Today we’d like to introduce you to William Karstens.
Hi William, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was given hand-me-down cameras as a kid and later earned money to buy my first new camera. (It was an OM-PC, pretty cutting edge for the day). A camera was always something that was with me, and I loved taking photos. Over time, traveling, a camera become important not as a tool, but a way to capture and hold onto a moment to help frame a life story. It wasn’t evident at the time, but it is clear now.
Now, it’s less about where I’ve been, but more about what’s around me. Street photography is a natural extension of that, and for the past… six years, it’s been a constant pursuit.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No. It’s hard to define streetphotography. It’s not easy as a practice. San Diego is rapidly changing, and with it, the personality of its people. Being a self-learned photographer, there’s years’ worth of cringy photos that make me question whether I’m doing something of value. When you somewhat rely on social media to see if a photo is good or not, you have to filter through a bunch of things to try to really see what has an impact on people. So, assigning value is particularly hard.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in street photography. Lately, that’s two or three specific areas: Street Portraits, low-angle building views, and street-focused sunrises.
If anything sets me apart, it’s just consistently getting out there, being in the moment, and going back again and again.
Proud is a weird adjective, but, if anything, that I haven’t given up, and have been flexible/adaptive.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Empathy. Awareness. Intent. Surety.
You can’t help some folks, but you can empathize, you should empathize. Being aware that we all have struggles, no matter how mundane. Having perhaps not a strict “I will be doing’ but an “I intend to” attitude. Surety that someday, somehow, these photos will matter.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mundaneskirmish.life/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundaneskirmish/?hl=en
