Stockland Martel Blog

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Jan Steinhilber was recently interviewed by Josh Rossi for Rossi’s super-popular “Full Time Photographer” podcast. They touched on everything from how Jan got his start to one of the largest productions he’s ever worked on: shooting 30-plus images Fallon Minneapolis in 2011, after the agency won the Cadillac account. Below are some highlights from their conversation. Listen to the complete 20-minute podcast for free online at fulltimephotographer.com.

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Do you get to a point where you’re like, I know everything in photography?
I hope I never get to that point because then I think you would get into repetition, and things would start getting boring. When I complete a project…I can never stop thinking of what could I have done better and what could I do the next time. And when it comes to a new project, I always think of how else could we do it and could we do it in a way that we haven’t done it before. I think I owe that to my clients.

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What is your ultimate job?I think there’s no such thing as an ultimate job. I think every project can be the ultimate job. I wouldn’t take any job no matter what it is, but…it doesn’t matter if it’s a huge project or a smaller project, as long as it gives you the opportunity to create something that you haven’t done before and gives you the possibility to create unique images.

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What is your No. 1 tip for photographers?
Photography is so diverse that there’s probably no such thing as a No. 1 tip, but I’d say be yourself and shoot what you love. … I think you really need to be fascinated by what’s in front of you to create unique, convincing images. Or at least you need to be interested in it and really willing to discover its beauty and fascination.

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What has been your success strategy?
I was always hungry and patient at the same time. I had the patience to take one step after the other, but to keep taking steps—starting local, then going national, and then years later, international. And I always did those steps when it felt right and when I had the confidence that I could make it. A lot of people fail because they probably want too much too fast, and it’s diffuclt to get a second chance.

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