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Julian Hess
@julianphilipp._
Photographer and filmmaker based in Germany
I grew up with photography. As a small child I always marveled at the pictures my grandfather had taken. There is one photo my grandfather took of a forest near my grandparents’ house. I don’t know where the photo is now, but I still remember how deeply fascinated I was by the light and the calm mood it had. I often felt like I was there myself when it was taken. I still have the greatest respect for taking photos in forests. Every shot I take in a forest is compared internally with this one photo my grandpa had taken.
"The feeling that I associate with this picture, has so far been unmatched with feelings I get with my own photos, or any other."
"Unfortunately I never got to know my grandfather in person, but I learnt a lot about him and his trips through the stories of my grandma and my mom."
As he was an engineer and focused on radio technology, he was forced to work as a radio operator in Sicily and Crete during world war II. They told me that he always tried to get to know the islands, leaving the barracks as often as possible. He spoke old Greek and Latin fluently and tried to get in touch with the locals using these languages. He loved their ancient history and I think I inherited my passion for photography from him for a big part. My mom also loved photography. She studied the profession of education and teaching with a focus on arts. Photography has always been a hobby of her, having a preference for macro photography; she has an eye for details I would never see. She encouraged me to use the camera as soon as my hands were big enough to hold it.
"She always explained me how I could get a better picture."
"I bought my first large camera when I was living in Saxony; I earned money babysitting for more than two years of which I saved most in order to buy a camera."
My grandfather and mother were the ones who instilled the interest for photography within me and who still inspire me. So I was photographing quite a lot until 2002 when we moved to Frankfurt. It was only in 2013, when I moved to Freiburg for my studies in human medicine that I picked up the camera again. Living at the foot of Black Forest got me outside.
"My girlfriend got seriously ill in 2016, and I noticed that being in nature gave me a lot of strength to deal with this and be there for her."
It balanced my feelings, kept me positive and calmed me down. It was during this difficult time that I learnt to be more happy about small moments, beautiful views, great light or a unique atmosphere in nature. It made me enjoy myself and my life more intensely – see more details than I did before. In life, there will always be bad or sad moments, you cannot prevent that. But you can try to make the best out of it and learn from it. Transforming it into something that in the end will make you a better person. This experience has had a major impact on my way of thinking.
Once I moved to the Black Forest, my desire to photograph and being in nature came back and grew, though due to my studies in human medicine I hardly had time and often had to say no to friends when they asked me to go shooting together. This time restriction was a challenge, as well as money and patience. These kind of limitations often mean that there’s something to learn and it makes you more creative. I don’t quickly accept these perceived or imposed restrictions and I question the situation: “Does it really have to be done like this? Is there no other way? What is the real goal?“ I often find myself thinking about how the finished photo should look like in my head and then adjust the settings on the camera or other variables I can somehow control accordingly, in order to achieve what I want.
For example, not being able to go far away actually helped me to improve my skills because all the time and energy I would need to plan a trip to the other side of the world, I could invest in great experiences and good pictures close by home, discovering uncommon places and getting creative with compositions. The first two years I almost only spent exploring the Black Forest. It’s such a great area here in Germany that you can never get enough of it. I’m interested in places that may not yet be as well known but can be just as spectacular and breathtakingly beautiful. This winter I was hiking in the Alps in a valley that reminded me so much of the Rockies in Canada…
"You don't always have to fly halfway around the world to experience a great view or a special moment."
"It was also in the Black Forest that I took the photo that is one of my favorite ones still today."
For me, the most beautiful photo is the one that you can not get enough of and that you still find fascinating even after you have looked at it a 100 times. In my case that is a photo I took in December two years ago. I went to Feldberg, the highest mountain in the Black Forest, with a very good friend. We wanted to see the sunrise from the top. In the morning though, it was so foggy that we almost didn’t go up. We decided to take the risk, and I am very glad we did. Just 50m below the summit this amazing view suddenly appeared, showing the fog, sunrise and the beautiful winter landscape.
"It was one of the most spectacular sunrises I had ever seen."
"My goal with photography is to share and provoke fascination."
Fascination for the joy that nature can give. For the unique moments that happen out there every day. And for our world itself, for its diversity and little details. This is what inspires me to go out every day and capture it. Image processing is a tool to get the best out of the mood and feelings that I saw and felt at the moment of taking the photo. I want to share with others the fascination and appreciation for nature I feel myself. My ultimate dream would be to combine my profession in the medical world with photography.
"For now I haven’t had any idea how to do so, but I am sure I will find a way. Just like I’ve found my way to where I am now."
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