Frederik Schindler, best known on Instagram as @frederikschindler, started his journey as a videographer a long time ago but it was in 2016 when his dedication to landscape photography grew enormously.
As a videographer Frederik has worked for many recognized brands in his home country, Germany. However, doing personal projects was something that Frederik was looking forward to do more often. Inspired by the daily vlogs of Casey Neistat, the American YouTube star, Frederik decided to dedicate more time to his own projects and challenge himself by posting a meaningful photograph on Instagram every single day.
Since then, Frederik has been traveling together with his family all around the world, searching and exploring some of the most dramatic locations in Asia and Europe. His series from Norway and Bali have inspired thousands of people thanks to the particular and almost enchanting style that Frederik has developed along the last years. Because of his hard work and dedication, today Frederik’s art is widely celebrated by the community.
In order to understand who is Frederik as a traveler and photographer, we asked him 13 questions. The following was the outcome!
Welcome Frederik! The 25th of November 2014 you shared your first picture on Instagram. There is a tipping point in your photography and evolution as an artist, at least that is what one can understand from your IG. The 28th of August 2016 you shared an aerial photo of Australia. Your photography developed so much right after that publication! When did you figure out that IG could be “the platform” to develop your career as a landscape photographer and videographer?
Hi! Actually I am working as a Director of Photography and shooting primarily commercials, music-videos, fiction and documentaries. Photography has been a huge part of my life for many years, but my main focus and what I do everyday is related to the film industry. Like many other creative people I created an Instagram account for fun and to share my private photos of my travels and family. Nevertheless, as you found out, everything changed by the end of 2016. During that time my passion and creativity were at its lowest.
Although I was working a lot, I wasn’t doing personal projects anymore. Around this time, Casey Neistat was releasing a new Vlog every day inspiring thousands of creative minds all over the world to do more – including myself. I really wanted to be more creative, shoot more personal projects but also to explore the world. To do so, I needed a plan!
What I thought back then was the following: “let’s post a new travel or adventure photo every single day on Instagram. But it has to be a photo that I really like and that can inspire others. No more excuses!”
So I committed to this plan the very 1st of January, can it be a better date? 🙂 The first of January 2017 I started to post every day and this has been my daily routine for many months!
I began to capture a greater amount of photos and suddenly I felt really intrigued again with photography, something I had never experienced before. The every day hustle for capturing this unique moment was and still is something special to me, and it has become a really positive mindset, even more knowing that I can share my passion with the world. Executing this plan has been a great challenge and although I don’t post every day anymore, I still post consistently trying to evolve my style.
You have been to so many countries now! Which country was the biggest surprise to you?
It is hard to name just one country, although I can say that Australia was quite impressive and is certainly one of my highlights. This year I have been amazed by Bali. The landscapes are really special. Nonetheless, what really made the difference was the fact that I visited the island after a long winter in EU, I enjoyed a lot shooting in a country with great weather conditions!
Jokes apart, all the waterfalls hidden in the jungle, the volcanoes and rice terraces for instance are certainly worth visiting. And the people are genuinely friendly and heartwarming.
So this is exactly what I tried to show with my work, the magical side of this island. I visited a lot of places early in the morning to capture Bali at its best. To contemplate the first light of the day being surrounded by fog and the special wildness of Bali was a unique experience. So I decided to edit the series with darker tones because magic is often invisible at first sight!
The first thing that quickly called my attention is the powerful style of your art. I think this is part of who you are as an artist nowadays. How did you develop such style and how do you manage to find those special compositions?
Developing my style has been and still is a growing process. There are some steps that certainly helped me.
To be consistent is key. For instance, posting every single day a photo on Instagram and most importantly, stick to the plan. Consistency and perseverance will pay off.
In my case, being active daily on social media has been a challenge, but the overall the process has also been a great experience and brought me many opportunities.
Having such type of pressure allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and go outdoors more often to find new places, moods and angles in order to post something different every day.
I think that with such mindset, it is easier to explore many more landscapes, but also to accelerate the learning process and figure out faster what type of style one is currently in, and above all, to figure out the best ways to keep developing it.
Doing research is also really important. I have spent many long nights searching for interesting spots with special vibes. I am always looking for places that resonate with me and as soon as I find one, I plan my next day in advance. This way I make sure that I reach the spot early in the morning to capture the light at its best.
In addition, post production is also really important. This step is quite relevant when it comes to add my own style to the photo (darker or brighter, colorful or desaturated, contrasty or fluffy, etc). Quite often I need to work for several hours editing a picture in order to finally get the result I am looking for. It is a long procedure of happiness and pain!
How do you sustain a life full of travels? Is there any trick or tip you can share with us?
Well, I would say that this depends on your priorities. Actually I have a little family – my wonderful wife Andrea and our cute son (he is now almost two years old), and we decided to travel together as much as we can.
Travel is more important for us than building a house or driving an expensive car. We are both (my wife and I) working as freelancers. Our current jobs played an important role in our decision to travel the world. Andrea is working as a graphic designer and therefore she can work anywhere (as long as she gets access to WiFi) and this means that working and traveling at the same time is a possibility for us.
In addition, in my opinion traveling does not have to be expensive as long as you don’t spend the night in fancy five start hotels. Sometimes a tent or simply a sleeping bag can be sufficient.
There are many landscape photographers sharing real value on Instagram in terms of visual content as well as written content. Yet, they are not able to grow as “influencers”. What are the three strategies that in your opinion allowed you to grow on Instagram?
I genuinely believe that hard work and consistency will always beat talent. Most of the times the most successful people are hard workers driven by their passion and ambition to achieve their dreams. Quite often we forget that the only way to achieve a goal is by putting the hard work first.
Secondly, it is quite important to develop a unique style. Try always to do something different so you can stand out of the crowd. However, be aware that mastering photography takes time!
From “regular” Instagram user to “influencer”. What is the one thing that people don’t see along this process?
In my case, to get that special shot I have to research the location (for several hours) drive and find the spot (for another couple of hours and quite often in the middle of the night), shot at the location with different cameras (DSLR, drone, you name it) for some extra hours, edit the photo (for several hours) and finally post the image. Then I engage with the community (for some extra hours as well!) So yeah, there is a lot of hard work and dedication behind that unique capture!
As a photographer, I am sure that you feel attached to all your photos. All your pictures represent unique moments of your life. However, among your works, do you have any picture that you really like? Which is your favorite photo?
There are pictures that I really love! Now, spontaneously one photo comes to my mind. It is this one here, where I captured myself in front of a volcano using a tripod and a remote controller.
I was going after this volcano shot and I did a lot of research about it searching like a maniac for the perfect spot. Finally, I found this place using Google Street view and I decided to visit the area early in the morning. I couldn’t hope for better conditions! A subtle low fog was flowing through the valley and the first sun rays illuminated only the upper part of the volcano. It was such a beautiful moment!
What is the most beautiful thing that travel has allowed you to do?
To meet like-minded people from all around the world, who share the same passion.
What are the three most valuable personal lessons you have learned while traveling?
Respect people. Respect nature. Respect yourself.
Is there any artist/photographer who has inspired your art? Can you name three?
Of course! Casey Neistat definitely inspired me to start this journey. I really like the work he is putting out there and I believe that he is also a huge inspiration for many other creative people.
On the other hand, Caspar David Friedrich and his art have also inspired me, specially to search for magical places and intriguing conditions. I would like to mention a group named “The German Roamers”. They definitely inspired me to explore all the nature around me, particularly at the beginning.
Any new projects coming up or countries you will be visiting soon?
There are always new projects and ideas in my head. I have planned to explore a really interesting desert in the middle of Spain and I also want to travel around the northern coast; I have heard that it is really beautiful. Visiting Australia is also in my list, I have been there already but I really feel like going again, there is so much beauty in that country!
Can you fix the world in one sentence?
Not sure if there is hope for all the complex problems in our world. A few years ago I read one sentence in the bible:
“If you are having trouble figuring out what you are passionate about I think it can help to look back on your childhood. Almost every little kid can tell you what they want to be when they grow up.”
“I spent nearly the last three months living on the road. And it has definitely changed my perspective and lifestyle. I wanted to put myself out of my comfort zone. Being active and in the outdoors is a very important part of my life.”
“Being outside is definitely what keeps me alive and happy. Fresh air and moving my body get my mind off of everything. Sometimes you have to put down the camera or not even bring it and take in the views.”
“Nowadays photography is the perfect excuse to travel and explore the world. When photography is involved, everything is more exciting. I really like to combine tattooing and photography while I travel.”
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