Bernd Föttinger
@foetbe
Landscape photographer based in Austria
My name is Bernd Föttinger, I am 27 years old, married and live in Vienna for professional reasons. However, I was born and grew up in Upper Austria, where our second home is and where our heart is at. As my wife and I work a lot, we are drawn to the mountains as soon as we arrive in Upper Austria. Actually, it was because of her that I started traveling. After we met, she took me to several countries and now we are exploring the world together, very often with a campervan. We discovered that means of traveling 3 years ago when we traveled through Portugal and since then, the idea of having our own van has never left us.
After 3 years of searching, we were finally able to fulfill this dream this year and we have been using it almost every free minute. It gives you a certain freedom that is hard to describe, it’s just such an exciting feeling. In addition it has an enormous advantage if you can spend the night near the mountain you want to climb – you can have a better rest and start the hike earlier.
"Photography entered my life about 10 years ago, when I received my first camera (Nikon D5000) as a present."
I started taking pictures of flowers and animals and concentrated more on detailed photography, but since I travel a lot in the mountains, I quickly realized that my passion is landscape photography. Capturing the perfect angle and timing of a subject motivates me to get up and go out with my camera and drone in my luggage. My camera is my constant companion! Nothing would annoy me more than when I weren’t able to capture a unique moment with my camera because I didn’t have it with me. Therefore, the same principle applies every time before leaving my apartment: full battery in the camera? Check!
"By randomly walking around and observing my environment, I constantly imagine pictures."
They are just popping up in my mind when looking around, and when that happens, I press the shutter. That’s also one of the ways I happen to discover new photogenic sites or great compositions in Austria – by coincidence while enjoying nature and climbing a mountain. On the other hand, I also love to do research. I can specifically select a location using Bergwelten magazine, Bergfex app or Instagram hashtags. I really enjoy it when I spend a lot of time researching a certain mountain; how to climb it, which routes are best for me, what scenes or compositions are possible, what vegetation there is, whether there are special features that I want to photograph, etc. Then, when I finally reach the spot and see it with my own eyes, I feel an intense excitement – it’s just a great feeling.
"The mountains have enchanted me, I’m fascinated and I can’t let go of it anymore."
Showing what is possible in nature, what views you can get when venturing out and the feeling that accompanies the experience. If I can do that, my work will be successful. I am always learning and developing my photography and I am sure I will be able to get closer to that aim little by little. What helps me a lot is looking at other photos, for example on Instagram, and filter out what I exactly like about the photo. What attracts me, what catches my eye, how it makes me feel and what details exactly transmit those feelings. Then I can apply these details to my own photos, not alienating too much from my own style and trying things out until I feel the photo. Then I know it’s ready. What I like applying to my photos are the stronger colors and the black areas with a light shade of gray. Though I think I’m still trying to find my style.
So far I have mainly been taking photos on my own, but I would love to change that and shoot with others more often. I think I can learn a lot by sharing the passion for photography in the field and would be very happy to exchange with like-minded people. Already by myself I discover places that I have seen so often as a child but never paid attention to. I think my most amazing moment was sitting in an alpine hut with a beer. Hearing the cowbells and marveling at the beautiful mountains. And all of this only 25 minutes away from me at home and a place that I have known for years… We are often unaware of what we miss out on and photography helped me to see so much more. Perspectives from others will do the same, it’s like having suddenly an extra pair of eyes, I believe.
"How amazing is it to be able to see so much more of the world, so much more beauty, while looking at the very same? For me, it’s like doubling my feeling of happiness and gratitude."
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