Get to know the creatives from my courses - Gunn Kristin Monsen

I have had the pleasure of interviewing a talented photographer who is a master at capturing beautiful everyday moments and stories. Let me introduce you to Gunn Kristin Monsen. She has been a member of my Soulful Circle for years <3 Gunn is a lifestyle and interior photographer living on an island outside Bergen on the west coast of Norway. She lives in a small wooden house by a lake with her husband, youngest daughter, and their golden retriever, Romeo.

Her journey in photography started early. She describes how photography has been part of her life always. The turning point for her was a trip as a teenager where she was drawn to capture the beauty of Italy. The camera roll was filled with photos of light coming through a window or the gentle touch of light when it shines through the narrow alleys of piazzas. Gunn remembers how ever since that trip she knew that capturing natural light, places, interiors, and houses is her passion. The lack of photos of her family and friends in a holiday mood emphasized this fact even more. “I ended up with no pictures of my family and friends, but instead I had pictures of old buildings and textured walls.”

Through the years photography has played a role in her life. However, it hasn´t been consistent in terms of how much resources she has been able to put into it. “I bought my first camera as a teenager, with film, but put it down since it was so expensive to work with.” Also, as we can all relate to, time has been limiting the possibilities to grab a camera. “I studied fashion design and worked as a designer, opened a children's lifestyle shop for over 10 years, and had my two daughters.” Despite the hectic life, this was a time in her life when she reconnected with photography. She found it again and started photographing more. “It was a chaotic time, and strangely it was at that moment I found my way back to photography.” She describes how picking up the camera gave her moments of calm and fulfillment in the middle of everything else.

I find it very fascinating how photography can offer this kind of place of escaping into your own world. She defines how meaningful photography is for her even today. She sees it as a main way of being creative. “To catch a moment or a mood just makes me happy.” For her photography is a very personal way of seeing and exploring the beauty of the surroundings. It is also a way to escape the hurry and find different perspectives from ordinary life. “My life and personality are quite loud, hectic, and fast-going, but when taking photos I find tranquility and focus.” There is no doubt when you look at her photos that Gunn aims to seek the story of peaceful moments with her photos. This feeling is something she enjoys sharing as well: “Sharing gives my work purpose”, she summarizes.

Over the years her beautiful photos have delighted others in her blog, social media accounts, and interior magazines. I am eager to hear how her journey took her from this teenager taking photos of old buildings to a freelance photographer capturing gorgeous shots of interiors and details. Gunn tells how after finding again a love for photography in one of the busiest times of her life, she was forced to define again what she likes to photograph. As much as she loved traveling and capturing photos of foreign countries and cities, there was a need to find inspiration elsewhere. “I turned my focus to motives and details much more available in my life: creating lifestyle stories relatable for myself and others.”

Sharing these moments was important for her so she ended up starting a blog. However, it was Instagram that really got her and where she found the creative community she was after. “Working creatively gives you not much guarantee that you will find like-minded in your friends and family, but online communities have no geographic boundaries and you can bond with like-minded limitless. I love that!” Alongside the community, joining social media also offered her another turning point in her photography journey. Her beautiful photos drew attention and she started to get inquiries for work. Gunn began to do commercial content and editorial work for interior magazines.

However, things changed overnight. “I was knocked off my feet when my account was hacked two years ago and my community disappeared overnight.” She lost her supportive followers and most importantly a creative pool of friends and like-minded people collected over the years. I can only imagine how devastating that feels. “I was first thinking of just letting go of the platform but ended up with a new account”. She describes how she is slowly getting in touch with people again. After many years as a freelance photographer and commercial social media coordinator, she is currently working full-time with marketing for nine historical museums and buildings in Bergen. “Perfect match for a person loving moody light, old interior, and architecture”, she says.

It´s time to ask her about storytelling. I love how her photos tell beautiful stories so I want to find out how she does it. Gunn starts by defining that storytelling is all those things you may not visually see in a photo. It´s about how the photo makes you feel. She finds it important to evoke emotions and offer different moods for the viewer. “The feeling of summer days, flower scent in the air, the sun warming, the taste of a coffee….”, she lists.

When it comes to photography Gunn has a philosophy that helps her with storytelling. Whenever she takes photos, she keeps in mind that there is beauty in everything and all places. No matter if it´s people, items, rooms, or houses she photographs. Gunn admits that beauty is subjective and so are her photos. Despite this, she feels like she has succeeded when she can give someone a glimpse into her world. Showing the viewer what she sees and feels through one photo is what matters.

Storytelling is a process that can look very different depending on what she photographs and what´s the goal. She mentions how she uses emotion as inspiration for the photo. She gives an example of the emotion: “How I feel in a specific moment when the light hits a certain way.” That´s when she starts to play and go with the flow. As part of creative work, there are always ups and downs. It´s not always possible to succeed and she points out a great point: “The photo can turn out as something gorgeous or sometimes nothing.”

Another storytelling process is when she has a clear purpose or task to do. In case the work is for a client, it´s important to do a research for better understanding of what kind of story fits their brand. She uses Pinterest, Instagram, and magazines to wake up her creativity to come up with interesting stories. However, she wishes to work with the flow and avoids too many plans made beforehand. For her storytelling is absorbing the location and finding new angles and perspectives. This requires moving around during the photoshoot. “I seldom use a tripod for this reason. I like to quickly move around and test new angles, so often I feel a tripod becomes too static for me.”

In interior photos, the storytelling can be seen through the inhabitants. “I try to catch the personality of the people living in the homes I shoot.” She works with real homes where real people live so she finds it important to share their unique story. The story can be captured through the interior the inhabitants live in.

Many times during the interview Gunn mentions natural light. It´s a crucial part of her storytelling. The changing seasons in Norway affect the light giving the photos a distinctive atmosphere. “I strive to read light well enough to create different moods in my photos.” She continues describing how during winters there are fewer stories to capture. The dark and moody look becomes a significant part of the storytelling when she photographs. On the other hand, spring, summer, and early autumn wake up her inspiration to create more. The long days and abundance of light turn her photos lighter.

As we are about to wrap up the interview, I am interested to hear what she finds challenging in photography and storytelling. Gunn answers that it´s the acceptance of the process. “Inspiration comes and goes”, she says. The years spent photographing have taught her how to deal with this problem. She feels she is more comfortable with the challenges now than how she was before. “Not accepting the stress of trying to deliver is important”. She underlines that delivering without the time to rest and search for inspiration is what is causing the lack of inspiration in her work. Learning to say no when needed has been an answer to the challenge.

Since she has been doing photography for so many years, I would love to hear what kind of advice she would give to someone who is starting the photography journey. She immediately answers: “Find what makes your heart sing!” She continues how photography has so many different areas and the best way to be successful and good at your work is to find your niche. “Ask yourself what you like the most, and the work will be authentic.” She summarizes her thoughts by saying: “Let yourself dream and set a goal. Take a lot of photos, and do not expect the result to be perfect instant, it's a never-ending journey. Join a workshop, sign up for newsletters from your favorite websites, and follow people you admire for inspiration and tips.”

What an inspiring interview! Thank you so much Gunn Kristin Monsen for this opportunity to hear how you work.

You can find her beautiful work and say hi to her on Instagram @gunnkristinmonsen