Last year my review of the year was a bit frugal. It was almost only about Corona. 2021 wasn't that much different and felt a bit like a year to forget. Actually, my annual review is therefore more of a look back at the fourth quarter of 2021. But at least that was special.
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Body height plays an important role in our society. Smaller people are often not taken seriously. I know that from experience, because I'm pretty small. I can handle it well because I know what I can do and I don't mind that my wife is two inches taller than me.
Art is a strange craft. And creativity sometimes behaves like a cat. It has a mind of its own and it is difficult for you to lead it. But I need creativity to get ahead. It's a bit of a vicious circle. What helps me sometimes is to rigorously clean up. And so I did.
There is always a certain ideal of beauty within a culture. It is a contemporary idea of what is perceived as beautiful. These fashions are always changing and have great regional differences. Perhaps it is worthwhile to start a signature campaign against an ideal of beauty that is currently threatening to assert itself.
Not much has changed for me in the last 15 years: location search remains the most difficult part of my job. While a fashion shoot can take place practically anywhere, a nude shoot requires a bit of sensitivity. And so I'm constantly looking for suitable locations. These are my criteria.
Over the years I have found out that my emotional states switch more or less the same during every photo project that I have. I take my job very seriously. Maybe too serious sometimes. But it's kind of amusing that I go through these five phases with every single shoot.
Some photographers are returning to working with old film cameras. It is about returning to slower photography. A film only has 36 frames. You don't want to waste them pointlessly. Photos taken on film have different colors, but you can recognize them mainly by their grain which is a trademark of film compared to the digital. But what actually makes grain beautiful?
I asked myself what is the difference between art and decoration? Does art take precedence over decoration? And is photography even art? The topic is very extensive and I could perhaps write a doctoral thesis on it. Then I would be a PhD in photography. But I neither value titles that much nor does this title exist. Nevertheless, I am still thinking about these questions.
Every year starting in August, I get regular emails from people asking about my new calendar. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it and of course I have produced another calendar for the coming year. My 2022 calendar has now been published. As always in a limited edition.
I would like to give you a little update on how I am doing during the pandemic and what has changed for me in the past 18 months. At the end of last year I was still very optimistic and my watchword was that 2021 can only be better than 2020. Unfortunately, I was not right.
When you ask someone what is most important to them in a person, the answer usually is honesty and humor. I understand the part with the humor, but honesty is such a thing. Because once we are really honest, we see that we are constantly lying to one another. We even lie to ourselves.
Great news: The August issue of Playboy Germany contains a newly shot pictorial by me with Playmate Leni. We produced the series in good old Germany, actually in my hometown Frankfurt, to be exact. During summer, it isn't bad here at all, escpecially because I was able to plan the shoot very well ahead.
As a kid, my parents took me to every museum and exhibition. Wherever we traveled, they found a museum. This could be my fate as a teacher's child. From today's perspective I am really thankful to them, though. Because, basially from my early ages I thought about art. And about the question: What is art?
How often is too often? When does work become a routine and a passion for nude shoots turns only into a business? In the beginning as a hobbyist photographer taking pictures didn't involve pressure. Does having to earn a living get in the way at some point?
A year ago things started with the Corona pandemic and the lockdowns. All of my planned projects were cancelled and I could no longer do my job. I would like to take the anniversary as an occasion and briefly give an update on how I am currently doing.
I've been working for Playboy Germany for nine years now, and yet it is always a great pleasure for me to see a new issue with a series of pictures photographed by me. That shows how important art is to me and that my work never mutates into a work to rule, no matter what. During the pandemic I often have the feeling that my life happens in slow motion. This makes the April 2021 issue of Playboy Germany even more special for me.
Most recently I wrote an article about morbid charm. And what fascinates me so much about it. There is another similar aspect that evokes strong emotions. It's loneliness. We humans are social beings and yet feel a strong attraction in empty places, in solitude. This has nothing to do with depression and certainly nothing to do with Corona. I'll try to explain the concept of the liminal space.
For years I have been wondering what attraction the morbid, the decay has on me. It is a fact that there are places of longing that are incredibly suitable as locations for photo shoots. But why are rotten places so appealing? Where does this attraction come from?
Yesterday I caught myself doing it. I edited pictures and worked on a motif for a while. The perspective in the picture didn't fit properly, the legs looked too fat. I thought... but if I edit it, I could... and after half an hour of post-processing, I knew it. The photo was not good. I should have rather listened to my gut feeling right away.
Instagram has become a ten ton gorilla for photographers. It's the place to be. This is where you share your works and connect with other artists. And where you find the models' sedcards. But something stinks! And to prove it, I tested it out on my own instagram account.
I woke up at the sound of a gun going off. I must have been five or six years old and it was six o'clock in the morning. My mum dialed the number of the police and later in the morning I learned that my dad had hidden in our garden and shot in the air with an alarm pistol to disturb a voyeur who came to spy through my parents' bedroom window every morning.
Usually my end-of-the-year review is an article I am all excited about. I am going through my collection of recent photographs to use in my article. And seeing those images takes me back to great moments I experienced. Most of the time this is about traveling and meeting cool people. But like for all of us, 2020 has been a very special year for me, too.
Warning: This article is totally off-topic. It has nothing to do with photography, except for that I took the title photo for my blog. I wish everyone happy holidays and as there are no Christmas markets in 2020 due to Corona, here's a recipe for a winterly cocktail to get you into the mood.
Working with naked women on a regular basis makes me forget that other people get fooled by nude photographs. I would like to write about some (and not only male) misinterpretations and misunderstandings. For a better understanding of today's world and for a better tomorrow.
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