Life is a constant alternation of countless moments…
Joyful moments and sorrowful moments. Striking moments and indifferent moments. Cheerful moments and depressing moments. Uplifting moments and asphyxiating moments. Encouraging moments and disappointing moments. Promising moments and hopeless moments. Lucky moments and unfortunate moments. Happy moments and frustrating moments.
The initial challenge is to understand, that each of these moments is unique and gives us something to take along on our way...
The struggle hereinafter lies in choosing between the ones to keep and the ones to let fade away and finally ’pausing’ this constant alternation of moments at the right time!
I am a German photographer currently living in Greece. I got my first camera, a Kodak S100EF 35mm point-and-shoot film camera, from my dad at the age of seven, just before leaving for a two month road trip through Mexico and Baja California. From the very first day on, I loved 'playing around' with my new toy, something my parents did not quite expect in such extend and were not really ‘fond’ of, as every single ‘click’ brought them closer to developing my next film and buying me a new one.
Nearly a decade after that I got my first SLR, a Russian KMZ Zenit, which was replaced by a Nikon F80 in 2004, when I started getting into photography more seriously. In 2006 I finally could not resist going digital, although I kept on shooting film - especially with the Nikon FA I inherited from my father!
Since digital photography provided new, more affordable possibilities in terms of experimenting with various techniques and moreover the image itself, I tried not to settle down in any specific photographic area in the beginning, but to ‘walk’ new paths whenever possible.
In the end though, it was street and documentary photography that fascinated me most. For me it has become a catalyst, a ‘way out’, compensating daily rush and emotions.
For sure there is an explanation for the affection in particular streetphotographers have for their, sometimes not, or misunderstood genre of photography. For me it is this seemingly artless environment of the streets and everyday life which makes it so attractive. Countless microcosms come to light as one takes a closer look, like layers, emerging one by one, each telling its own story as you look behind the facade. It is all about discovering and capturing these moments which otherwise just drift by …mostly unnoticed.
I want to mention at this point, that I try to always treat my subjects the way I like to be treated myself - with dignity. I approach my subjects if possible and either show them the pictures taken of them or at least explain what I am doing.
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Finally, two things:
1) Not all of my photos have titles. For me, some photos carry a very specific message which I want to communicate to the viewer - and a title. Other photographs can tell a different story to each person - they leave much room for interpretation and therefore don't have a title.
2) I will further add photos to this site, as time allows when being a working father of two...
