It all started back in school with a free optional course about the basics of photography. After that, I decided to buy my first DSLR, a cheap, used and quite old Canon. From that moment on, I was totally obsessed with photography. I soaked up every information I could find about photography, reading books, watching tutorials and listening to podcasts. I started exploring the nature around my hometown to find photo spots and headed into the mountains. With every hike and every photo I took, my passion was growing. I brought my camera on every adventure and left for trips more often. Living in the south of Bavaria allows me to comfortably travel to Austria, Slovenia and Italy to explore their unique mountain ranges. Photography made me go outside into the mountains as often as possible, and if I don’t have the opportunity to do so, I use the time to seek for inspiration in magazines or social media, plan upcoming trips or search for new destinations.
One of my favorite photos I took was from the Soca river in Slovenia. I took it in a situation where I literally had zero expectations. The day before we hiked to a gorgeous mountain lake and planned to spend the night there under the stars. However, due to unexpected bad weather we had to descent even before sunset. We were really disappointed and went to the Soca river the next morning as a backup plan. We got rewarded with this soft golden sunlight, contrasting the turquoise water. I would never have taken that shot if we had stayed in the mountains.
I often go hiking with a friend, also a photographer, and therefore I sleep up in the mountains regularly. We bring a tent if the weather is not that good, but since putting a tent up in the mountains is not always easy due to the rocky underground, we often go without and just take the sleeping mat & bag so we also save some weight when hiking up. In that case, falling asleep is not quite easy because of the wind and the cold, but I love the adventure. And the best thing is that you get rewarded with a beautiful start of the day after a long hike and tough night.
I believe that doing this is important to keep growing, both professionally and personally, because by challenging your limits, you gain much more routine and knowledge in what to do in different situations. This will then reflect in your photography skills. For example, I try to experiment with different gear; especially prime lenses force you to get creative since you are limited to one particular focal length. This all will affect my editing, because the less postprocessing I need, the better was my photography. I always strive for a natural look while reflecting the mood and feelings I had when shooting. I want to share moments and use editing as a tool to visualize how I experienced that particular moment. I try to keep the colors as accurate as possible, but still adjust them so they fit nicely to each other, creating a harmonic looking picture.
When I was first standing on a glacier in Austria, I was really shocked how fast they melt. In summer the crevasses are flooded with streams of melting water and they lose tons of ice every year. Some peaks are getting harder and harder to climb since the rocks lose their stability when the permafrost soil melts. Maybe it’s necessary that everyone sees this happening with their own eyes to make them change their attitude towards how to treat the Earth. Or maybe it’s necessary that everyone goes outside in the first place, to realize the importance of nature in general and learn and feel how it contributes to our health.
Personally, I can say that it’s essential for me to spend time in nature besides studying and working. Mountains became something like a safe haven for me. Reaching the summit and enjoying this breathtaking view is a feeling that can’t be described. Being exhausted, tired and sweaty after a hard hike really makes me forget about all worries and problems. You don’t longer worry about work or university when being outdoors. Being outdoors keeps my mind sane.
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