Interview: Hanna Beširević
First, tell us something about yourself. We know that you lived in Oslo, Paris, Mexico, now in Lisbon, but are you a native of Bosnia&H?
Born in Sarajevo yes! according to 23 and me I am 98.9 Bosnian! At age 6 we emigrated to Norway due to the war and I’ve been moving ever since. I always told myself that before I grow very old I will learn 10 languages. A year ago I moved to Lisbon and I am learning my 6th language (Portuguese). Maybe that’s something about me. Slowly I am getting closer and closer to that goal.
A’MARIE was your first gig from here. How was it for you to work here, in this region? Did you find common language with us?
Absolutely. I loved that aspect and really brought me so much joy working alongside this team of funny, real and hardworking women. I was so surprised about the low levels of stress. We had so many looks to shoot and the team was pretty chilled about it. You always feel the pressure as a photographer building on top of you if the shoot is not going as fast as it needs to, you always have the final delivery in your head during the day. But with this team I seemed to be the only one feeling that way. The vibe was relaxed and assured that we would make it, and we did!
Was this the first campaign from this region, your hometown? And what was that like for you?
Shooting this collection was so special. First time working in Croatia and in the village where my grandmother was born. But beyond that it was amazing to collaborate with all those talented Croatian women. Made me realize how relaxed people here are with work and how they don’t take themselves seriously but deliver a kick ass result by working hard. Perhaps it has been one of the most relaxed shoots I have been on and how fitting the collection is called “fjaka”.
Tell us about your first job in the fashion industry? How it all started?
When I finished university in Paris I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had gotten an internship in a small fashion film production company writing on their blog. Back then we had to do an internship in order to graduate. I would watch the editors in the company, they came in and out whenever they pleased and all they had to do was spend hours looking at beautiful footage of fashion films. I thought it looked amazing and they seemed pretty free. What a great way to make money I thought.
I asked my boss if I could have a go. He was not a patient teacher as he just dumped a lot of footage on me and asked me to make something. I spent hours on YouTube trying to figure out what each keyboard key meant in Final Cut Pro and how I could edit all this. After a month I managed to make something. My boss liked it and allowed me to start organizing the material for the editors.
After that I became an editor, I started editing for a lot of people inside the fashion industry in Paris. It was a great way to learn the process of how it all works. You are at the receiving end of a creative process and you have to make an assembly of all of it. Most importantly you have to navigate the mistakes made. I spent so many hours thinking how it could have been perfected. Today it helps me a lot when I sit down to plan film and photo projects. It allows me to always have the edit in mind.
For years, you worked for years in Chanel as a photographer, which is one of the greatest in the fashion and beauty industry. How did your experience working in-house for Chanel shape your photography style and approach?
With Chanel you are a part of a huge set and an enormous production. You need to listen to the client’s needs and be quite fast in your decisions thereafter. It’s as if you are a part of a larger wheel of things and you are quite small inside it. The approach taught me professionalism and not to take things personally.
Style wise it shaped the way I take portraits. I had to find a balance within the classic world of Chanel however have my own personality.
What was it like photographing Keira Knightley for Chanel Beauty or Lady Gaga for Tiffany and Co which you did afterwards? Can you share any memorable moments or insights from that experience?
Keira Knightly would laugh at my lame jokes and put everyone on set so much at ease, she made everything feel so intimate and special. Lady Gaga is such a professional, she would deliver all that was asked of her with such ease and speed. I guess the insight is that at any level of your career you can make yours and other people’s lives easier. The fashion industry can be brutal, but it doesn’t have to be.
Now, you started directing movies. Moving from photography to directing films, how did your visual storytelling skills evolve, and what drew you to this?
One second of film is around 25 still images. Film makes everything come to life. We get movement, sound and we have to see the world completely differently. It’s a bigger medium to try and grasp. Bigger in the sense that you have to collaborate with a lot more people, incredible heads of department that have their ideas and input into breathing life to the story. Photography is my own moment where I hold the camera in my hand and see through the viewfinder.
I’ve always been amazed with people being able to take a medium and with it speak the truth. That’s initially what drew me to this. I am on a constant search of being more truthful in my film and photography projects. I feel I have not reached “that place”. It takes so much experience and trial and error. It’s challenging and it keeps me constantly on my toes.
Can you share any notable projects or experiences from your work journey?
I’ve always said yes to things even though I might not know what I’m doing. This has led me to places and spaces that were incredible and I’ve learned a lot from it. I’ve been strapped on top of a boat to photograph a massive wave in Tahiti even though I might not have been the best person for the job.
I guess my most valuable experience is that it’s important to make mistakes, it’s a vital part of our journey here on this beautiful planet. And I have made many of them.
Looking back on your career path, what advice would you give to aspiring photographers or filmmakers who aim to explore various creative avenues like you have?
Always say yes to the community around you in terms of visuals. Practically by starting locally in your own backyard seeing what is around you is going to be unique. No-one can tell your story, only you can. We are lucky to be able to create something out of nothing. Look at it as a visual microphone for the things you wish you could say.
We spend so much time comparing ourselves to others and wishing we had what they have. Or we wish we had the jobs and opportunities they now sit with. This can distract us from what is right there in front of us.
