Hi, my name is Olga Steinepreis. I’m a visual artist based in Germany, where I have lived for eleven years.
I have always enjoyed taking photos, yet I started diving into photography when I had my first child. I started learning about the importance of lighting in photography online and tried to create beautiful portraits of my son and our family.
About three years ago, I started to work with conceptual photography, creating self-portraits and photographs of my family. I have three sons who provide me with plenty of inspiration for my work.
I became a finalist and category winner in many competitions, and my artworks have been exhibited worldwide, from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to New York (USA).
The themes of my projects vary widely. For instance, this article is supplemented with the photos from my project “Stranger in the Mirror”, in which I’ve tried to explore and capture the alterations and refraction that can occur to the image.
I have always used Nikon cameras, and even during my university studies, I took pictures with a small Nikon Coolpix camera. So, when I decided to purchase a DSLR camera, there was no doubt about which brand to choose.
I am shooting with my Nikon D750, my first full-frame camera, and I love it!
I have three lenses in my collection. I often use the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 and the Nikon 50mm f/1.8; however, the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 is the most straightforward lens in my bag.
I use 50mm f/1.8 quite often as it provides a perfect angle of view, is lightweight, and is easier for me to create challenging compositions as it was with the series shown here, “Stranger in the Mirror”, where the camera was sometimes atop the whole scene.
I like to use the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 lens for portraits. I usually close the aperture to f/10 or higher for my shoots, so I don’t care about the bokeh created by the lens. I want most details to be sharp, and this lens delivers what I want.
I also have a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 that I like, but due to the distortion of this wide-angle lens, I use it less often for my artwork. Instead, I use it to shoot my kids’ daily activities or family trips. Despite its heaviness, this lens usually travels in my bag, just in case.
Overall, I enjoy closing my camera’s aperture to capture as much light as possible.
I have two Nikon Speedlight flashes, the Nikon SB-710 and the Nikon SB-910. I regularly use the latter, although sometimes I use both for certain shots.
I use the Speedlight flashes with Elinchrom Deep Umbrellas 105cm, with diffusers. They are really easy to use and provide perfect lighting and shadow effects. Sometimes, I use the translucent umbrella as a fill light.
I also have Walimex Light Tripods for them, sometimes paired with a boom arm.
A Yongnuo YN-622N Trigger triggers my flashes. This combination of equipment allows me to control the lighting on the picture entirely.
I have been looking for a photo backpack that would look like an ordinary backpack for a long time, and I’m more than happy with my Crumpler Doozie Photo Backpack, which I have had for six years now. It’s comfortable for trips, as it has a special camera pouch where I can put my camera, and there’s also enough space for all my family’s documents and chargers.
As a self-portrait photographer, I use a tripod almost whenever I shoot. I have a K&F Concept TM2515TI 170cm.
I like this tripod because it is quick and easy to set up and take down. It has a low weight and a pack size of only 42cm. The most beloved feature of this tripod is its central column flexibility, which allows me to bend it and take photos from atop and many other positions.
I sometimes use a remote shutter release ML-L3, but since I have my Nikon D750, I use my phone as a remote control. Through the Nikon WMU app, I can see what my camera is seeing and focus. This eliminates the need to run back to the camera to check the results constantly.
I edit the pictures I take in Adobe Photoshop, which I’ve been using for years and continue to learn new features regularly. I can spend hours editing an image, but I believe that the photograph should be good from the start.
Editing helps me as an artist to show the viewer important details and hide unimportant ones. Occasionally, I create collages, and Photoshop is perfect for this task.
For the past few years, I have been using a Wacom Intuos Pro and I absolutely love it. I believe that if you want to do fine editing, you just need this device.
My photo archive is huge, and I regularly work on organizing it. I am always afraid of losing something important to me. That’s why I always try to make backups on portable hard drives. I currently have four Western Digital Elements External Drives and one 4TB Seagate Hard Drive.
But sometimes, something still happens and I can’t find a folder with some files. That’s why I decided to buy myself this year a Synology 2-bay DiskStation DS223j 8TB. With it, all the data is automatically backed up. And now, I’m not so worried about my archives.
I know some parts of my equipment are pretty simple, but I’m more than satisfied with how they help me achieve my artistic goals.
The most essential thing is that all my ideas are successfully brought to life.
Photography is my true passion, and photography with an idea behind it is my purpose. That’s why I like working on projects.
Through them, I try to reflect on important topics that are important to me and, probably, others, too.
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