A conversation with Stine Goya and photographer Petra Kleis – a dear friend of the house and the eye behind many of our images over the years.
1. For readers who don't know you yet, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how did you first get into photography? Was there anything that specifically drew you to fashion or did it happen organically
I am 43, mother of twin girls and live in Nørrebro (Copenhagen) with my boyfriend. I do all sorts of photography which makes my job super fun. I think pretty much every photographer wants to do fashion at some point. It is sort of like a mythical “genre”.
There have been so many iconic shoots and pictures throughout the times, especially the more “old-school” stuff - when there was endless time and money in the world. Doing fashion is always super creative and collaborative – that’s why it’s so magical.
2. Do you remember our first shoot together? Did it feel like the start of something that would last this long?
I do! At the time, I was a new photographer and really stoked to do something for Stine Goya. We had a pause after that shoot, but then a couple of years ago we started working together again.
I am always super grateful for long-lasting partnerships because it is so much easier to work with someone you know well.
Hopefully we will continue, but I am always aware that sometimes you need new blood in a creative process. I am just thankful for what we have already created together and hopefully it will last.
3. Outside of fashion, what kind of photography or imagery do you find yourself drawn to?
I am very drawn to projects that can make a difference for certain groups of people. I did a lot of work for Hus Forbi and I also had projects for WWF and “Muskelsvindfonden”. In a “shallow” world, very focused on appearance It is super important for me to do work that has a lot of substance and meaning.
4. How has your eye for our collections evolved over the years, do you see them differently now than when we started?
After many years working together, I know how many hours Stine’s team puts into each collection. The research, the creative process, the production – the enormous amount of thought put into each print and piece of clothing is insane! When you know that it is not “just” a print, you appreciate it so much more. Also, knowing the super talented creative girls behind every color and every drawing fills me with so much more respect for the work being done.
5. Who or what shaped your visual style early on? Any photographers, films, or images that still influence how you shoot today?
I always found Juergen Teller’s relaxed and humorous style liberating. Fashion can be so “serious” and snobbish but Juergen sort of completely ignored that and just did things his way, putting a lot of humor into campaigns.
Someone super classic like Richard Avedon put a lot of “Portrait” into his fashion, that I also found fantastic. Making The campaigns more “personal” in a way.
There are soooooo many brilliant photographers that it almost makes me dizzy!
6. Is there one shoot from our history together that you still think about, or that changed how you approached the next one?
I think the beautiful Klara Kristin shoot around Copenhagen was spot on Stine Goya. It was fun, colorful, cool and poetic. We were super lucky weather-wise and just had a perfect day together!
Our PF26 shoot in Spain was the opposite – it rained cats and dogs. Hehehe. We wanted to go to Spain to have some nice light and sun and it ended of raining 80% of the time… but we succeeded in making something beautiful. We are super good at making the best of difficult situations - we go a long way to help each other out.
7. What does a normal day off look like for you, when you're not behind the camera?
I recently created a complete ceramic studio in my summerhouse! I never did ceramics, but I always wanted to! So I went ahead and bought myself some clay, a wheel and an oven and now I can’t get enough! I absolutely love it! I am SHIT at it, but I don’t care! Starting a “new craft” without any pressure to be good at it, is fantastic! Time literally disappears when I am there! My main thing is making sausages, Papayas and very ugly cups. If you need any of those, slide into my DM! You can find it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or wherever you normally listen to your podcasts.
You can find it on Spotify and Apple or wherever you normally listen to your podcasts.
8. Is there a piece of advice, creative or otherwise, that's stuck with you over the years? Or any advice you’d give to young photographers trying to “Make it?”
Try to not compare yourself with others is key advice! Both to myself and others! In this super competitive world with SoMe constantly showing us how great life “can be”, it is hard not to constantly feel inadequate! Focus on you! Focus on what YOU like and what YOU find fun, beautiful and meaningful - it will make your work life so much more fun and long-lasting.
The other advice would be the importance of doing “personal projects” - both for your well-being but also to show the world what you are about.