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Fabian Dieterich
@fabiandtrch
Landscape photographer based in Germany
I can’t imagine traveling without photography. Everywhere I go by car, train, airplane or bike, I usually bring my camera with me. That wasn’t the case in my early days of traveling. When my parents took me and my sister to our first holiday to Florida, it was all about Disney World, the beach, the ocean and the sun. Today it’s different. Now I’m more the type of guy that wants his tranquility, wants to discover the outdoors, no matter if it’s the mountains or the coastal area.
"We all have some moments that change everything."
Maybe not in an instant, but it’s the initiation of a change that is manifested in little steps and when looking back after a while, you realize that everything is different and that it was that specific moment that caused it. Now I get to think about it, I perfectly know how I got to love this activity of capturing the world through my eyes and my lens, while being on an adventure surrounded by the most beautiful natural creations…
"It was 2017 that I booked a flight to visit some friends in Washington, US."
By then, I didn’t know this trip would make me fall in love with photography. I had an iPhone and a GoPro and took some photos here and there, but I never thought I could have the potential to reach another level. But for this trip to Washington I just thought: “Go get a DSLR and take some pictures of the amazing time you’ll have over there!” And that’s what I did. I practiced a bit, mostly shot in the automatic mode and just loved the quality of the pictures.
"I felt that I had to get out and keep shooting and this desire became stronger every time."
Already when I hopped on the plane I couldn’t wait to photograph what I would be seeing during my trip. Around 40 minutes before arriving to Seattle I looked out of the window and saw three peaks in the middle of a carpet of clouds: Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. I can recall this moment so clearly; the view just got stuck in my mind.
Technology wise I upgraded last year. I spontaneously bought a Sony Alpha 7 II when it was for sale. And all I can say know is that since I shot my first sunset with that beauty, it’s so much more fun! My Instagram and website mostly show pictures of the U.S. There are millions of reasons why I find myself returning to this country so regularly. One of the many things I love is the variety of landscapes over there.
"You can see the ocean, mountains and the dessert within a three or four hour drive and the National Parks - Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon, etc. - are all so different and have so many things to explore."
Besides the nature, I really enjoy spending time with people and talking with them, they are all so friendly. Everyone I met while I was on trips have been so kind and I made many friends over there. Over time I collected so many memories of the U.S., no matter if it’s with my family in Florida or with my mate in California. I’m thankful to be able to share all my memories with people I love.
"In my most recent trip to California, on the last day, I saw what was probably the most amazing sunrise of my life."
My friend David and I woke up (really tired) at 3am in the morning, packed our stuff and drove to the beautiful and peaceful Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. That’s where I took one of my favorite pictures. I think it was one of the most magical sunrises I ever witnessed.
"Afterwards, we headed to San Francisco where would start and finish our two-week travel along the west coast."
As good as the day began, as bad did it end. We parked our rental car in an expensive garage, checked in to our hostel and went back to our van to grab our last stuff. We were shocked when we saw the broken window of our van; my laptop and the hard drive with all the pictures were gone. While I called the police, David walked around looking for anything the thief could have left. When David came back he held up his hands with my hard drive! It is hard to describe what I felt in this moment…
"A photograph is one of the few things you can’t just simply replace. All I felt was relieve and happiness that I hadn’t lost my photos along with all the memories we made."
"This two-week trip to California was definitely one of the most inspiring trips I’ve made."
I had the opportunity to visit my idol’s studio in Pismo Beach; Chris Burkard’s photography studio. Even though Chris wasn’t in the studio that day, I looked around and was inspired by the way he photographs, the way he edit his photos, the way he displays his art and the way he combines work with his family life. I studied his work a lot since 2017, he was maybe even one of the reasons why this hobby became a real passion. He is someone I look up to and admire, but that day, I also realized that I didn’t want and have to be like him (even though I wouldn’t mind having alpacas and a house in California, haha).
"Instead, I want to be myself. I want to create something similar but not the same."
I’m still looking at his work and see it as a way of direction, a guide and an inspiration. I would love to talk with him one day, about his work and mindset but mainly about his role of a mentor for not only a few people, I think for a whole generation of photographers.
"As a fan of Chris’ work, I try to keep the pictures as natural as I can. But of course I change the intensity of the colors sometimes because editing is the part where you add your own style and can convey emotions."
Many of my photos I would describe as moody, because I love the nature most when it has this moody ambiance. I try to express the feeling or the vibe I had in the moment I took that picture. Whenever it rains a lot, when the weather changes quickly from soft and pleasant to stormy and dark or when the fog climbs up the mountains, it reminds me of my time in the Pacific Northwest. The typical moody atmosphere appears and that’s the feeling I wanna bring up with many of my pictures.
"On the other hand, there is California, where most days are warm and sunny with this specific relaxed mood. As a surfer I am familiar with the surf culture in California."
I remember an early morning surf sessions during our road trip down the Big Sur. Right after entering the beach I felt that cozy, relaxed and free vibe. So whenever I shoot sunrises or sunsets, I try to capture what I felt so others can get a taste of it when they look at my pictures. Same as with the moody shots, it helps me to have these kind of intense experiences. These memories allow me to recreate a certain atmosphere in my photos. I can bring back the feeling when thinking about it and I can put it into a photo. When sharing a photo, I hope that others can somehow feel the photo too.
Instagram is an amazing platform to share what you love doing and show your work, that’s one of the reasons I use Instagram frequently too. But, as we all know, people are not always how we think they are based on posts and stories. Sometimes I refer it to a verse from Drake, when he says: “I know a girl that saves pictures from places she’s flown, to post later and make it look like she still on the go.“ A lot of people want to be an influencer, which I understand. Getting paid for traveling and receiving merchandise products is nice, but I think it’s important to realize that it’s not the only way to travel. You can work at home and still travel a lot, if you set your priorities and have your focus there. I just want to address that you don’t need to be an influencer to travel and photograph a lot.
"It’s good to dream big, but we have to keep in mind that there’s not just one dream, neither just one way to realize that dream."
"Personally, I dream about making a living by combining the photographical creativity with the graphical part of creativity."
Currently I’m studying technical product design and engineering, but I’m not a 100% happy with it. I want to do something more creative and try to commit to an education in communication design. If I could work for an organization that cares about the environment such as Parley, 4Ocean, NatGeo or WWF one day and apply these skills, that would be amazing. I want to increase my contribution to the mission to save mother Earth and motivate more people to do the same and this would be a great way to do it, combining my skills, passion and values.
One of my other goals for the future is to upgrade my photography skills and get a drone. You can be so much more creative when capturing the things you see from a whole different angle. That being said, this is exactly what photography taught me: Viewing things from different perspectives. It sounds simple, but it is very enriching and can change not just your photograph, but also your life and the way you live it.
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