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Christian Donath
@chris.d.photography
Landscape photographer based in Germany
I’ve always been a creative person and following that natural skill and interest, I was able to turn my hobby into a profession. I am a passionate tattoo artist, which also opened the doors of photography for me.
Just as I see and recreate pictures in my work, so I perceive the world in and then I recreate with photography. My job as a tattoo artist enables me to find new ways of doing this in photography too and vice versa. That means, when I’m outside in nature, I can switch off and come up with new ideas. Especially when a customer wants nature motifs or animals. I can capture them in more detail through my photography and therefore, improve my work.
Not only photography was and is a passion, but also videography/film – I’ve always been fascinated by movies and the behind-the-scenes aspect of it. At a young age, I was able to take part in various cinema productions and series, although only as an extra, which fueled this interest in video production.
"Traveling then opened my eyes to what is possible. I was able to see places that I had dreamed of for a long time."
A trip to Norway in 2018 with my best friend has been a catalyst for growth and a new vision of life. At the time I had a Nikon D750. This camera was my first real professional camera and at the same time, this trip was my first big one. We were on the road for 11 days and also had to learn what travel means. Of course, I had been traveling before but never that long and with so much luggage. We had so many things with us that it was a challenge for us to carry them and to find space in the car. My best friend didn’t have a camera, only his cell phone, and quickly realized that a camera was needed. Through this trip, I was able to learn a lot about luggage management and planning. The trip also enabled me to learn about perspective and find a good composition at the same time. So, we knew that the next trip would be much better in many ways. From then on we always traveled together and got to know other people who shared the same hobby and interests. The latter is one of the things about traveling that makes it so meaningful all together.
I can then switch off and give myself completely to the here and now, which benefits me in photography and filming. Travel deepened my passion for photography and film and for learning new things. Nevertheless, it was Instagram as well as Youtube that increased my desire to discover more and new possibilities.
I also love getting lost in wildlife photography. Nature and everything that is associated with it is a major factor in why I love photography so much. When I am out and about alone to photograph the animals in their natural habitat, I am so in my element. I could say in my own world as well; I forget the time around me and the stress of everyday life falls away. I concentrate fully on one thing and everything around me fades away, allowing me to become one with my subject. I feel this the most in wildlife photography because my patience is rewarded with a beautiful moment in which I’m all alone with the animal, I observe it, and I can capture it on my camera.
I started with landscape photography and then I dared to tackle wildlife photography. I feel this is more special. In landscape photography, the main goal is to find the motif with the perfect composition for you and then to shoot it, often in wide-angle or panorama. I still have a lot of fun with this today, however, it is different in wildlife photography, where you mainly work with a telephoto lens and look for a good position at a location of your choice and just wait. Patience is required for the desired subject and composition and light to all come together in front of the lens. Wildlife in particular gives me the feeling of calm and serenity and the good thing is that landscape and wildlife often come together. I have fun shooting landscapes on its own, but animals are everywhere and are an integral part of a landscape. I have often photographed birds because those are the animal species you see the most. Therefore, I believe that birds are the best subjects to learn about wildlife photography. These can be photographed quickly and anywhere, boosting your skills rapidly.
DISCOVERING
WILDLIFE
If you plan to photograph an animal that is shy or only comes out at a certain time of the day, you have to prepare well. I have been lucky to see a fox in front of the lens. In general, the biggest challenges in photography for me are often things that cannot be assessed beforehand, the things you cannot plan, or things that happen that you cannot control, such as animal appearance and weather changes, but also small accidents, lost luggage, etc. My trip to Iceland definitely was a good test in that regard. Though, from each of these challenges, you learn. And I can say that learning by doing is how I got to the point where I am at now. I get jobs every now and then, be it making a film for a wedding or photos for a specific project.
You often see uniformity on Instagram because of the trends that are detected by the algorithm. But who likes monotony? I think that just the pictures that stand out are unique in their perspective or processing, and you don’t always get those proposed by Instagram. It is also time that the companies recognize this and not allow themselves to be influenced by likes or followers but see and appreciate the quality and work behind it. Every picture has its own soul and the processing forms this into a unique piece of art and storytelling.
It is important to me that photography remains fun. Passion means devotion to me and in the end, I want the very core reasons of why I started with photography to be the reason I photograph – The appreciation of nature, giving myself a tool to let my creativity run free, and looking at life from a different perspective. Especially these days and at this age, I can feel the fast and hectic pace of life which I am then freed from when I am in nature, surprised by its magnificence and fully concentrating on my photography.
"I will always remember a trip to the Lofoten Islands, the most beautiful trip so far."
The Lofoten Islands are something special. I was there with my best friend for 10 days, and one night, we were greeted by the colorful Northern Lights. I knew that these could be seen around that time of the year, but we were amazed when they suddenly appeared and were so visible and incredible that we couldn’t look away. We spend half the night in the freezing cold taking one photo after the other, continuously being in a state of awe. It was just captivating.
Since I traveled to Scandinavia for the first time in 2018, I was aware from the start that the north, whether Iceland, Norway, or Scotland, is the most perfect travel destination for me. There is just so much to see and the people are so friendly. The north takes my breath away, inspires me, and provokes that feeling of excitement where your whole being is shouting “yes!” from the inside.
For me, traveling means being free. We live in the here and now and should live and enjoy as much as possible. I not only collect pictures that capture moments, but mainly memories and emotions.
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