Classic Deutsche Mark Coins

posted in: P52, Personal Work, Product & Still Life | 0

Front and back of the classic five Deutsche Mark coin (also called a “Heiermann” for whatever reason). It was a pretty large and heavy but also somehow reassuring piece of currency. Despite that it clearly shows some wear after years of service. I somehow like the memory of how handling it feels. The other one is a 10 Pfennig coin from 1949 balancing on a 100 EUR note. The 10p still has “Bank Deutscher Länder” instead of “Deutsche Bundesbank” written on it.

While doing research on these old coins, I found it interesting how the obverse depicting the German Eagle changed over the years. On the 5-Deutsche-Mark coin, that was designed 1952 closer to the second world war, the eagle looks very meagre. The design on the fiver shown here is from 1975 and the bird does seem to have been fed much better....   READ MORE

Australian Cricket Ball

posted in: P52, Personal Work, Product & Still Life | 0

My friend Luke gave me his leather cricket ball when I visited him in Melbourne in 1998. I love the way it looks and feels and also the memories it stores of a trip to see the other side of the world and, ultimately another side of myself. It has been sitting on my desk for all that time now, and posting this I realise it is more than a quarter of a century. Not to get too philosophical, but time flies like a cricket ball, fruit flies like a banana…

She Sells Sea Shells…

…with a glow.

This one is from the Hangar Project which I started with fellow photographer Rob Scamp. Our theme was “Something from the Sea” and I spent an hour with this shell, exploring angles, backgrounds and lighting set ups. On this one I particularly liked how the warm light radiating from inside contrasted with the toothed, rough outside.

Cantina Pizzolato Bottle

posted in: Food & Beverage, P52 | 0

This wonderfully crazy bottle by Cantina Pizzolato jumped out at me while shopping, so I had to take it home. if I remember correctly, it was even available in two more colours.

The best part of bottle photography: it comes preloaded with stuff to celebrate after the shoot. Looking forward to this organic sparkler!

Brandy Stemware by WMF

Working with fine glass is always a pleasure – if challenging. This time because I dropped a heavy steel washer into the liquid for a nice splash effect one too many times and destroyed my beautiful WMF brandy bucket (as a friend once called it because of the sheer size). At least it was a sacrifice for art…

Composer & Organist Martin Herchenröder

posted in: P52, Portrait | 0

Composer, organist and music professor Martin Herchenröder at the historical Martinikirche in Siegen.

We met early in the morning and while I was setting up the planned shot at the piano, Martin Herchenröder played the organ. I noticed the gorgeous light he was sitting in, so in addition to the planned shot showing him as a composer at the piano, I came home with one of him as an organist, too. ...   READ MORE

Hand Hammered Wok

posted in: P52, Product & Still Life | 0

To me not only a beautiful piece of craftsmanship but also a reminder of generosity and kindness as Birgit, whom I only know via Grace Young’s lovely and very helpful “Wok Wednesday” group, lugged that rather unwieldy pot all across China and then back to Germany just because she thought I might enjoy having it. And I really do.

For the lighting concept I am grateful to Swiss photographer and Broncolor ambassador Urs Recher for his Aubergine setup which I used here (after testing it on an Aubergine first, of course)....   READ MORE

Everything you Need to Make Ramen

In early June I reached out to Ramen-Chef Erim Kreidel of Monaco Ramen to ask if he was interested in a collaboration on a kitchen utensils project. He was and we met at the Gasteig where he currently has his pop up location at Kulturdachgarten. Inside his incredible and custom made beauty of a Yatai (a Japanese food cart) we produced a shot that has all the tools you need for Ramen.

After finishing up with the kitchen utensils shoot, I asked if he had time for a portrait. Erim has been serving his incredible Ramen from various pop-up locations over the past years and instead of a more conventional approach we wanted to picture the taxing logistics, creativity and dedication involved when you have to move your whole restaurant to a new location every couple of months....   READ MORE

Easter Trip to Weimar

posted in: On the Road, Travel | 0

It has been a while since I last rubbed elbows with Goethe, Schiller and the likes in this neat little town — close to a quarter of a century to be precise. In total everybody in the family loved the experience, the only place we found somewhat disappointing was the Bauhaus-Museum.

Baume et Mercier Watch

posted in: P52, Product & Still Life | 0

Years (really: decades) ago, my wife won a beautiful Baume et Mercier wrist watch. I decided to shoot it to practice a one light setup, following a tutorial by the incredible Max Bridge. I ended up focus stacking 200+ picures for a 15 image composite and learned the hard way that from upn close you see every. single. tiny. little. scratch. So the fun really began when I started reconstructing, cleaning and healing. Here’s the before and after:

Baume et Mercier wristwatch (before clean up) Baume et Mercier wristwatch (after clean up)

Trauma (the book)

 Today I received TRAUMA, a beautiful and very personal gift from Austrian painter Christian Bazant-Hegemark, for which I am deeply grateful. The volume spans fifteen years and tells the story of searching for a visual language dealing with trauma.

I was surprised how many of the paintings and drawings I still knew from my time in Vienna, some of which even appear in portraits I took in 2013....   READ MORE

Jördis Tielsch: Virtueller Hut im Lÿz

posted in: Commission, Event, Photography | 0

Am Samstag, 28. April 2020 spielte Jördis Tielsch gemeinsam mit Peter Schneider ein Benefizkonzert im Kulturhaus Lÿz.

Möglich wurde die Veranstaltung trotz Corona dank des virtuellen Hutes – einer Initiative, die zusammen mit dem Kulturbüro des Kreises Siegen-Wittgenstein lokale Künstler und Kulturschaffende unterstützt und in Zeiten des Kontaktverbots heimische Kultur in die Siegerländer Wohnzimmer bringt....   READ MORE

Possible Worlds

posted in: On the Road, Photography | 0

In a possible world I would live in the old family farm by the forest. I’d have a wood fired oven, plenty of vegetables and fruit from the garden and more space in- and outside the house than I could possibly fill. I would eat my home baked bread for breakfast in the old chicken yard while enjoying the most stunning view over the Weser-valley.

I’d also have had an idea why I would and could live in the sticks, I’d have had another idea that would fill ex-barn and ex-stable with something sensible – preferably something sensible and income-generating so it would provide me with yet another idea on how to pay for maintenance of the gigantic roof....   READ MORE

Telephone Boxes

posted in: On the Road, Photography | 0

For several years I have been taking pictures of a dying breed: telephone boxes.

 

 
at_wien_u4karlsplatz_201512
 

While some of the boxes have been upgraded to a non-box shape with huge screen and WiFi, many are in a sad state and some even stripped of their primary function. The variety of shapes and types of boxes and telephones even in a single country is astonishing and even the gutted ones continue to serve as advertising space, rain shelters, smoking rooms and toilets for dogs and humans alike.

KUNSTFORUM Publication

posted in: Infringement, Photography, Publication | 0

KUNSTFORUM International 230 (2014), p 127.

A short while after my last portrait session with Marianne Vlaschits, KUNSTFORUM International did an interview with her and two fellow artists and she used one of my portraits to go with the interview....   READ MORE

Amsterdam Family Portrait

posted in: Commission, Photography, Portrait | 0

Earlier this year my dear friend Nic had asked if I would be interested in shooting a portrait of his family. Since they live some 1200 km away, the crucial question for me was not so much if but more when. Then, in early September, I was in the vicinity (meaning: only 400 km away), and spontaneously opted for the detour to pay a long overdue visit to Amsterdam – and also finally meet their daughter.

I did not have my gear with me and there only was an hour left in between the idea to go for the shoot and me having to be through the door for the train station, so in order to put the opportunity to good use we had to move fast and I had to borrow Marlene’s old Canon. Of course time was even scarcer after the usual displacement of furniture had taken place, and the combination of time pressure, borrowed equipment and a different camera maker resulted in a couple of technical blunders on my part, but we all had a fun time and in the end were pretty pleased with the results.

Los que me acogieron

posted in: Commission, Photography, Portrait | 0

My friend and colleague Doc Babel not only taught me rudimentary Spanish, he and his wife also provided me with a home in Munich during the last few years, which made many things easier than they easily could have been.

And now that it’s their turn to look for a new home, they pack some aluminum boxes bound for South America and thought that some decent head shots would make their new start easier. I was of course more than happy to provide that part of their luggage....   READ MORE

Hochschwab Hiking

posted in: Landscape, On the Road, Outdoor, Photography | 0

Second time Hochschwab, second time no summit. This time better pictures, though.

In late May, I started in Präbichl and, through considerable amounts of snow, made my way up to the Sonnschienhütte where I had the dorm all to myself. Unfortunately, I had my eyes at the wrong place at the wrong time and so I fell and injured my finger. Thus, instead of summiting the Hochschwab the next day, I went down to Tragöß (via Grüner See) – and straight into hospital where the trip ended with an »Eintrittsaufforderung«. Luckily nothing serious came to light in Koje 1, but damn you Hochschwab, next time I do want a summit. Please.

Determine Your Rates

posted in: Photography, Publication | 5

I recently had an issue with a newspaper using one of my images without permission (see here). When I tried to determine how much I could/should charge, I discovered a few lists and thanks to Manuela Schwendener, who sent several more yesterday, I now have these for future reference:

Germany

Austria

Switzerland

 

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