It’s seven years ago since Jan von Holleben started to put his kids and childhood dreams into photographs. Since then trees have grown and new houses have been built in the little village in Sasbach at the Kaiserstuhl, in the South West of Germany.

The kids he works with have grown too, but are still keen on playing along with him.

‘It’s just that demands from the kids are much higher now and that I can confront them with more complex ideas than in the past. We still meet in front of my mother’s house, discuss the photographic ideas and collect the props we need for the images. Eventually we pack the car and drive up the village’s hill, from which we have a vista into the wide world, from the Vosges in France, to the German Black Forrest and all the way to the Swiss Alps.’

The older kids are heavily involved with the production and proudly play ‘Art Director’ and ‘Technical Assistant’. In teamwork it all comes together. Foreground and background are set up. Ladders are erected and positions rehearsed. Perspectives are closely defined for everything needs to be perfect for an illusion that needs no digital postproduction.

And what’s now? ‘Well, first we do the desert with oasis, then the cowboys and last but not least the pirate-ship with mermaid! All right? Great, then here we go!’

From the press release: “Minter shows us unruly bodies that cannot fit within our culture’s carefully drawn lines: greedy, excessive bodies that ooze and leak and are marked by too much sweat, too much makeup, too much hair, too much grime. These works are about our private ruminations and self-scrutiny; they reveal bodies that, compared to the fantasies that bombard us daily, seem to be in a state of constant eruption.”

As a well-established commercial and fashion photographer, Jillian is skilled in the subtleties of creating a mood and telling a pointed story in one frame. Her stories are often sharp little comments on the nature of basic instincts and the ambiguous beauty of human form and function.

Jillian has travelled from Singapore to New York shooting for a variety of advertising, fashion and editorial clients. She has achieved numerous international awards including: Archive Top 200 Advertising Photographer (2006, 2008); Cannes Gold Lion (2007); and Graphis Gold Medal, Photography (2008).

Based in Stockholm, Looklet allows you to share your creations with friends on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere.  So what are you waiting for – time to start designing! Move aside Armani!

Anna’s talent has been recognised with an award at the New York Photo Festival, and has had work published in American Photography 25 and commissioned by the United Nations. She also shoots for Getty Images.