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Torsten Muehlbacher
@clickpix_eu
Best of the week 39 at #nomadict 2020
The camera has been a loyal companion since a very young age, joining me on various school trips and events. Back then it was still on film, as digital did not yet exist. Over time, my photography developed until I bought my first digital camera in 2003. Since then, the camera has as well been a loyal companion on my travels, hikes, but also at weddings and various assignments.
The change from analog to digital had a significant impact on my photography – now I could immediately see whether a picture I just took was decent or not. I didn’t have to wait until the film was developed to see if the photo was too dark, too light or out of focus. Digital photography made it much easier to work with the camera, try out, experiment. If it weren’t to meet your desires, you could just delete it and try again without worrying about limited space. It is comfortable, but at the same time influences how much time, thoughts and love we put into one shot, I believe.
"Analog photography allows me to slow down, be with my mind truly at the spot and with my camera, analyzing the opportunities."
How I feel while shooting also really depends on the genre I shoot. It is not the same shooting landscapes or shooting for brands or weddings for example. I am much more focused when I photograph weddings. Here the pictures have to please the client, keep their desires in mind and sometimes I have very little leeway. Very little time too. When it comes to landscape photography, I am free, I can do what I like and I wait for a certain lighting mood, carefully looking for the best spot. This is often not possible for weddings / business, as the location is often predetermined, there are requirements and there’s a short timeframe in which everything has to happen. Nevertheless, both genres can be combined very well. Skills from landscape photography also help me with composing the wedding pictures. The shootings often take place in nature, so I can perfectly apply my knowledge regarding light, framing, etc.
"Photography is a calling for me. It is relaxation and work at the same time in every sense."
I do photography part time, so when I am working I am enjoying it and when I am not working – not for shootings and neither in my other job – I still go out to shoot to just be in nature and capture the beauty. That’s how I took the winning shot, just venturing out in nature in my free time in search of joy and beauty. The day I took the picture, it was foggy and autumn was coming. We went to the Koenigssee, which was however under thick fog. As we didn’t see anything we drove a few kilometers back to the Hintersee. There is a famous photo spot there with a rock in the water, a small tree on it and a very photogenic background. Once there, we found at least 15 photographers… A little too many, if you ask me! So I walked a little along the lake until I got to this boat. I took a closer look and thought that a wide-angle shot would be perfect here. So I took my Fuji X-T2 with the XF 10-24 lens and positioned myself in front of the boat, having a little mountain backdrop in the background. The fog and the falling sun fitted the scene perfectly – Click! So was the picture on the memory card.
WINNING PHOTOGRAPH
BEST OF THE WEEK 39
When I began to edit the shot I approached it as usual – my pictures should be as natural as possible. For editing I almost exclusively use Lightroom, every and then a little Photoshop. With Lightroom I think you can edit almost anything, of course the source material has to be right. In my opinion, even with basic image processing you can no longer conjure up a great photo from a bad image. It is vital to first learn how to shoot so you get used to applying the editing tools to high quality images and learn that not all tools are necessary to create something naturally beautiful.
With my work I participated in several photo competitions and contests a few years ago, including the Sony World Photography Award. With this one I was in a category among the top 10 of the year and won the Austrian national competition a few years later. Of course, every photographer is happy when his work is seen and maybe even awarded a prize. Meanwhile however, I see the competitions a little bit critical. The whole thing is a bit distorted by the amount of pictures that are sent in at many competitions. Can the jury even objectively select the photos from tens of thousands of photos? Don’t you lose some excellent pictures? Now when I take part in a competition, I tend to do smaller, personal competitions.
My photography has certainly developed over the years. Winning something or getting great feedback doesn’t mean for me that I am satisfied with what I can create and stop learning, or that I should maintain that specific style that was well received. I keep changing my style, practicing new skills and learning from mistakes. I know there’s a lot of competition and it may sound naïef, but as long as you keep learning and improving, achieving new goals and capturing the valuable details of life, your photography is just perfect.
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