23-year-old photographer Tina Sosna has an extraordinary eye for beauty. She takes soft, atmospheric portraits that celebrate the charm in everyday life. Originally from Thuringia, in central Germany, Tina lives in the university city of Jena with her boyfriend and her red-furred cat, Willow.
Tina is also a stationery maker who runs a little online shop where she sells envelopes, letter sets, cards and other writing materials she designs.
Completely self-taught, Tina learned photography through trial and error, especially by looking uniquely at her surroundings and their impact on her. She says self-portraits are the best way to understand all parts of the process that go into creating a photograph. “I started taking pictures about eight years ago. At this time I was 15 and completely overwhelmed by all my feelings and the fact that I felt pretty different from all the people around me. I had so much creativity that I needed to use for something,” she explained. “I first started to write a lot of stories and then started taking pictures with a simple, compact camera. In photography, I found the perfect way to express myself, my emotions and feelings in the best way.”
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Although she initially studied Art History and Movie Science at University, Tina’s real passion has always been photography, specifically analog. “Shooting film will always be the best way to take a picture. It’s where it all began and where the magic lies.” Only film can provide the texture, unique colors, and look she likes. Tina enjoys film photography because it gets her involved in a more thoughtful process that makes every single image count.
“I like to have something in this fast living world to rely on that makes me value every moment even more.”
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Light and natural elements are her biggest sources of inspiration. Tina’s work is full of soft light, intimate moments and very, very few city elements. For her life finds quiet and simple moments that overlap with the leaves, water, or trees that connect her to her sense of self. Her life is all about being casually interlaced with the forests, meadows, lakes, and beaches that surround her town… and of course, people and beautiful details find a place there. “Just simple things like the golden hour, a walk, or special places I explore, but also music, books, and films make me see the world with special eyes and make me sensitive to the beauty of life.”
Tina says that golden hour light — right after sunrise or just before sunset — produces the best results with lifestyle film photography, particularly when shooting elements of nature, but she says she can work in any conditions. “I think the right light is everywhere. You just have to remind yourself to walk thoughtful and with open eyes through the world.”
She describes her style as “delicate, warm, soft and sometimes magical.” If one had to imagine a perfect world to live in, it would probably be as the world in her photographs: pure, tranquil, and beautiful. “I want to make people aware of the beauty you can find even in a simple life. Sometimes there is a story or message behind my photos, but mostly I want to take the viewers on an emotional journey with me.”
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As a long time Flickr member, Tina has found many other wonderful talents like her on the site: Marcus, Anna Nycz, Li Hui and Zarianka are a few of her favorites. Be sure to explore Tina’s Flickr photostream for more inspiring work.
