Austrian, born in Vienna. At the age of 18, I took a journey for several months to Egypt and the Sudan. With no camera at hand, I allowed the things I saw and experienced to inspire my future. Upon my graduation as a Mechanical Engineer, I started photography and the affair has continued since.
I am a traditional photographer who celebrates 'a still photograph still being a photograph', unaltered and truthful with the analog touch. A body of work that is varied yet distinctive with a classic and passionate style. Diverse photography with a vision on each image, created to take on a journey and to give a glimpse or private insight into a life, a moment, a history. Each photo tries to be special, unique and memorable. Timeless. There are elements of photography that remain despite the modernization of the art, it all reverts back to the photographic eye and the ability to capture the image.
The camera can write poetry that is, as in life, not always classically beautiful. In visual storytelling, a narrative places the viewer in a world within a single frame, a set of images or in a small photo essay. The portrayed story could be fiction or fact, but it always should add depth. Written words and photographs complement each other. A title, subtitle and narration, a micro novella, assist in deciphering a photograph's encoded visual language. The narrative reveals the complex and hidden layers of included metaphors, which should most certainly challenge and intrigue. I make use of abstract concepts to ignite response and create some friction. It is about interaction and experience.
Filmmakers have many frames in a second, minutes or hours, actors and background music to tell a story. As a photographer, you have a single frame only, and you have to trust the image to tell the story. Photographs can never be an accessory to the story; they must contain it, so the best pictures contain a whole war within one frame. A photograph must reflect the truth - this is the unwritten contract between the photographer and the viewer. Credible. No lies. No fakes. Pure, raw, and honest.
One would think that a photographer finds the images but the truth is the images should find the photographer. This happens when one is receptive, being alert and curious, keeping an open mind. The photographic skill is reflected in the ability to create an experience and successfully convey it to the viewer in that single frame. Actually, you photograph what you know is there, not what you can see.
Visualization is a contrary process of design. It is another format used and it requires the most creative effort. The idea is conceptualized and then it has to be set up. This is a very demanding process and it takes time. Once complete to perfection the shot is framed. Visualization is artistically more rewarding as the captured image reflects one-hundred percent a photographer's vision.
A person's experience of a photograph varies depending on age, education, experiences of life, cultural heritage, origin and sex. The way a photograph is interpreted is not as important as the fact that it ignites some interaction. The best photographs continually speak but without revealing all secrets; like sophisticated women they are truly enslaving because the addicted viewer shall be rewarded.
Image composition is another layer in my work, an element that adds structure to a photograph. It is influenced by the 'German Bauhaus' as well as Wassily Kandinsky's rules 'From Point To Line To Plane'. Beyond that, to some extent, I use 'Fibonacci Harmonic Levels'. Black and white allows the eye to appreciate the composition of the photograph because there is no distraction that is created by the use of color. When I do use color, I use it to highlight the main subject or theme in the photograph.
I take a photograph because it is there and I am there and because I can do it. It is a passion. A life's journey seen through the lens, for all to see and feel as they each will, personally. In my opinion, a camera is a mirror of a photographer's soul, reflected in the work done. The 'click' of the camera signs the work. My work is signed with a heartprint - without heart, photographs would be mere images.
I am rarely satisfied with my work. A great many photographs are deleted in favor of a prime one. My personal favorite will forever be 'The Next One'. I do not strive for the perfect image. I prefer the ones with some imperfections, they are more simpatico. Perfection is a boring end and is dishonest if we are to believe that photography reflects life, so my illusive favorite photo would be slightly imperfect. Nowadays I am more and more selective in what to picture to keep my work 'as rare as a Vermeer'.
A photographer should be able to interchange various genres and styles. This does not mean mastering one style so that you are recognizable, predictable, and boring for yourself as well as for your viewers, becoming stagnant in the process. A photographer should remain unpredictable and so always stay true to your promise to take the viewer on a suspense-filled journey of discovery.
Women are the makeup for photography. By nature the greatest storytellers around. A woman can reflect her complexities in a single expression making her a perfect photographic narrator. I use this distinctive characteristic and let women tell their stories, from their own female point of view, in storytelling photography. I photograph everyday women, who deliver more credible poses. I have never made the use of makeup artists or professional models. I reflect what I see, natural, raw and true.
Classic cars and beautiful women - the beauty and form of the classic car complemented by an equally beautiful woman. Female grace, beauty, and lifestyle combine with timeless cars to create images that are sensual with an atmosphere of the golden era of movies to imply a sense of elegance and mystery. In my photographic work women are used to add some fragrance and spice, a slice of life, and storytelling. They add a touch of style and beauty, drive you back to past automotive eras. I frame women, not automobiles - women are the allure that vintage cars accentuate.
I take photographs by reading the available light. I have never owned a flash but have used numerous cameras and lenses. Nowadays I favor a simple rangefinder camera with only one single lens attached. Using minimal equipment allows me to focus on the scenery or subject in front of the camera.
The adventures of three broke Barbie dolls who now have to serve as showgirls in the 'Folies Barbie' revue theater. This cartoon-strip-commentary explains why 'Without Barbies photographs would be mere images'. The three Barbies are 'Mistresses of insanity' sustained on the constant sipping of Courvoisier, adding to their craziness and making them as nutty as a fruitcake. A true Barbie doll's perspective brings storytelling photography alive. A Barbie is a Barbie is a Barbie - they are a reflection of what it is to be female. The good, the bad and the ugly. A doll's life journey, mostly with hidden metaphors, seen through the lens of photographer Reinfried Marass. A motley crew who invite you to join the madness. A delicious satire and 'Cirque Calder' of 'photographic art installation'.
