Capturing the Little Details of my life by Karen Jules
18 year old photographer Karen Jules loves to explore the world and share her dark and inspiring stories through her camera. Her work evokes such emotions that leave us astounded. Here, she shared with us how photography has inspired and changed her.
1. Hello Karen! Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself and how your love for photography started?
I’m very passionate about traveling. Truly, if you’d give me the chance to travel to Iceland or Alaska, I wouldn’t think twice, even though I hate the cold.
I got into photography by discovering the macro mode on my little point-and-shoot while I was trying to photograph a cricket in Italy. After that, I spent a few months taking pictures of every flower I could find and I edited them, way too visibly, in Photoshop. I put all of my pictures on Flickr, then I was welcomed by a wonderful community of other young photographers that really encouraged me to grow and to continue photographing.
2. For you, why does photography matters?
Photography matters in so many different ways. Personally, it makes a difference to me because it helps me organize my memories in a way that makes so much more sense to me. Especially when I’m travelling, it helps me capture the little details, the insignificantly seeming moments, so I’ll be able to remember them years later.
“On a larger scale, I think photography matters because it gives us a voice”.
3. You’ve been to Dubai, Barcelona, Russia, Italy and definitely a lot more. It’s obvious that traveling is a big part of you and your work. If you had to choose one country/city that haven’t visited to shoot now, which would it be?
And that might possibly be the hardest question I could be asked. Mostly, I wholeheartedly respond to this question to “whatever place will have me”. For photography, I’d love to travel to Asia. In Malaysia, Thailand or Bali I’d love to shoot in nature, while I also dream about visiting China and Bhutan to just capture life there. I’d love to shoot in Scotland, while I’d also never turn down a trip to Greece. I haven’t yet found a place I wouldn’t want to go.
4. One of your works “Hollow and Silent” is just stunning. Could you share with us the concept/inspiration behind it?
I took this photo during my exams. I’d been locked inside a classroom and my room for a few weeks studying. While I was making an exam, I could see the place I eventually took this photo and decided I needed to get out afterwards and photograph. This photo in a way represents how I was feeling during that time. Busy times at school never leave much room for creative outlets, and I did really feel a bit hollow inside. I felt as if that life was being dragged down and there were all these other factors, the birds, present and just waiting for me to collapse into the snow. Of course, this is all a very dramatic interpretation, but that’s what photography allows; for feelings to be analyzed and expanded in order to understand them more clearly.
5. Most artists are perfectionists. What about you? When do you know if a particular photograph of yours is ready to be seen by your viewers?
If that were even possible, I’d call myself a part-time perfectionist. I am on the verge between being impossibly perfectionistic and being carelessly neglectful. I’d spend hours on a single photo and then come to a point where I just stop worrying, make a few simple alterations and call it a day. Though, I rarely ever revisit my old photos. When I click save for a final time, I tend to get attached to that version and even though another edit might’ve worked better, I grow fonder of the current version of a photo.
6. Could you share with us the most interesting/funny thing that happened during a photoshoot?
There are so many little, insignificant details that can lead up to an interesting shoot. Mostly, the funniest moments occur when we’re shooting in public and people react to it. Or when we’re exploring an abandoned house and you’re convinced that behind every door, there’s another person who you don’t know. It’s the excitement I feel in those moments that never fails to make me happy.
One time when I was fifteen, we got caught by the police for trespassing, which freaked me out at the time, but now it barely makes for an excitement story anymore.
7. Any new projects that you’re working on or looking forward to recently?
I hope to go through all of the photos of my trip to Dubai last month, but university is keeping me quite occupied. I hope to be travelling sometime in the next few months, but I haven’t been able to plan as much as I’m used to. I don’t have any big projects coming up, but I’d already be happy if I can continue to shoot on a regular basis and get a chance to expand my fashion portfolio.
8. Could you choose your favorite photo and share with us the story behind it?
My favourite photo is a self-portrait of me laying in a little creek in Italy. It’s called ‘current events’ and it’s a photo in which I felt like I was able to really commit. First of all, I had to convince myself to lay in an a little creek in the mountains, where the water came straight from a waterfall and was therefore ice cold. And because I spent about fifteen minutes laying in the water and because I didn’t have a towel or anything at hand, getting my toes and fingers to move properly again wasn’t that easy. I also almost got stuck while floating away, which was, well, challenging. My cousin helped me to take this photo, because I obviously couldn’t use my remote for this. Secondly, the editing process was a real challenge. I tend to stick to simpler editing, but this photo required a lot of cloning and tone corrections, which took me quite a while. I really fell in love with the finished version though. And because I suffered a little in order to obtain this result, I ended up being really proud of it.
9. 7 billion people all over the world. If you had to choose one person to shoot, who would it be?
Fourteen year old me would immediately shout Taylor Swift, just because I feel like she’d be able to tell a story throughout her body language. As for eighteen year old me, she probably wouldn’t be that picky. Anyone with an interesting face and is capable of exhibiting body language would make her photography heart beat faster.
10. What’s the big dream?
The big dream is to get better, to travel. To get wiser and be able to show that in my photographs. I want to see new places and try to capture the world as I see it. I truly hope photography will keep allowing me to meet the most amazing and the most inspiring people I’ve ever met. Photography has been so good to me and I’ll forever be grateful for all the wonderful memories it has helped me create.
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