We recently connected with Chris Koeppen and have shared our conversation below.
Chris, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
My name is Chris Koeppen, and I am known as the artist behind An Ethereal Fire.
Around 3 years ago, I was stuck at a crossroads.
I realized I had fallen out of love with wedding photography, which had been my dream career ever since I quit my day job to pursue photography full time. I had only booked 2 weddings for the entire year, and I was barely contributing to the finances of my household. My chest felt an unreasonable weight on itself daily, and I believed that this could be the end of my career as a whole.
For years I had been drawn to boudoir, as well as fantasy imagery, but when you combined those two words together as a google search, all the results felt like they were images made for the viewer, rather than art made for the person in frame.
I decided I wanted to try one last thing before quitting photography.
I wanted to combine my love of fantasy and storytelling, with the genre of boudoir to create art that allowed freedom of self expression for anyone. All bodies, all loves, all genders, all walks of life deserve to feel beautiful, seen, and to have their story told.
After my first few shoots doing everything practially, I discovered that I could use public domain classical artworks as the backgrounds to my artworks after seeing other contemporary fine artists such as A.J. Hamilton (The Tog Father), Neisha T Ford, and many others.
I knew I could be my own artist with my own voice, and what I realized was this: there was a separation between the photos and the paintings in everyone else’s work, which broke up the illusion of the fantasy for me. I wanted to create art where you couldn’t tell where the painting ended and the photograph began.
My work began to evolve, and the paintings and photographs became more and more seamless. The storytelling aspects changed from clients saying “I want to look like im in a painting!!!” to “Hey I wrote out a narrative with deeply powerful lore and a backstory based on traumatic life events i have experienced… can we make this into art?”
For the past 2 years, I’ve dedicated my entire career to interpreting other people’s stories as a fantasy boudoir photographer so they can be seen, and have their stories told.
My success comes from knowing that the clients I serve are able to express something in themselves that they may not get to otherwise: unrestrained creativity and healing through fine art fantasy boudoir.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a fine art fantasy boudoir photographer. So what does that mean?
I photograph my clients in a studio in Los Angeles, and I use multiple classical public domain artworks blended together in photoshop to create the environment of my images. The final result is something that appears to be a painting lifted from another era, which allows the viewer a peak inside the subject’s world.
My art tells other people’s stories and creates a space where there is freedom of self expression for each client.
I believe that Boudoir, as a genre, has become quite limited in scope in the modern era. Many of the most recognized photographers have such similar styles that they could be interchangeable.
My goal is to be a part of an evolving industry which expands to allow *anyone* the chance to have a boudoir shoot which truly expresses who they are.
My work focuses strongly on narrative with a “yes and” mentality while on set. I have this theory that no idea is truly a bad idea, but some ideas just need to be executed more specifically than others in order to work. When I hear someone say “Ok, I don’t know if this will work, but I was thinking of (blank)”, I get unreasonably excited. Great ideas thrive in spaces where people feel safe to suggest them, and also have the trust to allow their artist to interpret what they are saying.
Recently, I have also been diving more and more heavily into the education space for other photographers. As my style becomes more well known, I want to give others the tools and knowledge I have developed to be able to create in their own ways, and to have their artistic voices heard. Along with my one-on-one mentorships, I’ll soon be launching a youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@AnEtherealFire) to allow a resource for free education, as well as options for paid education to dive even deeper once the fundamentals have been learned.
My style is often associated with the halos that I create and add into my artworks. I am currently working to create a large series of Halos and Frames with an easy photoshop action, which will allow other artists an easier access to creating art in a similar style.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Here’s three pieces of advice that I am still working on implementing daily in my life:
1. Look outside your own artform to grow.
When you listen to only your peers and contemporaries, you often end up in an echo chamber ruled by the loudest voices.
Try looking up tutorials from artists in adjacent fields to yourself for a fresh perspective. For me, this meant listening to VFX artists, traditional oil painters, and tattoo artists describing what they are doing and the why behind it.
The goal of most art is to make an impact, and listening to artists in fields other than your own is a really powerful way to gain a unique perspective that many people overlook.
2. Share the knowledge you have with others generously, and be loud with your appreciation of other artists.
It’s easy to spout off catch phrases like “Community over competition” to gain favor on social media platforms, but I think there is something truly meaningful when you help others and let your actions speak for you.
This doesn’t mean give away everything you do for free. I charge for things that take up precious hours of my day, just as anyone else should, but if you have a question and I can answer it in a few lines of text… why would I hold that back from you?
I want to be someone who gives back and supports others with the specialized field I am in. Artists are a wildly under appreciated set of people who are often scared that being generous with knowledge means that others may steal from them. My theory is that if I tell you how to do something, and you create art in my style that is better than my own, that means all I am is a technique. That just isn’t true though. I’ve taught so many people over the years, and they always become their own artist and employ my techniques in ways I would never think of, which means we truly are not in competition. We are contemporaries.
With that in mind, I think artists should be the first people to jump and cheer for their fellow creators. Be excited with people. Share in their joys with them. Tell them specifically what you love in their latest work, and why you love it. A “Wow!” comment only goes so far, but comments like “Wow!!! The highlights on the left of the frame are so well thought out, and I love your use of the red’s in the shadows of the skin tone!!” makes other artists feel seen and validates their countless hours of work.
3. Learn your strengths as an artist, and use them to cover your weakest points until you can build up the worst parts of your work.
All of us innately have skills we will be better at, as well as skills we will naturally be worse at. We often try to hide from our weak points as they are a source of shame for us, but I think confronting your weak points gives you strength. Ask yourself: “What always seems to work out in my art? What is the thing I am learning the fastest?” and separately, be honest with yourself and say “Why does my work not look how I want? What am I missing?”
When you know what you are naturally good at, lean into it. It’s way easier to get better at something you love and already have a natural inkling towards. Use that to your advantage.
Also, look at what is hard for you. What frustrates you the most, or what do you forget to do most often? These weaknesses are usually the thing that makes us feel the most defeated when brought to light. You can intentionally hide them from others while building them up slowly and at your own pace.
Here’s an example of what I did. When I shot weddings, I knew that I was naturally good at finding unique lighting, and also posing my couples in ways that evoked strong emotion. I also knew that choosing a location to shoot was something I didn’t do well, nor did I think much about. So I pushed myself to use my strengths in lighting and posing to be so good that you didn’t care what the background was.
When I transitioned to shooting fine art boudoir photography, I took this a step further, and now I only shoot on a black backdrop, and create the rest of the imagery in post production which ALSO happens to be a strength of mine.
Use your strengths to bolster your weak points, and when you feel you have maxed out of learning your strengths, focus your attention to the thing you have avoided. You’ll retain the things you are best and and will slowly become a walking titan of an artist who can conquer their own demons.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Ever since I was young, my Dad told me to follow my dreams.
My dad is one of the greatest Bass players I have ever heard. He has played for 40+ years of his life, and easily could have been touring with the largest names out there.
Instead, he followed his parents advice to get a safe job, stick with it til he retired, and then have a nice pension and savings account.
He was told “you can follow your passions when you’re established and older.”
Well… he can’t. My dad suffers from carpal tunnel in both wrists. He has had multiple surgeries to his spine which make sitting incredibly hard on him. Both his elbows are afflicted by tennis elbow a painful condition activated by… well playing the bass.
He regretted taking the safe route. He regretted losing his joy in music.
But he didn’t pass that to me.
He encouraged me to be bold. He told me to follow my dream and push for it, even when it seemed like the easy route would be rewarding.
And I listened.
I’ll always be thankful for him instilling this in me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://anetherealfire.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anetherealfire/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anetherealfire
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnEtherealFire
Image Credits
Image Credits: Chris Koeppen – An Ethereal Fire
