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Valentin Hehli. Pedro Lenz, Olten in his office. For CH-Media, 5 April 2024.
Valentin Hehli. Fricktal photographer Valentin Hehli (2002*) lives and works in the Zurich Oberland. He completed his training as an EFZ photographer at the F+F School of Art and Design in 2023 and completed a one-year internship as a press photographer at the Aargauer Zeitung newspaper as part of his training.
He continues to train - currently and since 2023 part-time as a communication designer in photography at the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen. He also works as a freelance photographer in various areas such as photojournalism, reportage, portraits, events and landscapes. How did you discover photography? I went to Australia for an exchange year. Shortly before I left, my mobile phone broke and I had to travel with a replacement phone. Fortunately, from today's perspective, the camera quality was unacceptable. My host mum gave me a system camera and so I started documenting my exchange year. Did this experience persuade you to train at the EFZ? Yes! I travelled to Australia without knowing what to do after the exchange. Towards the end of the year, I knew that I wanted to become a professional photographer and sent out my first applications from Australia. What do you like about photography? It allows me not only to capture fleeting moments, but also to stage them beforehand. For me, photography is an intensive interaction with my environment and the resulting images are a product of this interaction. This is what makes photography so fascinating for me. Professional photography is your first educational path, but you are already continuing your education. Is that necessary? No, training is not a must in order to become a professional photographer. There are some successful photographers who have not completed any training. The great thing about our profession is that we are measured by our portfolio rather than our diploma. I was able to benefit greatly from my EFZ training and continue to do so at the HF. Qualifications can be useful and keep options open. An HF diploma gives you access to FH degree programmes. The HF is also a prerequisite for certain lecturer jobs. What was it like for you, as a young photographer, to start your career? The profession of photographer is a rather rare profession, which made it difficult to find an EFZ apprenticeship. There are only a few apprenticeships on offer. It also takes time to establish yourself as a freelance photographer, which is a process I'm still going through. However, I consider it a privilege that I had the opportunity to embark on this path at a young age. I owe this not least to the support I received from my parents. Can you tell us something about your portrait series? During my time as an intern and freelancer at the Aargauer Zeitung, I developed a diverse pool of portraits over time. I really appreciate being able to take portraits of a wide variety of people. The profession of photographer gives me insights into the most diverse worlds and when the shoot is over, I have the opportunity to leave these worlds again, which I really appreciate. What do you expect from the SIYU professional association? I hope that my membership will lead to a closer exchange with other professional photographers. Membership also signals a certain level of professionalism.
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