Photographer - Derek Juntunen
Coffee Shop - Avalon Bakery
City - Detroit
Date - April 23, 2023
Q - What camera did you use for Cameras and Coffee?
A. - I shot only with my baby, the Fujifilm x100v. I do all my street photography, studio sessions, and creative photography with that little guy and I love its compact power and versatility so much.
Q. How long have you been taking photos?
A. I’ve been taking photos for many years, probably since high school circa 2005-2008, and just the frequency at which I took pictures and documented life, combined with my love of TV and movies, I began getting more purposeful in how I framed moments and captured life. Then when I got my first Instax Wide, I began taking on the role of a documenter of my friend group and got really into the memories that can be cast in amber as a result. Photography began meaning more. From there I moved on to my dad’s old Pentax K1000 and cut my teeth on film for about three years, culminating in hundreds of prints and reaching a zenith with 21 rolls of film shot over a week in Peru as I hiked the Salkantay Trail. Then, a few months later, I made the dive into digital, bailing just in time for film costs to soar through the roof.
Q. Why did you start photography?
A . I’ve always had the desire to document things, but it was originally with video (which is my full-time job, working for Constant Motion Productions in Ann Arbor). This current iteration/obsession with photography in particular arose out of the pandemic and the worst depression of my life. Suddenly, I found a passion that was all mine but also began connecting me with like-minded creatives that I’ve been looking for all my life. That community feeling, the nature of collaboration, and the ability to put people in their best light are some of the reasons why I keep coming back.
Q. What motivates you when it comes to photography?
A. I’m motivated by an obsessive desire to capture the world because once I began taking this seriously, I saw the beauty, the cinematic quality, in everything around me. Once your eyes adjust in that way, you can’t turn them off. I’m also motivated by the ability to make meaningful human connections with other people who have a creative bent, and in doing so I may learn from them and them from me. I always do my best to check my ego when it comes to photography and readily admit I don’t know the “best” way to do something because oftentimes there is no right answer, there are only subjective approaches. It’s art, after all, and we can always be learning from others and extending grace when someone else has an idea for a photoshoot.
Q. Describe your photography style.
A. Other people found a way to describe my style before I even did: cinematic. It makes sense given my aforementioned obsession growing up with all things television and movies. I usually see the world through a cinemascope lens, figuratively, and apply that to my approach to shooting. In my street photography, I avoid, to the best of my abilities, disturbing a moment to take a photo. Years and years of doing videography and moving through spaces without being noticed has given me some strange ability to disappear in plain sight when I want to and capture moments with no notice (also taking time to work on no-look shooting: where I don’t look at the viewfinder/screen, simply having a feel for the camera’s orientation, and shooting from my hip, without looking directly at the subject.
Q. Explain your Instagram name.
A. Pretty simple: it’s just my first initial + my last name. I wanted my last name only but I was too late and I think some dude in Finland with the same last name grabbed it.
Q. What are your photo goals for the next year?
A. I’ve already done a pretty good job at my initial goal this year in working with new people and I’d like to continue that trend. I’m currently pretty booked until the end of June/early July, and most of the people I’m working with during that time are going to be new! Aside from new connections, my dream this year would be to upgrade my creative photoshoot camera from the x100v to the Fuji GFX 100S. I feel like the medium format would be a costly transition, but the elements of creativity and latitude it would unlock really excite me and drive me to do more side jobs to pay for it.
