Bored Panda reached out to Samuel Lintaro Hopf, a professional photographer whose captivating photo titled "Butterfly Lady" got featured in this post. Hopf is widely recognized for his keen eye for detail and the profound storytelling present in his work.
When asked about the context behind the featured photo, Hopf explained, "I took this photo in 2017 in Osaka, Japan. I found this wall with butterflies on it by accident while I was walking around the Shinsaibashi area. The butterflies were part of a campaign for a new store that hadn't opened yet. I immediately sensed some potential for an interesting photograph so I chose a part of the wall for my composition and waited for the right subject to align with the butterfly." He told us.
"First I wanted to put the butterfly on someone's head and I was also looking for a pointing finger (which actually happened three times but the timing or the height of the finger was never right). I ended up staying for 1.5 hours until finally, this girl with her smartphone showed up. I had to react very fast because I was aiming for the butterfly to be on top of her head but once I saw that the butterfly was too low I ended up going for her smartphone instead. I think it was actually a better idea because now it is almost a commentary on how we are oblivious to our surroundings when we are on our phones. In terms of gear, I was using a Fujifilm X100F with a telecon-version lens. I took one frame and that was it. I have a YouTube video where you can see me taking this shot. "
Hopf stated that the biggest influence on his photography was the documentary film "War Photographer" with James Nachtwey. He was also inspired by the book "Street Photography Now" by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren. He further added, "That was my introduction to street photography and the idea of finding humor in street photography. I was doing street photography before that already, but didn't know there was a genre dedicated to it. I always saw street photography as another form of photojournalism, but on the street and with public life as the subject."
Regarding the editing process, Hopf mentioned that he prefers to keep it simple and get the look already in the camera if possible. The photographer stated, "I don't edit my images that much. The Butterfly Girl photo, for example, was shot with the Fujifilm Astia Film Simulation and I only changed the Tonecurve a little. So it probably took me 2 minutes to edit it."
When asked about his favorite type of photo, Samuel expressed his love for photos that leave room for exploration and imagination. He said, "I don't want to be told everything by a photograph, there should always be a little bit of mystery left in the image to engage my imagination."
On the topic of creative burnout, Hopf candidly admitted, "Yes, of course! Creative burnout always happens when I have the feeling that I need to produce work on a consistent basis...But of course, I have phases where I don't feel creatively fulfilled or feel lost. The best thing I can do in these situations is to focus on other activities or meet with other artists and find new inspiration or motivation through that. I learned that it's okay to take your time."
When asked about the public reaction to his work, the photographer commented that while he gets positive responses on social media, he also values feedback from his peers and other respected artists. He shared, "People on social media often say that they don't know what my work is because I share a lot of other people's work on my YouTube channel because I am more interested in other people's work than talking about mine. I photograph because that's part of who I am and how I like to engage with the world. But I don't share my personal work that often. My street photography and other projects can be seen on my website. My goal is to publish my work in photobooks and zines. Instagram or websites are nice, but as a photographer, the end goal should be prints or books."
