An Exclusive Interview with HERA Magazine International
Photography: Teddy Artwork — @artwork.teddy
There is something particularly compelling about a photograph that makes you stop and wonder about the person within it.
Sometimes it is an expression, a fleeting moment of vulnerability, or the way light falls across a face. Other times, it is the atmosphere of the image itself, suggesting a story that extends far beyond the edges of the frame.
For photographer and filmmaker Teddy Artwork, these moments lie at the heart of his creative approach.
Since picking up a camera in 2018, Teddy has developed a wonderfully varied portfolio encompassing portraiture, glamour, artistic nude photography and more experimental work. Yet despite the diversity of his images, there is a consistent thread running through them: a fascination with people, emotion and the connection between photographer and subject.
We spoke to Teddy about his photographic journey, the importance of trust, his approach to lighting, and why some of his most memorable photographs came from a freezing February shoot with a familiar face to HERA readers.
Model: Anjulie — @anjuliesa | Photography: Teddy Artwork
A Journey Behind the Camera
HERA: Teddy, could you start by telling our readers a little about yourself? How did your journey into photography begin, and what first inspired you to pick up a camera?
Teddy: I’m Teddy, and I’ve been taking photographs since 2018. Back then, I bought a camera for my film studies and discovered my passion for photography along the way. I’d always wanted to photograph people, but in the beginning, I really struggled to find anyone willing to step in front of my camera. As I gradually built up my portfolio, more and more people started approaching me. These days, I work professionally as a photographer and filmmaker.
HERA: Looking through your portfolio, there’s an impressive variety of styles, from traditional portraiture and glamour to darker, more atmospheric photography. What attracts you to such different approaches, and do you have a particular style that you most enjoy creating?
Teddy: I get bored quite easily, so I’m constantly looking for new people and subjects that inspire me. I often find myself exploring a different style during a shoot, too. It’s only after I’ve had a chance to talk to the model and we’ve got to know each other a little that I can really channel my creativity in the right direction. What I enjoy most is putting the face at the centre of the image. I love capturing emotions that way.
Model: Margo | Photography: Teddy Artwork
Painting with Light
HERA: One thing that really caught our attention is your lighting. Even in your darker photographs, the subjects remain beautifully illuminated, with details and expressions standing out against the shadows. How do you approach lighting, and how important is it in creating the atmosphere you want?
Teddy: In the studio, I can shape the light exactly how I want it. I can direct it towards specific areas and use it to create the right atmosphere. With outdoor shoots, however, you can only control the light to a certain extent, so you have to work with what’s available. Fortunately, there’s so much you can do in post-processing these days, and I’m not ashamed to admit that editing in Lightroom has become an essential part of my work. To get a little more technical, some of my lenses naturally produce quite strong vignetting. This draws the viewer’s eye towards the centre of the image, which can be a really effective creative tool.
HERA: Some of your photographs have an almost cinematic quality, as though we’re looking at a moment from a larger story. Do you usually begin a shoot with a particular concept or narrative in mind, or do those ideas develop as you work with the model?
Teddy: Thank you! I appreciate, you noticed that! When it comes to planning, it varies. Sometimes I go into a shoot with a very clear idea, especially when I already know the model and have approached them with a specific concept. With other shoots, getting to know each other is part of the creative process. We develop a style during the session that feels right for the person in front of the camera. It’s important to me that the model actually likes the final images and the style we’ve created. But I’ve also had situations where I misjudged things, and the model simply couldn’t see themselves in photographs that I personally loved.
Trust, Respect and Collaboration
HERA: Your portraits capture a wonderful range of expressions and personalities. How do you help someone feel comfortable in front of your camera, particularly if they’re nervous or have limited modelling experience?
Teddy: Communication! There are shoots where we spend 70% of the time just talking. I don’t need to walk away from a session with 30 usable photographs. Sometimes five different images are more than enough for me to consider a shoot a success. Especially with more intimate sessions, such as nude or semi-nude photography, it’s incredibly important to me that the model feels safe and respected. As a model, you’re opening up a whole world of emotions and showing a physically and emotionally vulnerable side of yourself. That only works when you feel safe and know, without any doubt, that your boundaries will be respected. No exceptions.
HERA: Photography is often a collaboration between the person behind the camera and the person in front of it. How much creative input do your models have during a shoot, and have their ideas ever taken a session in an unexpected but exciting direction?
Teddy: I absolutely love it when a model gets involved in the creative process. Most models know themselves and their bodies better than anyone else. They know what works for them and what doesn’t. If I’m not approaching a shoot with a fixed concept, I’m always grateful for creative input. And even when I do have a clear plan, I’m always open to trying something different if the model suggests it.
Letting the Images Find Their Direction
HERA: Your portfolio includes both beautifully simple portraits and much more elaborate, styled images. When planning a photoshoot, how do you decide whether to keep things minimal or introduce costumes, props, unusual settings or more dramatic lighting?
Teddy: That usually becomes clear pretty quickly once we’ve started communicating. These days, I ask models to send me two or three images they like before the shoot, either photographs of themselves or examples collected in a mood board. That usually gives me a good idea of the direction we might take. When I plan a shoot, I’m generally prepared for both approaches. But I don’t put pressure on myself to stick to one particular style once we’re shooting. Sometimes plans change, and you just have to go with the flow.
Model: Schleifchen — @lunatica.schleifenica | Photography: Teddy Artwork
HERA: You’ve photographed people in a wide range of settings, from studio environments to outdoor locations. How does your approach change depending on where you’re shooting, and do you enjoy the challenge of working with unfamiliar surroundings?
Teddy: When I’m shooting outdoors, I usually arrive a little early to scout the location. I look for interesting angles and compositions, and I’m quite happy to wander off the beaten path to discover places that might make a great setting. But one thing is important to me: I never make all the decisions beforehand. Photography isn’t a one-person show. It always takes at least two people to create something together.
A Familiar Face, a Freezing February and an Unexpected Story
HERA: Looking back over your photography journey, is there a particular photoshoot, photograph or unexpected moment that you’re especially proud of? We’d love to hear the story behind it and what made it memorable.
Teddy: Every shoot is special in its own way, but I have particularly fond memories of my first shoot with Josefiena, whom you’ve also interviewed. It was February, absolutely freezing, and we were shooting among the ruins of an old equestrian facility. Originally, we’d planned something a little more glamorous, but we quickly realized that the location was calling for a much grungier look. In my opinion, some of my most emotional photographs came out of that session. It was also my first shoot with a model who wasn’t someone I already knew personally. What made it so memorable was watching how our connection developed throughout the session. As we got to know each other better, the distance between her and the camera gradually disappeared. Eventually, we reached a point where we could tell an entire story through her face alone.
Model: Josefiena — @fina.2016 | Photography: Teddy Artwork
There is something particularly lovely about this answer for us at HERA. Josefiena has already shared her own creative world with our readers, and hearing Teddy describe their first collaboration adds another perspective to those photographs.
What began as a freezing outdoor session became something much more personal: a creative connection built gradually, one expression at a time.
The Freedom to Dream
HERA: Finally, if you had complete creative freedom, an unlimited budget and the opportunity to photograph anyone, anywhere in the world, what would your ultimate dream photoshoot look like?
Teddy: I love the sea! There’s something about the sea and the wind that gives me, and so many other people, a feeling of freedom. It makes you want to dream. With an unlimited budget, I’d love to travel to different places around the world and capture that feeling through photographs of all kinds of people, including, and especially, older people.
Beyond the Photograph
Perhaps the most revealing thing about Teddy’s work is that, for all his technical knowledge and creative ambition, he keeps returning to the same fundamental idea: the person in front of the camera matters.
Whether he is working with dramatic lighting, a carefully planned concept or an unexpected location, his photographs are built around communication, trust and the freedom to explore something together.
His willingness to photograph older people as part of his dream project is particularly refreshing. Beauty, character and emotion do not belong to any single age, and photography is at its most interesting when it recognises that.
We would like to extend our warmest thanks to Teddy for sharing his experiences, his creative philosophy and this beautiful selection of photographs with HERA Magazine International.
We would also like to thank all the models whose collaborations have helped bring these images to life.
We look forward to seeing where Teddy’s camera takes him next.
Discover more of Teddy’s photography: @artwork.teddy on Instagram
HERA Magazine International — Celebrating creativity, individuality and the people behind the images.
Photography and Model Credits
Photography: Teddy Artwork — @artwork.teddy
With thanks to the wonderful models featured in this interview:
- Anjulie: @anjuliesa
- Josefiena: @fina.2016
- Mona Roth: @model.mona.roth
- Schleifchen: @lunatica.schleifenica
- Vy: @kin.kybanana7
- Emely, Margo and Kateryna: Also featured, with our thanks.
All photographs © Teddy Artwork. Used with permission.
Leave a Reply