Truth or Consequences by Casper Vildrik Justesen
We are completing the first round of featured readers of the blog and today we’re picking Casper Vildrik Justesen’s brain. He is currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark and has been kind enough to answer questions about his photography and the person behind the camera. So, allow me to introduce you to Casper…
Batdorff Photography: How did you get started in photography?
Casper: I have had an interest in photography for many years, but it wasn’t until I pursued my passion for documentary films that I realized it was something I wanted to spend my time on. I had signed up for a film and journalism school in the winter of 2003, and shortly after I arrived I was handed a small digital pocket camera. I didn’t let go of it for 6 months, and when the school term ended, I decided to move to Copenhagen to start photography classes at the Technical College. I quickly came to the conclusion that classic commercial photography was not me. I still wanted to make documentary-like images, moving or not, so I looked around and found Fatamorgana, The Danish School of Art Photography. During my stay at Fatamorgana, I studied other photographers like never before, I learned the technical aspect of photography, and most importantly, I was surrounded by people who all shared a profound love for imagery. We discussed pictures and photography in general intensively, and it was during this stay I finally realised that I was going to focus on still photography.
Batdorff Photography: Do you shoot digital or film? And….why?
Casper: I shot digital for a long time. Mostly because it was fast and easy, but I realized that my pictures were showing. The colours were nice and everything was in focus, but it was like there was only one layer within the picture. Once you enjoyed the surface, the rest was not that interesting. Film has helped me to slow down, and to be more aware each time I press the shutter. I spend more time waiting for the right moment, and I tend to concentrate a lot more in general when shooting film. Over time I realized that I have brought this with me when I shoot digital, and again, my pictures are showing…
Batdorff Photography: What’s the number one thing you look for in a good photo?
Casper: I am immediately drawn to the stories in a picture. I want to feel that the person behind the camera is eager to tell me something.
Composition can be interesting, and often is, but the photographs I really adore contain multiple stories and leave me wondering, and often a little disturbed. A combination between Lee Friedlander and Weegee always works for me.
Batdorff Photography: If you hit a creative roadblock what do you do to break through?
Casper: It is rarely my creativity that keeps me from taking pictures. I have a lot of ideas and a hard time picking out which to concentrate on, and that can be a block of its own. I guess the creative roadblocks are a little further down the line, and when they do come, I will try not to panic, but simply just take a break, and maybe play the guitar for a month 
I think you dissolve blocks easier by focusing on something else for while, and then return with a new approach.
Batdorff Photography: Any words of wisdom?
Casper: Be curious – don’t stay on the path.
Batdorff Photography: What’s your favorite piece of equipment?
Casper: I don’t think I have found my favorite piece of equipment yet. But I do love my Contax T3, Mamiya 7 and 5D MarkII.
The T3 can easily be compared to Leica M-series. But its automatic, awfully fast and tiny, and it’s the camera I bring with me everywhere.
Batdorff Photography: What’s something or someplace that you’ve never photographed, but one day hope to?
Casper: I keep finding new things and places and people I want to photograph everyday, so the list would go on and on.
I got back from a road trip through the southern states last year, and would love to do the same thing in the north. Driving through a country and meeting strangers, and ending up places I never could have thought of, really inspires me. Of course I would love to go to Antarctica and Baghdad and places with obvious motives standing in line, but for the moment I feel that less is more, and that the everyday drama around us is quite intriguing.
Batdorff Photography: Your favorite moment in your photographic career?
Casper: When I realised that the camera had made me more present, and more aware of my surroundings.
Batdorff Photography: Any current-day photographers that inspire you?
Casper: The work of Krass Clement and Anders Petersen means a great deal to me.
They both have published books for many years, and their documentation of the human spirit is extraordinarily personal, intimate, and intense, and filled with commentary on our society.
Batdorff Photography: If you had to describe your photography in one word or phrase, what would it be?
Casper: In progress.
Thank you Casper for your thoughtful responses. You can see more of Casper’s images on his website: http://vildrik.blogspot.com/
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