Nela König

What do Sting, Marilyn Manson and Sir Peter Ustinov all have in common? Easy: they’ve all posed for Nela König – just like the Pussycat Dolls, Gwen Stefani, 50 Cent, Nelly Furtado, Rihanna and countless other musicians and actors did. The photographer, wife and mother who lives in Berlin first started out in the world of photography as a model, at the age of 20. Today she focusses much more on what’s happening behind the camera, and various celebrities take the role of the model for her.

What Nela loves most about photography are the contrasts, as well as the challenge to capture someones personality within very little time, she says. Her work is however not constrained to collaborations with celebrities. Besides her wide-ranging body of work in fashion, which she has been focussing on more strongly again since 2009, her portfolio offers for instance also fascinating landscape shots, highlighting an entirely different side of her artistry.

Maybe the variety in places she called home during her childhood and youth have had a little something to do with how diverse her work is today: Nela grew up in Venezuela, Tokyo, Sydney and Singapore before she finally returned to her roots in Berlin, where she began her long and successful modeling career. She got the chance to turn her passion for taking photos into her profession when the opportunity to study photo design at the renowned Lette Verein in Berlin arose. And the ambition to succeed in the industry as a female photo artist was for Nela what pushed her towards her very own demands for her images. As a freelance photographer she commutes between Berlin, Hamburg and Los Angeles these days, working for clients like Universal, Motown Records, Sony BMG, Maxim Magazine, the Rolling Stone, PETA, MTV, Jette Joop and many others – leaving no doubt that she has indeed succeeded.

How did you get your start in photography?

I had been modeling for several years and at some point in time I wanted to switch to the other side of the camera. At that time it was a big challenge, as photography seemed to be dominated by men – back then, we used to work on film rolls and spent lots of hours in the darkroom. At the beginning, I spent several months learning how to expose film correctly … something not necessary anymore today.

What type of photography are you shooting and what motivated you to focus on that genre?

I love taking pictures of people! That’s something I knew from the very beginning. At Lette Verein, where I got my degree, I also had to take architectural pictures using a large format camera – something I didn’t like at all … taking portraits is something I have always loved and I think you quickly notice what you’re able to do and where you succeed.

Did you experience any challenges as a woman entering into the photography market?

Yes, absolutely. When I started photography in my early twenties, all male photographers told me photography was something for men only as I would never understand all the technical details… luckily, that kept me motivated rather than upset me, as I really wanted to work it all out.

What has been your biggest achievement or obstacle along the way?

That’s hard for me to say – I believe it’s a big success to that I have been working in this job for several years and am happy with what I am doing. I took pictures of great musicians, actors and celebrities and it is something I am proud of. For a few years now, I have been working on a coffee-table book and it’s a big challenge to keep focused and not to loose track as there’s so much else to do!

A big challenge for every photographer is self-promotion and to be active in the social media channels, I believe.

Why is accurate color important within your workflow? I take lots of portraits and getting skin tones wrong is horrible. The image isn’t working anymore when the skin is pink or has a red colorcast. As I like working with neon lights or light bulbs, it’s always a challenge to get the colors right.

Any tips or advice for photographers just beginning their career?

I believe it’s important to really learn your craft from scratch. Nowadays everybody is able to create a correctly exposed and sharp image, but that’s not all there is to it.
Assisting a good photographer is certainly a good idea. And you should find out where your talent lies in order to focus exactly on your strenghts.

What is your approach?

For me, it’s always about capturing the perfect moment. To catch a certain expression, one that’s honest and lets you look right into somebody’s soul, so the outer appearance steps back. I really like working with light I build myself, something that’s working nicely for me when it comes to portraits. Oftentimes I use neon lights or a certain arrangement of light bulbs.

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“I believe it’s important to really learn your craft from scratch. Nowadays everybody is able to create a correctly exposed and sharp image, but that’s not all there is to it.”

– Nela König

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“I believe it’s important to really learn your craft from scratch. Nowadays everybody is able to create a correctly exposed and sharp image, but that’s not all there is to it.”

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My go-to color management tools

SpyderPro

“I believe it’s important to really learn your craft from scratch. Nowadays everybody is able to create a correctly exposed and sharp image, but that’s not all there is to it.”

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