Isabella Steinhoff is a fashion photographer based in Vienna, Austria, specialising in editorials and beauty shoots. Her work blends fashion and fine art, creating images that provoke, intrigue, and leave a lasting impression.
MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Isabella
Steinhoff
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
"
I want my images to have this effect where people stop and take the time to look at it and hopefully it makes an impression on them of some kind.
"
SPECIALISING IN
Editorials & Beauty
BASED IN
Vienna, Austria
STYLE
Fashion meets Fine Art
APPROACH
Concept-Driven
& Emotional
01
​Tell us the story behind one shoot you’ll never forget.
'Veins of Youth’ is definitely a shoot/project I will never forget because of the size and planning that went into it but also just how amazing it felt to see this big idea come to life. With all the last minute changes, working with my friends and weird props (like large amounts of raw meat ) or strange locations (an abandoned mental asylum) it is possibly my favorite shoot so far. At one point I had to redecorate my friend’s apartment completely, for one of part of the shoot, using massive amounts of different fabrics, props and a lot of stapling and tape. I was also very lucky to be working with such amazing people who were willing to go along with this crazy idea and who really helped me bring all of it to life.
05
What’s the most unexpected thing photography has taught you?
How to handle different situations and personalities . Theres always something thats going to go wrong/not the way you wanted before, during or after a shoot, you really need to learn how to roll with the punches and know how to stay calm. A lot of people on set are looking to you as the photographer to create the vibe and lead so if you lose your cool and get all tense or angry it affects the mood of the entire set and shoot day. Its essentially the same when handling different sorts of people whether its someone being rude, lazy or adding their 2 cents where they have no business being. Its not about being a push over or being overly polite its just learning how to set boundaries in a professional way with people who have the tendency to be more expressive than in other work fields.
What do people feel when they see your work—and what do you want them to feel?
I don’t think I could answer what others feel when they see my work as each person has had different reactions but what I want them to feel, at least a little bit, is this sort of pull. The pull doesn’t need to have a specific emotion attached to it. Whether its awe, disgust or curiosity , I just want my images to have this effect where people stop and take their time to look at it and hopefully it makes an impression on them of some kind.
04
Walk us through your creative process—from concept to final edit?
Starting with getting ideas for a shoot, they come quite randomly. I don’t have a tried and true method of getting them, I’ll just see or hear something, a detail in a painting or photo, an every day object, music, plants or just discussing different topics with friends and run with it but I think thats the same for a lot of creatives. After that it really depends on what kind of idea I have, sometimes I take a lot of time researching exact details and lightings and drawing them out in my notebook. I use a lot of pinterest to have a more or less visual example of what I’m trying to do but of course I won’t find exactly what I want to create otherwise there’d be no use for my shoot so instead I draw the ideas out either physically or using adobe. If its “simple” idea I just make a quick moodboard for the parties involved and discuss and fix anything that needs to be changed and then just wait for the day of the shoot to arrive. In the end you can plan as meticulously as you want for a shoot but there is always something big or small that is going to change on the day.
03
What’s a photo you’re most proud of, and why?
I am most proud of an image thats part of a Punk editorial I did back in Milan. The image itself currently does not have a name yet. I really love the contrast between the black, almost void like, background and the white veil and flowers. The model makes this great expression almost void of any emotion and I feel it creates this confusion but also intrigue for the viewers, making them want to know what is the subjects situation. I think I am most proud of it as I think its a great balance between fashion and fine art and thats what I thrive to have in a lot of my photographs.
06
Where and when did your photography journey begin?
I had always been interested in photography more or less. As a child I spent a lot of time taking videos and pictures on my camera and then also taking film class during middle school but I my attention was more on fine arts, I painted and drew a lot. Honestly anywhere I could. Though I was really pulled into the world of photography when I moved to Kenya when I was 15. Spent a lot of time taking scenic photographs of animals while on safari, entered different competitions, followed different nature photographers on instagram and was thinking of pursuing this as a job after finishing high school and wanting to work for national geographic. I moved back to Vienna though and unfortunately the city does not have the same fauna as Kenya and so I decided to give fashion photography a try. I was already quite into fashion at the time so I had quite a few pop up here and then on my socials and sometimes I looked to shoots and such for inspiration for paintings. I ended up really enjoying it and did quite a few shoots with my friends with the limited knowledge I had and thats how I ended up pursuing it fully.