Photographer Sophie Kietzmann: Empowering The Real Identity

Sophie Kietzmann grew up in Berlin and in Brussels and identify as non-binary and queer. This freelance photographer and specialize in fashion and beauty photography, gives visual representation to underrepresented individuals and marginalized communities.

Interview with photographer Sophia Kietzmann

How has your journey with photography been up to now? What gravitated you towards photography as opposed to other forms of art?

Photography has accompanied me all my life. I became obsessed with photography when I was seven years old because I was an only child and my Dad was a hobby photographer so it became this purpose giving toy to play with, I guess. I think photography gave me a neutral room from which to observe the world around me and it kind of put me in a position of lessened expectations for who I would be when I was the observer. I think that’s why I gravitated towards photography specifically.

Body representation and diversity play a big role in your photography work, something which is often missing in both the fashion and photographic industries. Why do you regard this as such an important aspect to include in your work?

Well, when I was growing up I was consuming so much photography and only later on in life really realized that I didn’t identify with the imagery I was seeing. That was based on no diversity, gender expression or sexual orientation but also body representation, for sure. I think like a lot of female raised individuals I grew up extremely criticizing my body and nit picking at it and, watching my mother do the same, it was always a topic. I think I only realized how narrow minded the beauty standards in my industry were when I finally started to see them shift in advertisements and stuff that I was seeing. Like, I remember the first advertisement I saw where women actually had body hair in it. It really influenced me.

You choose models which represent the message of your photographs. How do you go about finding people who fit your vision and how do you help them to express the message you want to communicate?

I work very closely with a couple of agencies that I find are really pushing diversity and that I think are reimagining the way that the casting industry works. For example, not putting models purely on two boards, that is just men or women. But I love seeing gender fluid boards or duos boards as well where they have models with similar looks. I think a lot of agencies try to just tick every box once and then they turn down everybody else that they already have someone similar representing. I generally look for models that I can see a little part of myself in or whose story I think deals with identity or a lack of visual representation for people like themselves as well. I feel I really connect with those people on a deeper level. One of my ultimate goals is to provide a platform and to hold space for those individuals to really show up as their powerful selves. So, I try to go off of intuition there and by holding space for them I think that really helps somebody fully show up as themselves and show up recognising that that is perfectly good enough. I think that is one of the most powerful messages that we can create.

The Message, in Huili Jin’s Words

You also create a lot of work surrounding the themes of sexuality and identity. Has photography and the positive impact of your work been helpful to you in accepting and embracing your own identity as a queer and gender fluid photographer?

I think it definitely has. I think the themes of sexuality and identity in my work pull from my own personal story of coming out and my own relationship with my gender expression. But I think it definitely goes both ways : the more visual representation I see of a broad spectrum of gender expression, sexual orientation and identity the more I think I step into that myself and allow myself to reincorporate so many faucets that I had shut out earlier in life because subconsciously it was communicated to me that it wouldn’t be accepted. I think that journey has definitely been very healing for me as well.

Do you think that issues such as gender fluidity and the beauty of imperfections are still taboo in today’s society?

I think we’re making great leaps towards that not being the case anymore but then again I also remind myself that, for example, my reality, my day to day life, the city I live in, where I come from are very privileged and kind of sheltered environments. I definitely do think I live in a bubble sometimes where it feels like oh I don’t need to incorporate my activism and these messages in my work any longer because everybody around me kind of is already so up to date and, you know, has incorporated these topics so seamlessly. Then I remember that the largest part of the world doesn’t look like that yet and that I could probably dedicate my whole life to that fight and that process and there would still be more work to do. I mean, I even see it in my own history, in my own background and my own family when I go back home. There’s still things that are such no-brainers to me that are still very foreign to even some of the closest people in my life. So, I wouldn’t say in my environment that I would title them as taboo’s, but there are so many places in the world where I would one hundred percent say that that’s the case.

When you first started taking an interest in photography, were there any artists or photographers who inspired you to take a more inclusive approach to your work? Are there any you look up to today or is this approach something that came naturally to you?

Well I think a lot of my approach was mainly influenced by my own personal story but the people that were a part of that experience really greatly influenced me. Starting with the queer, non-binary and trans people that I found myself surrounded by when I first moved to New York City. That is the moment that I came out as well and those were the people that really shifted my whole world perspective, I would say. I draw inspiration from so many different artists and photographers however, I think the inclusiveness of my work is more influenced by the community and also by the people in my personal life because those are the people that I hold the deepest connections to. They’re the ones that really make me go into depth when it comes to the bigger why of why I do what I do with photography. Those are the people that I think of and that I draw strength from in order to keep going.

Your approach to photography is fun, capturing true moments of happiness and confidence on set. Do you feel that your experience as a model yourself has impacted your approach when interacting with models on the set of your own shoots?

Absolutely! I’ve heard from a lot of my models that it’s really great to work with somebody that has stood in their shoes because it’s easier for them to trust me as I know what I’m asking of them. It’s also made it easier for me to guide them because I have an understanding and a certain vision and I think I’ve built some really great relationships through my modeling journey with some of the talent that I have in front of my camera as well. I think it’s given me an even deeper understanding of the nature of the position of the model and the perceived vulnerability from stepping into that position is something that you won’t fully understand until you’ve stood in it yourself.