Juri Hofmann
@photurio
Landscape photographer based in Switzerland
I spent my childhood on a farm in Switzerland. Since our house is near a forest, I spent a lot of time in nature and developed a sense of connection to it. When I got older, my parents often took me on hikes all over Switzerland and so I got to know nature and its beauty even better. When my mother bought a camera to capture the beautiful moments on our hikes, she piqued my interest in photography. After having only dealt with landscape photography for a few years, I also developed an interest in other areas of photography.
After I graduated from high school, I got the opportunity to do an apprenticeship as a mediamatist at the biggest bank in Switzerland. This has given me the chance to learn on the job while studying at the same time for a period of four years. I am very happy that at my age, I am already able to implement large photo and video productions for this company. So far I have taken a lot of know-how with me in this training, which builds the foundation for my career. Another factor is networking and personal branding. When I started to share my work on Instagram and also on my website, people – many acquaintances at first – became aware of what I did and contacted me with their requests. However, you first have to prove what you are capable of so at the beginning I often offered photo and video services for a minimal price. I’m fortunate that I have got to know a lot of new people during my apprenticeship and thus find more and more people interested in my work, but especially when you know people it is hard to say no or charge what you could be charging.
It often happened that I was paid way below the fair price even for large projects which I implemented privately for clients. The question “how much is my time and my work worth” plays a major role for many young creators and is not very easy to answer. I answered it with “learning by doing” and was ripped off and exploited a few times, but at least I answered my question… I obtained lots of experience. With that, I also discovered my increasing interest in automotive and architecture photography. I am constantly developing in these areas by approaching companies and making them a (fair) offer. Especially in the automotive sector, it is very interesting for me to create a visual story and I often get lost in the endless details of the design of the cars. I find the architecture very fascinating because a designer can pack a utility system into what looks like an artwork from both the outside and inside. As a photographer it’s my job to bring this art to light.
Nowadays photography and video production are my main tasks in my job as well as my main occupations in my free time, but through my training I have also learned skills in the areas of design, layout, web development, marketing and project management. These areas play a fundamental role in this digital world and work very closely together. When dedicating yourself to photography or any other profession in particular as a freelancer or entrepreneur, it is important to develop in all these areas and not just in the techniques of photography.
Getting inspired and inspiring others plays a big role in my profession. I personally get inspiration from incredible photographers on Instagram, and with that I mean profiles that make me think, motivate me or give me ideas rather than accounts that just make noise. We all know that social media has its pros and cons, and I feel that by only following the accounts that provide me with value I get the pros and eliminate the cons. To me, it is a sort of selfcare. The following doesn’t matter, it’s the work, the message and the energy that counts and you can take away from it. I also often buy books from inspiring people, because I can deal with a book better and more profoundly than with a single post on Instagram, which disappears from my screen with a swipe.
"Though most inspiring is maybe when I spend time with my camera."
I experience things that not everyone does – be it a natural spectacle on the summit of a 3000 meter high mountain or working with well-known musicians, artists or companies. I have gathered so many incredible memories already, and I am sure there are much more to come. The more extraordinary, the more impactful. I will probably never forget when I wanted to spend the night with two friends on a summit in late autumn and one of them had forgotten the tent poles. This made staying overnight at an altitude of 2500 meters with a strong wind not very pleasant.
"Despite that we decided to spend the night on the summit and were rewarded with an incredible sunset and a wonderful presentation of the Milky Way."
"All of these experiences make every day and every project of mine unique and so I am always confronted with new challenges, which enriches my life incredibly."
And while I work in landscape photography, I also have a lot of time for myself and can escape the otherwise relatively stressful everyday life. This all together makes that photography makes up a huge part of my overall happiness. It motivates me to step out of my comfort zone, and that is where I experience and learn. It’s also where I am being confronted with my limits and often that is not very pleasant. However, in such situations I develop good ideas which mostly lead to good results. In order to write new chapters in life, from my point of view, you have to take a risk and take on a burden in order to develop your professional skills.
"I believe that taking such a risk is always the better choice."
"I often reflect on my current life situation and try to discover in which parts of my life I'm going in circles and making little to no progress."
So I’m always trying to improve my work and I have to say that traveling is an important aspect of that improvement. I get to know new cultures, landscapes and people and this enables me to break out of this circle and live life in the form of a journey from A to B. Getting to this mindset is not always easy and sometimes not even possible, but I always try to hold on to it. It’s about reflecting, being honest with yourself and again, taking risks. A great inspiration for this way of life for me are books like ‘Can’t hurt me’ by David Goggins. He has an astonishing life story and writes about how we can reach our full potential, as most of us tap only into 40% of our capabilities.
"Much is uncertain in life but one thing I’m sure about is that we should live for the full 100% and dedicate ourselves to that, as challenging as it may be."
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