Irina Bittner

Irina Bittner studied sustainable design in cologne after working in the fashion retail industry. She quickly focused on photography and learned how to express emotions in a visual and conceptual context. After finishing her diploma Irina started working as a photographer and graphic designer for a female jewelry designer. Born in Ukraine and raised in Germany Irina had to deal with identity problems and always kept working on this topic in her artistic work. Now she is working as an art director in the jewelry industry and constantly traveling to her hometown Odessa and taking pictures for her longterm project YA DOMA.

‍

What is it about photography that you love?

I love the fact that photography is so individual. It depends so much on your technique, intuition, connection and personal style and I really appreciate the artistic value that is in photography.

‍

If you had to choose would it be fame or money?

For me being rich or famous doesn‘t really matter. At the end I would like to be remembered for my work as a photographer – therefore I would choose fame.

‍

What is your favorite movie and why

It depends on my current mood. It would probably be "the fabulous destiny of amelie poulain" I love the aesthetic in french movies and the melodramatic atmosphere.

‍

How do you see photography in 10 years?

Photography is an art that has developed over the years and it will change a lot over the next 10 years. In the future we`ll have photos that we can walk around and touch. Modern digital cameras are amazing but for me it's not that satisfying as shooting on grainy film. What I hope the most is that cables are becoming a thing of the past :)Not only the technology is changing but also the way we see the world and so will the art of photography change.

‍

Is printed magazine dead?

Print is not dead but it‘s constantly changing. Magazines will always be something that people prefer because they would miss their lifestyle for example reading a newspaper in a cafe. A printed magazine is something you can keep and collect and hold on to. I hope that print media will never die because I really love the analog way of reading books and magazines and to escape from this digitally overloaded world.

‍

What is a perfect and what is terrible client experience on assignment?

A perfect one would be that your client trust you and your expertise and let you do your thing and a terrible experience would be to the typical "last-minute-change" without adjusting the budget. But I would like to say that in both situations it‘s the communication whether the client is able to tell you what he is looking for.Another terrible experience would be the one who shows you samples of other photographer‘s work or have unrealistic expectations

‍

Do photographers talk about their work when they meet?

Yes, they do and I don‘t like it so much because I do not want to compare my work with others but it's nice to discuss similar experiences for example the perfect and the terrible ones ;)

‍

Are influencers a threat to photographers?

Influencers are not a threat but they are responsible for the typical meaning of delivering photography to the public. I think influencers are doing something different than photographers, they are generating photos of lifestyle and a lot of them are doing it very professional. The difference is that photographers are not promoting themselves, they look for artistic value in their images. I see always something positive and negative on that because on one hand photographers can reach a larger audience thanks to social media but on the other hand it has turned photography into a popularity contest.

‍