Photo tour in Azores, Portugal
December 3, 2025 No Comments
Join us in the Azores for a unique photo tour, where you’ll elevate your creative skills with expert guidance from Ronald Soethje, Bruno Ázera, and Nomadict.
Jan Pallmer
@janpallmer
Landscape photographer based in Germany
I come from Karlsruhe in Germany, a city situated at many Rhine meadows (flooded nature reserves) which offers an habitat for a variety of animals and plants, creating a beautiful natural environment. It’s also just next to the Black Forest; the landscape and the special moments in Spring, Autumn and Winter are very special there. When I was little, we were often outside in the nature, whether it was on a farm, somewhere by the sea, hiking in the mountains or spending a day in the forest next door. So I have always had this connection to nature and the outdoors and I guess that has shaped me.
"Now I can still be found outside, in Summer at the North Sea and Baltic Sea, or anywhere up north; I love rough climate and fresh wind."
"Besides growing up in nature, I also grew up with a camera."
My mother used to carry her manual reflex camera with her on each trip; she was very interested in street art and many of her pictures were hanging on the wall at home. I was 15 when I bought my own camera: I was especially interested in the nature around my hometown and I wanted to capture it. As I got more and more enthusiastic about film and photo, I decided to train as a media designer for picture/sound in my home town at the theatre. I am still working at the same theatre and as I am passionate about video technology and the effect of film, I also started my own film production business.
"It has been two years now that I am co-founder of Janquadratfilmproduktion."
It all started on a boarding farm for horses: My colleague had two horses there and we thought about shooting a little video about this wonderful idyll. There is such a great atmosphere on this boarding farm, everything feels so natural: You are among people who share the same passion for horses, you’re out in the wind and any type of weather and feel the nature. I often perceive the atmosphere on the farm as if there was still an intact world. My colleague and I have both a great connection to nature and we enjoyed spending time on this farm, so we started shooting and the first video was immediately popular. We were motivated to continue and we’ve been around for two years now.
"We never had any intentions to earn money with it as everything came from our intrinsic fascination for video."
However, due to the intensive work we have become more and more involved with independent production. In the beginning we produced videos focussed on horses but with time we have specialized in event and portrait videography as well. We currently produce videos for a variety of company and sport events, for charities or for companies that want to have their product explained and demonstrated in an attractive way.
"So, photo and video dominate my everyday life; when I am not on the road to photograph or shoot videos, I am at home at the computer to do the post production."
Working with videography and photography is a total gift for me, because it’s my passion. I am fascinated by the special effect of the pictures/videos in combination with music and since I work with it practically every day, I naturally develop new methods and ideas. I am open to new things and find it very refreshing to try out new perspectives. I always say: “You grow with your tasks”. If you get positive feedback in the end, it’s the biggest praise you can get. You’ve taken another step forward: “Who does not dare, treads on the spot.”
Sometimes it takes some effort, sometimes it comes more automatically, but I feel totally free to try out whatever comes up. Sometimes I make a few notes in advance what I want to try out, but I often come across new perspectives by chance. In landscape photography it sometimes doesn’t work to have a plan, because nature does its own thing and it will all come out differently from what you had in mind. Through photography, my two passions are combined and that is just like a dream. I love being outdoors, taking pictures or doing sports.
"Photography always takes me to new places, no matter where in the world. This allows me to get to know the world from a different point of view, let’s say an artistic point of view."
"Every picture is a unique moment and the post processing should emphasize that."
For me, the art is to find the balance of light and color and to make the picture look natural, still focussing on details. The light is incredibly important to make a picture look special. I particularly like the moment of sunrise; waking up early in the morning and being rewarded by the incredibly beautiful sea of colors. There is always a story that will always be associated to the photo. Pictures tell stories and each picture is created according to a certain intention of the photographer. With my pictures I want to show the incredible beauty and diversity of our nature. How great it can be to take a walk, even starting at your own doorstep. You don’t always have to drive far to experience beautiful nature. It’s important to learn to appreciate the nature around you and not to always strive for the superlatives. Basically it’s respect for our nature, to learn to appreciate it and to protect it, whether it’s supposedly ‘a natural spectacle’ or the park in your neighbourhood.
"That's why I think it makes sense to take children into nature at an early age and to let them be inspired by it."
Somewhere in the future, my wife and I would love to buy a VW bus to travel and discover unspoiled landscapes. We want to see even more of this world and experience many beautiful moments in nature with our kids and enjoy life. That has been a dream from both of us for many years now and we are convinced that we can realize it. Of course I wish to continue working my passion for video and photography. It means a lot to me to be able to practice my hobby as a profession – I am very grateful for that.
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