Photographer - Dave Christiansen
Coffee Shop - Grizmas Shop
City - Detroit, MI
Date - December 4, 2022
Instagram - @dmchristiansen
Q - What camera did you use for Cameras and Coffee?
A. - My Nikon D800 with 24-70mm 2.8 Nikkor lens and my iPhone 12 Pro. I’ve had my D800 since the summer of 2012. It’s served me well and I’ve traveled to quite a few cool places with it, but it’s literally starting to slowly die on me. The 24-70mm lens is a nice versatile lens for shooting in the city and I’ve had it a little longer than my D800.
Q. How long have you been taking photos?
A. I’ve been taking photos professionally since 2009, but I got interested in photography in a more serious way when I got my first digital camera as a high school graduation present in 2002. I took a lot of photos in college and on family vacations, and that’s how my passion for photography and skillset really grew. At Michigan State, I took an elective class in photojournalism and they lent us nice Nikon DSLR cameras, which was a big step up from the crappy point-and-shoot Nikon I had at the time that we all nicknamed “the Digi”.
Q. Why did you start photography?
A . My dad was into photography and took photos of us playing sports in high school, and I was part of the school newspaper and needed occasionally take photos for articles. Really though, what’s not to like about photography? You get to be creative and freeze time, so that was always very attractive to me. I’m a very nostalgic person, so the idea of capturing moments in time, combined with the creativity of the format, makes it endlessly appealing to me. I have ADHD as well, so the fact that taking photos is never the same helps hold my interest in it. I feel most alive when I’m creating and seeing new things in new ways. It’s not a well-known thing, but people with ADHD have very low dopamine levels, and creating photographs, traveling, and staying tuned into the world around me while shooting keeps the dopamine flowing
Q. What motivates you when it comes to photography?
A. I’m a perfectionist so I’m always trying to beat myself and live up to the photographers I admire. I think I set my standards a little too high but that can be beneficial at times. Mostly it’s my strong desire to create and be creative while doing so that keeps me going, as well as the desire to document my life and the world around me.
Q. Describe your photography style.
A. My photography style is very much documentary style. I shoot portraits in controlled environments too but that’s not my real passion compared to photographing landscapes, street scenes, architecture, nature, candid portraits, and aerials with my drone.
Q. Explain your Instagram name.
A. It’s boring. Just stands for David Michael Christiansen. I didn’t really get into Instagram for a long time because it just seemed like a lot of work and I’m easily distracted, so I avoided it until fairly recently.
Q. What are your photo goals for the next year?
A. I would like to upgrade to a Nikon mirrorless camera and get a prime lens. I’m planning to hopefully travel throughout Michigan and head out west to some national parks. I would like to make a big push to get into more art galleries and exhibitions. My biggest hurdle is editing and finally posting my insanely huge backlog of photos from the last 14 years that have never seen the light of day and I’d really like to tackle that. Another big goal for me in the next month or two is to start a Detroit drone pilot artist collective. I’ve been flying a drone since October 2020 and would like to help curate and exhibit the work of the many talented aerial photographers we have in Detroit and Michigan. It would be nice to have the art-loving public see what we see from up in the sky and to showcase the creativity you can achieve with this growing photographic format.
