Judging by the supermarket shelves, there are currently at least 4.5 packs of toilet paper and probably around 10 packs of pasta in every German household. Much more than we need “to survive”. So how about using a small amount of these precious goods to surprise our heroines in everyday life, our mothers and fathers with some homemade goods for Mo-/Father's Day.

The following series is a parody of the insane hamster purchases, a tribute to all the mothers and fathers out there and a self-experiment in terms of product and still-life photography.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS AND INDUCEMENT

In times of domestic isolation, we inevitably deal with ourselves again. This is great and exhausting at the same time and has finally caused me to do more handicrafts, among other things.

Since I can remember I have always enjoyed building something with my hands, but in recent years I have taken less and less time for it.

During the meditative work away from the constant deflection on the screen, I analyzed the whole situation and asked myself a lot of questions.

On the one hand, I was wondering how I should continue as a people and lifestyle photographer in the upcoming months. Almost all of the shootings and events have been canceled and I have to get creative and see what I can do for a living.

Furthermore I kept asking myself what motivates people to make insane hamster purchases and what it means to be a mom in the current situation, taking care of your child 24/7 in addition to the prevailing uncertainty.

Lack of understanding and respect, along with a large portion of drive, finally brought me to the idea of combining all these thoughts together and starting the Mother’s Day series.

I finished this series as part of the PandemicHealingArts scholarship.

English Version below

Der 30ste Geburtstag ist für viele Frauen ein Meilenstein und unwiderruflich mit Erwartungen an sich selbst, aber auch das Leben im Allgemeinen verbunden. Die Frage nach Familie oder Karriere, oder allem auf einmal, steht im Raum und es scheint, als ob wegweisende Entscheidungen jetzt getroffen werden müssen, quasi über Nacht.

Was aber wenn etwas Unvorhergesehenes passiert? Die eigene Beziehung geht in die Brüche, Eltern und Großeltern erkranken oder sterben, und plötzlich ist man verantwortlich, für sich, für ein Kind, ja vielleicht sogar für die eigenen Eltern.

In der Serie hashtag 30 hat Janina Steinmetz über die vergangenen zweieinhalb Jahre 30 Frauen um die 30 besucht, und sie in ihren eigenen vier Wänden portraitiert, sowie sie zu ihrem Umgang mit der 3. Null interviewt. Die im Rahmen dieser Arbeit veröffentlichten Portraits und Zitate verstehen sich als Momentaufnahme und zeigen den persönlichen Balanceakt zwischen gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen, körperlichen und geistigen Entwicklungen und eigenen Ansprüchen in Bezug auf die 4. Lebensdekade.

Die Fotografin möchte mit dem Projekt auf die Tatsache aufmerksam machen, dass wir uns zwar in einer Phase des Umbruches befinden, uns aber noch längst nicht von veralteten Konventionen frei sprechen können. Sie möchte Frauen dazu ermutigen sich mitzuteilen und ihren Ängsten und Sorgen Luft zu machen, um Platz für neue Erlebnisse im Hier und Jetzt zu schaffen und gemeinsam eine Gesellschaft zu bilden, in der die 30 nur mehr eine Zahl ist.

Das Buch könnt Ihr für 18,-€ zzgl. Versand direkt über mail@janinasteinmetz.com bestellen.

The 30th birthday is a turning point for many women and is irrevocably linked to expectations of themselves but also of life in general. The question of family or career, or a combination of the two, is omnipresent and it seems as if the decisions we make now will determine the path we go down.

But what if something unexpected happens? Your own relationship breaks up, parents and grandparents fall ill or die, and suddenly you are responsible for yourself, for a child, maybe even for your own parents.

In her series hashtag 30, Janina Steinmetz has visited 30 women around 30 over the past two and a half years and portrayed them in their own home, as well as interviewed them about how they deal with this time. The portraits and quotations are snapshots that show the personal balancing act between social expectations, physical and mental developments and personal demands with regard to the 4th decade of life.

With this project, Janina wants to draw attention to the transitional time in which we are still not free from outdated conventions. She encourages women to communicate and externalize their fears and worries in order to create space for new experiences and to form a society in which 30 is just a number.

You can order the book for 18,-€ plus shipping directly via mai@janinasteinmetz.com.

In january 2016 I visited the opened hearts foundation in Hohoe in Ghana.

It’s a wonderful place where children of somehow disadvantaged families being tought in english, math and of course soccer to give them the chance to have a better future.

Visual Concept & Hair & Make-Up: Janina Steinmetz

Some moments I captured during a trip to the beautiful island of Pag last summer.

In September 2018 I visited the Phewa-Lake in Phokhara, Nepal.

It’s a magical place and the center of life for the inhabitants.

Some pictures from my latest trip through the Dolomites in August 2019, where we went hiking and climbed the Cima Carega. Just an amazing experience.

I was fortunate to attend a well rehearsed Kathakali performance in Kerala including the spectacular preparations which typically take about 3 hours.

Kathakali is a traditional South Indian dance that can only be performed by male actors. Classically, the art of dance is passed on from father to son.