WhiteWall Magazine published a portrait and interview about my work, my beginnings in photography and the ideas that continue to shape my images.
Below is a short excerpt from the conversation:
Can you tell us how you got into photography?
My father developed his own microscope photos—he was a professor of neuropathology and involved in brain research—in our basement. When I was very little, I watched him do it, and when a photo emerged from a white sheet of paper in the developing fluid, something clicked for me. When I was six, he gave me my first camera, an Agfa Rapid with the settings “sun”, “clouds” and “flash”, and let me take it.
Then followed an old Voigtländer, and he taught me the game of aperture, time and ISO—ASA at the time. But it was still a long way to becoming a professional photographer. I worked for many years as a journalist, speaker and presenter, but always took pictures, including on assignment and for agencies. After organising my own exhibition with two photographer friends and seeing it become a great success, the desire to advance professionally as a photographer grew. Then followed my admission as a BFF Professional.
What is your special interest? How do you choose colours, composition and themes?
It can be very spontaneous. I’m a big fan of the principle of serendipity: finding something you weren’t looking for. For that, you have to keep your antennae up and learn to see the unusual even in the ordinary. I am obviously drawn to dark tones and dark images, although that—like many other things—often arises subconsciously. My pictures also bear witness to my soft spot for expressionist artists, above all Lyonel Feininger.
How do you get inspired?
First and foremost by what surrounds me, although that is often only the beginning. In Cologne, I saw a concrete church designed by Gottfried Böhm and was fascinated by the interplay of sacred architecture, colourful church windows and concrete structure. This became a series that I photographed after intensive research in Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland. Movies are also a great inspiration.