Jasmin Brauner is an exceptional 16 year old photographer from Germany with 28.4K followers on Instagram.
Brauner's photography journey began at a young age, when she began using her father's DSLR. This led to her purchasing her own camera at about 11 years old and pursuing photography more actively.
"When I was younger, I had several digital cameras. When my dad bought his first DSLR, I was really fascinated with it and of course I spent a lot of time taking photos with it," Brauner said. "About one year later, I bought my own DSLR. My dad influenced me because if he [didn't] take pictures, I probably won't even [have] had the idea to see photography as a hobby."
At first, Brauner focused primarily on nature shots which later evolved into portrait shots, when her skills became more developed.
"When I got my own camera, I first started out with nature and landscape photography. At some point, I started taking self portraits and finally, began taking portraits of my friends and family. After a while, I was brave enough to ask some other people I did not know if they wanted to take photos. During the last two years, I [have taken] more portraits and improved my editing skills. I guess that is how I got where I am right now," Brauner said.
After practicing with her camera for about a year, she became more adept at taking and editing photos.
"I started having a closer look at the details of a shot and [thinking] more about it. That was the point when I realized that photography is my true passion," Brauner said.
After many of her friends began using Instagram, Brauner decided to create her own account and quickly grew a large following.
"I think I created my account in September 2013. Many of my friends had this new Instagram thing so I wanted to have my own account and see what [was] so special about this app. I started to post some pictures and as more and more people followed, liked, and commented, I started posting my photos regularly on Instagram," Brauner said.
Instagram has been a way for Brauner to connect with potential models for photoshoots.
"Sometimes I get to know people over Instagram and meet up with them to shoot, which is always a great experience because I love to get to know new people. Also, I met some of my really close friends through [the app]. That is the thing I really love about Instagram, you can meet new people all over the world and even find new friends," Brauner said.
Peaceful and beautiful landscapes like Lake Seebensee in Australia and the Bavarian Alps in Germany have been Brauner's favorite places to travel and take pictures.
"One of my favourite places is probably the Bavarian Alps where [I've been] going twice a year since I [was] little. I really love the mountains and all the beautiful lakes, the landscape there is just stunning. Last year I visited Lake Seebensee, one of the most peaceful and beautiful places I've ever been to," Brauner said.
A piece of advice that Brauner finds valuable for beginning photographers is to practice and become comfortable with taking photos.
"My advice would be [to] practice as much as you can. You can only learn and improve if you try out new things and if you go out of your comfort zone. Don't try to just copy or imitate other photographers, try to find your own style and take photos in your own way. Also, if you're feeling like you don't improve - don't give up. Take a little break and try it again, I'm sure you will be successful!" Brauner said.
With high hopes for the future, she aspires to study and work in communication design and travel the world.
"In ten years I can imagine myself still studying (or having already finished) communication design in a beautiful city. I'm really interested in that theme and I can imagine working [in] something [of] this topic one day. But I also want to travel around to see more of the world. Lastly, I'll be surrounded by the people I love and who are important to me," Brauner said.
Brauner is inspired by many different things rather than a single person. She is passionate about photography and loves to express herself through her photos.
"I can't really name my inspiration, in my opinion inspiration is basically everywhere. Of course, I get inspired by amazing photographers on Instagram, Flickr, [etc.] but I can also get inspired by a song, quote or nature," Brauner said. "For me, photography is a way of art and also a great way to express myself. Taking photos just makes me really happy."