My Evening With Olivia Treuber, Creatively Known As Boomslang Photography

*Olivia Treuber, Boston/NYC Photographer.*

“When you photograph a person and learn their story, it expands your humanity and just makes you feel alive. In the same way I’m so grateful for my travels and my life experiences, I’m so grateful for the people I get to connect with through photography. Photography gets me out of my house and helps me live a fuller and richer life than a life without it. ”

The scene:

I’m at home, doom-scrolling through Instagram instead of doing anything remotely productive. I then stumbled upon a captivating photo of a bikini-clad woman gracefully posing in a kid’s pool, shot on film.

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As awesome as the photo was, the photographer’s name, boomslang_photography, also piqued my interest. I couldn’t resist exploring her entire Instagram feed and was instantly drawn to her unique style and artistic vision - Her website was equally impressive, and I knew I had to follow her and delve deeper into her work. To my delight, the follow back was instant, and this further solidified my belief in her talent, dedication, and her genuine desire to support other photographers. That is such a refreshing thing to see.

When it comes to film, you really need to slow down and shoot each frame with intention. With rising film cartridge prices and post-processing costs, you’d better believe that Olivia understands the assignment.

After initially speaking with her back in March - during which I asked her a series of questions, Olivia and I finally got the chance to meet up at the Christian Science Center in Boston this past month. I arrived with my Nikon F6 in hand, while she showed up with her Pentax K1000, sporting a captivating and highly photogenic vintage outfit that evoked the image of seasoned photojournalists from the past. These were the ones who swiftly brought their creative vision to life, coupled with their unwavering focus on storytelling. Her naturally kind demeanor, evident in our emails, was even more pronounced when we finally met in person. Connecting with the creative behind some of the best work that I’ve seen was an honor, and even more so when she took some photos of me - I quickly saw why people feel so comfortable around her, and how she’s able to produce such unforgettable photographs.

And now, our fun and engaging conversation.

The most basic question in any interview - when did you start your creative (and lucrative) journey?

This is a loaded question for me, in the nicest possible way! I first fell in love with photography in high school when I took a film photography class. Growing up I considered myself creative, but not really artistic until I found photography. I shot observations I made in the world and friends and family for about 10 years after that first photography class, and during the pandemic craved actually creating photoshoots and making images in my head come to life. So to answer your question, I say the real creative journey started about 3 years ago, but I like to give ode to my younger self too that learned the foundations to get me where I am today.

How did you come up with the name Boomslang Photography? I stumbled upon your work when someone reposted it to their IG story - along with your work, I was very intrigued by the name.

I found the name Boomslang when I studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. It’s a venomous tree snake- literally the name Boomslang in Afrikaans translates to tree (boom) snake (slang). I knew when I started my photography instagram I wanted a punchy fun name that was memorable and unique without being hard to pronounce. After mulling over a few options, I remembered a bridge in the Cape Town Botanic Garden was named the Boomslang bridge, and instantly knew that was my name.

What sorts of challenges have you faced as a photographer? How did you overcome them? What drives you?

Outside of crippling imposter syndrome which I’m convinced every creative person at every level experiences, I think the biggest challenge I faced was getting comfortable being a director. When I was first starting to do creative photoshoots and reach out to people to shoot, I found I had really intense photographer anxiety leading up to the shoots and following them, even though (most) shoots would go great. A mix of awkwardness, inexperience, and a fear of being “too much” was driving this anxiety, and I eventually figured out that when people get their photo taken, they are waiting for the photographer to take charge and be the captain of the shoot. Photographers in movies are always portrayed as over the top, kooky people yelling wacky things at the models (think “be the tiger, yes, growl for me!”). While this is definitely not a one size fits all, I realized there was a lot of truth to this! Being a photographer is 90% being someone’s hype man. I learned if you bring the energy and excitement, people will open up and feel comfortable and the photoshoot will flow much better. It took a lot of time too to figure out what to say and how to direct in a way that feels natural to me, and I figured this out mostly through trial and error, but also looking up videos that other photographers had done of them directing during shoots.

Every creative hits a wall from time to time - social media can have that negative effect. What helps you come out of that creative slump? Do you agree that social media can help as well as hurt a creative’s drive? Which do you lean more toward? Help or Hurt?

I find social media can be really inspiring and fuel my creative juices, up until the point it does the exact opposite. It very quickly can make you feel like a loser, scrolling and seeing people 15 years younger than you with Vogue covers or a following count in the hundreds of thousands. When I’m scrolling I take note of how I’m feeling, and as soon as I go from “wow, what a cool idea, I could do something like that, or, ooh I would have never thought to use [flowers, mirrors, christmas lights, etc] in that way, I want to build a shoot around that” to “oh my god why am I even bothering, I’m never going to be this successful” I close out of instagram and try to listen to music or go for a walk, which are my usual go to sources of creative inspiration. Social media can definitely help a creative's drive through the literal never ending stream of inspiration, but it’s important to not get lost or caught up in the careers of others, I’ve found I need to save that energy for myself.

How did you earn your place as a commissioned photographer? How did you market yourself? How did it feel when you received your first payment for work you did?

My very first job was for a friend of a friend's micro wedding! That definitely gave me confidence to keep going- being paid to do what you love creatively is such a superb feeling. From there, I worked on my website, networked with other New England photographers, did markets to sell my work, and tried to get my name out there as much as possible. It made me feel legitimate, and that if I’m good enough to be paid to shoot someone’s wedding, surely I can be paid to do other things.

How did it feel have “Bovine of the Desert” show up in print?

So incredible, being selected by Art in Print was again my attempt to market myself. I apply for calls for work all the time, and you never expect to actually be selected, so that was the most lovely surprise. It was also so great seeing the reaction of my friends and family, as well as just general delight for the photo. I love that image for many reasons, one of which is it reminds me of this great road trip I took. Seeing other people connect with it for new reasons was a new and very cool feeling to me.

“Bovine Of The Desert” by Olivia Treuber

The most accurate statement about photography is that the equipment itself does not matter - however, I’m a bit of a gear nerd. With that said, what camera(s) are your go to for your creative endeavors?

I usually bring two cameras to every shoot and shoot on both- this has saved me many times where there is an unknown issue at the time with one camera, and had I just shot with one the photos would have all turned out bad. I always bring my Pentax K1000 and my Olympus iS-50.

What’s your number one film stock? Do you prefer 120 or 35mm?

I know it’s cliche, but I’m a big 35 mm Portra 400 girl. I love how it captures pinks and blues, and has that signature rich color profile that makes film just so delicious. I love my 120mm camera, but the smaller number of images are harder to compete with the 36 shots in a roll of Portra.

Who’s your favorite photographer and why?

My favorite photographer is Justine Kurland. She’s known for her series capturing girlhood throughout America in the 90’s. She road tripped across the country multiple times, and would take these stunning pictures of groups of girl friends in their element. Her work captures so many things I love about photography- the mix of posed and documentary style, the feeling you get when you look at them, the warm lush world she captures, the narrative photography and the stories you make up in your head when you look at them. She’s the type of photographer I would be if I could wave a magic wand- fearless, raw, but soft and rich at the same time.

Do you have a favorite photography book?

Photographs by Annie Leibovitz. I remember my mom rented it from the library when I was in middle school and we poured over it together- definitely a seminal text in my photography career.

A samurai would never use a gun, and a cowboy would never use a katana. As a film photographer, is that how you feel when it comes to digital cameras? What made you only want to shoot with film?

I love the wording of this question! I am pro- digital camera for whoever wants to use them, there are a few times and situations I myself have shot digital instead of film. I’m very much a live and let let type of person, so while I don’t hold the same grudges some film photographers may have about digital cameras, I’m not anti-digital camera by any means. Many times when I am spending money on shooting and processing film, I think to myself, “if this were digital, this would be free”. At the same time though, I love film photography because it forces you to slow down. Having 36 shots on a roll means you have to be intentional with what you’re capturing, which I find makes me take better photos. Looking through the viewfinder of my film camera helps tune everything else out and focus on the subject. Aesthetically, I just love the way film looks, and a lot of digital cameras and editing come close, but there really just isn’t anything like film. The warmth, the tones, the way it makes you feel. When someone has a nice film picture of themselves, it feels different for some reason than having an iPhone picture of yourself that you like.

Your website shows some images of you shooting in a few indoor spots - places that i feel wouldn’t normally allow the use of cameras. How do you get around that?

Haaaa, a big part of this is ask forgiveness, not permission! That being said, most of the time I am able to get permission or the person I am doing a shoot with has a connection to the place (such was the case when I shot the women with the weed company in the wig shop). I have definitely been yelled at and had to leave places mid-shoot which is never fun, but sometimes those shots end up being the best. Also, a lot of times, if you can get past people staring for a second or asking what you’re doing, you can shoot at a lot of public indoor places. A bodega, a laundry mat, a bowling alley, anywhere can make for cool photos!

If you could go back to your past self at the start of your creative journey, what would you say to yourself? Did you see yourself reaching this point?

I would say to myself to not shy away from becoming a director. For a long time I thought having a good observational eye and finding a good location were enough to be a photographer, so I would tell myself to get going on that sooner rather than later! If we go way back to when I was a teenager playing around with my film camera, I would tell myself that life will be a lot more fun and sweeter if you stick to your creative outlet. I definitely had some years in college and post-college where my photography outlet fell to the wayside, so I would tell myself to keep going. Teenager me would think the shoots I do today are so cool, so I try to keep that feeling in mind when I’m feeling down!

What is your “Hard No” when it comes to photography?

Oooh, this is a good question, I’m not sure if I have a hard no. I did a stock photography shoot once that was not originally marketed as stock photography, and that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I got a whole new appreciation for stock photography that day, and the pursuit of capturing the absolute perfect image. While I love to push myself and shoot all sorts of people and events, I may say no thank you if someone were to reach out with stock photography in mind.

When it comes to creating and growth as an artist, what is your favorite quote?

“Photography is a love affair with life.” – Burk Uzzle. This perfectly sums up why I love photography, once you have the eye to notice things, the world gets a whole lot richer and more beautiful. When you photograph a person and learn their story, it expands your humanity and just makes you feel alive. In the same way I’m so grateful for my travels and my life experiences, I’m so grateful for the people I get to connect with through photography. Photography gets me out of my house and helps me live a fuller and richer life than a life without it.