Ann-Kathrin Humberg
@annkathrin.hmbrg
Landscape photographer based in Germany
I’m Ann-Kathrin, 20 years old, I come from the Eifel region in Germany. As far as I remember I have been interested in creative things; drawing a lot, taking photos and making music. So I never really asked myself what I would like to do later; it was a natural path that led me to photography and media design. I studied media design and my goal was to combine it with photography to be as diverse as possible. However, it was only last summer that I really got into photography. I decided to do an internship at a photographer because I wanted to know more about it – as in what it is like to pursue photography as a professional career. I was aware that as a self-employed photographer there’s much more going on behind the scenes and I wanted to experience that myself. I also wanted to continue my technical training and an internship seemed just the right thing to do.
"I now work as a media designer and photographer; being able to combine two of my main passions is just great."
During the internship I got a much better insight in the diversity of tasks and activities that come with being a photographer. I started to perceive my surroundings in a different manner and could see the beauty of everything; my home environment suddenly became an area full of wonderful landscapes to capture. I also discovered street and portrait photography for myself and found the contrast to landscape photography very exciting.
"Though after shooting a day in the city, I was always happy to go back to nature."
During the weekends I always went out to practice, and I began to combine landscape photography with portrait photography. This calm, yet so diverse environment in combination with people yield beautiful results: I noticed that people are much more relaxed when they are photographed in nature and their expressions really come to live. I saw so many opportunities! Nature gives the best light you could possibly have and it’s lovely to work with the natural shadows in the forest. My enthusiasm for and knowledge about photography only kept growing during the internship period.
"When it was finished I got a camera as a farewell gift ... And that was the real beginning of my passion."
Not much later, I went on a trip to Scotland with my father. I obviously took my camera with me, as I had heard that Scotland should be very photogenic. It was even more fascinating than I could have ever imagined! Until then, I didn’t know a landscape could provoke within me so much calmness and excitement at the same time. Especially the island “Isle of Skye” left me speechless; everything there seemed to be very mystical and calm, indescribable…
After I took the first pictures I quickly realized that I have a relatively high standard for myself both in terms of composition and editing of the pictures. While taking pictures, I try to live up to my ideas. And when post processing, it is highly important to me to do justice to nature, to show it at its best. I want the pictures to remain as authentic as possible, because I believe nature is beautiful as it is. Due to the high demands on myself I usually need a little longer for editing, as I often change something again and again or throw out pictures because I don’t like them enough.
"Since I invest a lot of time in my pictures, I believe they reflect my personality in some way. When it is quiet around me, I often turn to myself and reflect a lot."
I find this characteristic reflected in the somewhat darker pictures. Many of my friends describe my pictures as very ‘moody’. Personally I would complete this with the words ‘minimalistic’ and ‘straightforward’. I like it more when the picture is not too overloaded, catching the attention of the viewer by the actual subject. I am mainly inspired by nature itself and every trip provides me new perspectives, new emotions and ideas on how to reflect these into my photography. How to improve. There are lots of places I want to go to, hunting for inspiration. My number one place to go would be Iceland, of course. I feel super drawn to the nordic countries anyway; Norway, Ireland, Lapland and the Faroe Islands….
"I believe they have a mystical touch and great nature. Being in these kind of places is just refreshing, clearing up my mind. It’s where I feel most free."
"Looking at the future, I want to continue with photography, improving myself and specializing in the field of nature photography."
There is always something new to learn and that’s also what excites me so much and what keeps me motivated. New scenes, new people, new techniques, new emotions… Whether I am shooting, editing or simply searching for information, I never get bored. I believe that the best way to learn is to just try. The same thing or something new, but trying. Again and again. And make it your own. If I look back at where I started and how I felt back then, and then looking at my progress in such a short time, I can be proud because I tried and can see my development. Along the way I became more confident and although I may still have a lot to learn, I feel determined to keep exploring places while capturing them as best as I can.
"And I know that every day, ‘the best I can’ will be better."
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