We recently connected with Will Foerster and have shared our conversation below.

Will, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Stylistically, I learned how to do what I do through photographing and experimenting as much as possible, and for me that meant being in the studio as much as possible. I think that most photographers would agree that to develop your style, the biggest component will always be to just photograph as much as possible. I think there are always outside influences that affect your personal style or what may interest you in the moment, but it always just comes back to what you find the most interesting and appealing as an artist.

In regard to the technical aspects of photography, I’m extremely lucky and grateful to be able to go to the Savannah College of Art and Design, which has an amazing photography program and professors, and an incredible availability of cameras and photography equipment. I got myself into the photo studio at SCAD as quickly as possible and taught myself much of the studio knowledge I have now through experimenting with all the equipment as much as possible. If there was ever anything I couldn’t figure out or just didn’t know how to use, there was always someone around that did, or could, which I think is one of the best things about the program.

I think from the technical side of things, the most essential skills I learned were photo studio etiquette/workflow and organization, a broad range of analogue and digital cameras, and lighting. Other than technical skills, I believe that knowing photo history and the history of the medium is hugely influential to your work as an artist. When you are knowledgeable of other artists and their work, you will always have this huge database of past work from which to draw from or be inspired by.

I don’t really know what more I could have done to speed up my learning process. I came to SCAD with a three-year track for a typically four-year degree and then even managed to add two minors (Advertising Photography and Fashion Photography) to my major (Fine Art Photography). As I am doing this interview, I have nineteen weeks left of my three years.

Will, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Will Foerster, and I am a portrait and fashion photographer who works exclusively in black and white. I am in my final year of studying photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Within my work I often utilize contemporary fashion, graphic elements, and minimalism. I am extremely interested in art and photo history, the study of which often inspires me to create work referential of classical photography and photographic practices.

My primary focus is portraiture, mainly because I find people to be the most interesting to both work with and to photograph as a subject matter. Learning about new people while you’re photographing on set, I just find so much more interesting than photographing still lives or products. I gravitate towards the relationship of clothing and portraiture, as I enjoy fashion photography from a styling perspective as well as from a photographic standpoint. I also feel that fashion has the power to enhance the viewing of the human body as both a sculptural entity and a form of art, which makes it incredibly fascinating to work with as an element of the photographic process.

Much of my work is inspired by classical photographic work such as the high-key portraiture of Richard Avedon from the 1960s and the surrealistic work of Erwin Blumenfeld from the 1930s, but I am intrigued by all elements of classical photography and historical processes. My work is resonant of this; a convergence of contemporary treatment and experimentation rooted in the classic and the historical.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist would have to be the ability to physically create how I see the world. To capture those moments of beauty, or emptiness, or a particular interaction between two people, and be able to show that to another person and say, “This is what I see when I look at this particular landscape or person.” I think the creative high is also a reward unto itself. The adrenaline that you experience when you’re on a big set and working with a lot of people to create this singular vision that you have in your mind is a feeling that I have found very few other places.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

What first comes to mind is what is, I think, a goal of most artists. To just simply be successful in their chosen field is a goal in itself due to the creative fields being extremely competitive. More specific to me; I would love to one day be able to travel on assignment for different publications or brands and photograph. I would love to photograph fashion campaigns and do editorial work for different houses, and I would love to one day have my own studio in New York City.

Contact Info:

• Website: willfoerster.com
• Instagram: @willfoersterphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-foerster-778b1623b/

Image Credits
c.2024WillFoerster