Tobias Baur
@gethyped
AI researcher and outdoor photographer
I started photographing at a very young age with a Nikon D300 and a manual 50mm Macro Lens. I was fascinated by the worlds that became visible on pictures as they are normally so small that they are not visible to the human eye. Around that time I started to realize how much beauty and art is hidden in the details of the nature surrounding us. I then began to photograph other things out of the macro world: Landscapes, my dog, people – anything that felt like a story could be told within a single image.
As I grew older, very surprisingly, I stopped photographing almost completely – besides the typical mobile phone shots here and there of course. I was focusing on my studies in Computer Science and other things in life and I’ve put a lot of passion into that. In 2018 I finished my PhD thesis in Artificial Intelligence research. The main focus of my work is teaching and explaining AI System to recognize human emotions. I find this a fascinating topic with a lot of questions that are concerned with our own human emotions. A lot of AI research is also done in image quality improvement and will offer new possibilities for photographers in the future.
"Maybe you already see the link to conveying emotions with an image and how both worlds are connected for me."
"Writing a PhD thesis takes a lot of effort, resilience and passion for what you do."
It is not deniable that it is also stressful and a lot of mental pressure. While working on exciting projects in the lab feels great, from time to time I felt the necessity to go outside into nature as I did when I was younger. I think everyone working on a 9-5 job needs some counterweight to it. Some people play video games, others do a lot of sports. I’m lucky to live close to the Alps as we have a lot of forests and beautiful castles around here. At one point I felt that passion again for being outside, taking pictures. So I bought a Sony alpha camera and in 2018 I started more actively to work – once again – on my photography skills.
"Then, in 2020, I decided to register myself as spare-time freelance photographer besides my main job."
I really think this is a great opportunity to try different things out, get to know the freelance world and test multiple possibilities to see if I could make a living out of photography at one point in my life. I also started offering other services like Lightroom Presets so beginners or people that like my editing style can learn how to edit their pictures in a similar way I do. Of course the way you edit is very personal, but it can help beginners out a lot. Personally, I want to make sure the photos look like the feeling I had when I took them.
Sometimes photos are already perfect out of camera and only need a little edit or no edit at all. Other times, I want to give them a more dramatic or more peaceful look, depending on the mood I want to transmit with a photograph. I want my pictures to look rough and still natural. For example, I prefer seeing each water drop falling of a waterfall, rather than artificial smooth surfaces. So in my edits, I add lights and contrasts when necessary but I try to keep the scene as natural and as wild as possible.
I want to move people and give them a special feeling when they look at my images. I’m not quite sure if I can do this every time, but that’s where I am aiming at. Further I like to explore new places that are not that well known. I think the world has a lot more to offer than the popular “instagram spots”. So my photography is also a way to bring me to places I normally wouldn’t go to. In the past, going on holiday always meant to me to go to some beach and relax for a week or two. Now I travel to cold countries, get up at 4:30 am in the morning to capture the first sunlight on a mountain with no people around.
"I can only say I love doing that."
I believe you can get inspired everywhere. In Iceland in particular, I was amazed again and again as the country looks different around each corner; seeing landscapes that were so new to me stimulated me with new ideas and inspiration. Lately, I’m also getting into wildlife shots with my 600mm lens. Getting so close to wolves and other wild animals reminds me of the time when I was young, shooting with my Nikon and my manual Macro lens, just on a larger scale now.
"I don’t just want my photos to be seen. I want my photos to be understood and to spread a message."
If I can somehow have a positive influence on people or our world by sharing my photos and my captions, one of my goals with photography would be achieved. Of course being an AI researcher is something I love and gives a lot of security. On the other hand though I find the photography freelance world very exciting and it gives me a lot more freedom. So let’s see what the future holds. I’m ready.
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