's like bigger than not for me.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  46:22  
Yeah, I as

Johannes Reinhart  46:23  
long as if I don't find anything interesting, then I just usually keep walking, you know, walking around, and then and if I find something interesting, then I stay and linger on and then it depends on because, you know, often the lights good when Mendes happens and then so either now I got a couple hours I go out, you know, I'll go photographing for an hour or two. And then then I need to go home. Because it's like, it's time. So I just want the round. Really just, you know, I go to an area where I think there could be something. And then sometimes the light works, and sometimes the light doesn't work. So it's really like sometimes you got you got it, there's nothing here, you know, and then you just keep walking and, you know, it's always good to be out. That's what I tell myself anyway. And but you have to be out there because it's like hunting and then sometimes in Alabama think oh, there's nothing here then I see this tree and I'm really drawn towards this tree, you know, like, because the branches kind of reach up. And obviously, that's something I really connect with reaching up to the sky at the moment sort of thing and, and then you know, and then I photograph final group composition for that branch. And that, you know, that I find so so amazing at that time. And then the next thing is a bird lands on it. And then I you know, there's just a little extra something and then wait for the bird to be in the right spot. And then And that's like me like spending eight minutes just photographing just this tray with a bird and then I think is time to move on. You know, like the bird hasn't been that the perfect spot, but it's good enough. And I'm kind of I don't feel like engaged anymore. So I move on. I guess that's when I moved home and I don't feel engaged. Wow,

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  48:04  
that's really interesting to hear that you are now patient guy because, you know, I saw a lot of that formula requires a lot of patience and you know, observation and actually watching you know, for a while until you kind of see those things.

Johannes Reinhart  48:19  
Yeah, usually, yeah, like, contract to cut every so I don't, I don't usually wait more than five minutes when I see like an error. I think I'd be a really cool picture and waiting for someone to come through it. And yeah, five minutes is I find it very hard to stand on a street corner without feeling like I'm going to be being up to something better so but by moving around, I mean that's that's a downside to that because I sometimes don't have this, you know, the perfect composition for people just walking through but then I'm not interesting, just pictures of people walking, for example. So when I walk straight and I might see a character that I'm gonna think oh, you know, that looked really interesting and I now over there does this doorway and so I kind of shoot off and trying to get him at that that doorway or, or just kind of react to the scene much more and I think the good side of that is that the photos are kind of more fresh than not as stage so to speak. And and by I think that really worked in the long run for me because sometimes you're lucky and you see something that's, that's out of the ordinary and obviously and then trying to capture it and and also try to capture it well and not just you know, just pointing the camera I'm thinking about okay, where are they going? What see I love it. What can I work with here? You know, sci fi at the beach, and that's this rainbow you know, and obviously none of the normal thing is to photograph the rainbow but then the next step is to step back and go. What else is around kits that can sell something I can use with the rainbow you know, some static element or is there Hey, that's a couple Hey, Guys, do you mind if I take a picture of you in rainbow? And it just kind of work with what you got? Or there's a dog and you chase the dog in front of that in the rainbow maybe or something? I don't know, especially when he left legs up. That'd be a picture anyway. Sorry. Yes, I react to and, and trying to make things work for what I got a lot.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  50:23  
Awesome. So it's more like so literally where you say that you just basically capture a moment when it's there like you don't wait for it to happen. You don't stage us. You say it happens, then you capture it free? Yeah. Wow. That's amazing. Well, thanks a lot, Johan, is, you know, it's been a interesting conversation there. And there's a lot of things to do learn from that just both be so philosophically as well as technically in photography. So that's great. Like, thanks a lot for sharing that. So share with us what what kind of because you say you're like working in project, you have a project that you're working on at the moment?

Johannes Reinhart  51:08  
Yeah, I have one project I worked on for a week last year. It's called What's it called silently falling apart, and then I'm totally blocked to kind of restart it again. So that's going to be an exhibition in the long run, maybe, maybe in 22. Maybe even later, because it's it's a project that I'm trying to go deeper with this one, and I'm trying to really kind of shoot it till I feel like I got nothing left to give in this project not not to finish prematurely. Yeah, so that might be a while. And I guess the resistance is big for this project. So I'm kind of have to work with my own fears of overcoming and try not to put pressure on myself. And I, you know, there's a couple of blocks I've shifted in my head. So I give myself an opening to tell myself just be playful, just just basically see what happens, you know, don't don't make this bigger thing where you don't want to go into just kind of be playful and see what happens. That's, that's where I'm going. But lately, I've been really busy with work again, and then. And then it keeps going to school holidays and an astringent. And this after finishing this kind of an exhibition. And in digital next year, we plan for the book project and, and things just keep moving. Yeah. Awesome. I'll get there.

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  52:33  
I'm glad to hear I'm looking forward to that. But for the listener who's wanting to hear more about you and wanting to learn more about you where what is the best place for them to find you.

Johannes Reinhart  52:46  
So the best place is my website that's at www.yohannes.com.au. So Johan is J out h a double n Es. And there's a signup form to my newsletter, I started a newsletter a couple of months ago, that's kind of inspirational newsletter that I show a bit of what I do and then and it's really meant to kind of be more inspirational and not like, you know, like, yeah, it's got my voice a little bit and I think it's, it's quite nice. And then there's photo Mate, I'm going to do a bimonthly photo mate if you're from Perth. So that's where you're going to find out about that. And the productivity tips like yeah, better, like five different little things. And, and that keeps me on my toes and on top of everything else. And then Facebook and Instagram Yanis. Reinhard, yeah,

Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  53:40  
awesome. Awesome. Yeah, no, no worries, I will make sure that I have all that in in the description. So if you didn't get that, don't worry, it's all gonna be in description. But look, thanks a lot. You're honest, for being with us. And yeah, that was a great conversation there. And we can do so thank you very much for tuning in. And like I say, if you want to learn more about your harness, you can look it up in the description below. You can check out some of his art photos as well as his performance photo. I just love his performance photo. It's it's so it's so unique as well, this is just out there. And don't forget to subscribe below and follow. Let me know in the comment below. What do you think of this conversation? Let me know if you try some of them. You know, Hannah's tips there about coming up with something really different and something that really interesting that helps you to express yourself instead of just you know, taking photo that is the most popular one out there. But thanks a lot for tuning in. We get hunters and I will see you again next week. Until next time,

Johannes Reinhart  54:58  
thanks so much for having me. Awesome thank you bye