I’m Jan Klos (@terraddicted), a 27-year-old hobby photographer based in Heidelberg, Germany. I am curious to see where photography will take me both professionally and personally!
I still remember the first photo I ever took. It was with my mother’s camera on an island in the North Sea. Since then I have taken thousands of other pictures: on every vacation, on every class trip, on every excursion. However, I never challenged myself to produce photos of a certain quality. For me there was nothing like the golden ratio, depth of field or exposure time.
At the end of 2016, I was on a six-week road trip through New Zealand. I only had a 70-300 mm lens with me. Can’t you imagine that those six weeks were challenging because I needed a shorter focal length? In NZ I swore to myself that I would buy a wide-angle lens when I returned home, so I could devote more time to photography and improve my skills. I no longer wanted them to remain unseen on the hard drive, despite having doubts about whether they were good enough. Today, as long as I can see a progression and I am satisfied with the result, I am happy to share my work with the rest of the world.
What I love about photography is that you can capture unique moments and with a change of perspective you can give the image a completely different message. Photography has taught me to look more closely, to take a different perspective myself. We can see 360° at any time when we turn around, but the camera’s sensor is limited. Accordingly, you have to focus on the details of the 360°. In photography this is obvious, but I think you should always have your eye open for the details.
In addition, I would say that photography wonderfully compliments a travel lifestyle – which I personally love! Most of the time we are always hurrying from one hotspot to another as quickly as we can. So I try to find new perspectives in these familiar but relatively unknown locations. I want to show that it is worth traveling slower: staying longer in one place to explore the region, off the beaten path. As a slow traveler, I am able to increase awareness and appreciation for the little things in life.
Désirée Stoll traces her path from a first solo trip to Königssee to a body of work built on light, patience and emotional honesty. She shares four lessons from years of shooting outdoors, the story behind her Best of the Week image of two surfers on the Spanish coast, and why printed work changed how she sees photography.
In this article, Julien shares how to develop a personal style through atmosphere, minimalism, and color in nature photography, from what he looks for before ever raising his camera to the editing choices behind his most meaningful images.
In this article, Robin breaks down how he photographs golden hour tulip fields — timing the light, working with the fog, and knowing exactly when to take the shot — using his Best of the Week photo as the case study
In this article, Philipp shares essential tips to help you photograph quality images of birds of prey, from choosing the right vantage point and camera settings to the moody color grading process behind his award-winning eagle photography.
In this article, Bobby Paulshock shares how a wife, a dog, and a solo 1 AM hike in a 90-mph Icelandic storm shaped his path from iPhone snapshots to his award-winning aurora shot at Búðakirkja, plus four hard-earned lessons on gear, patience, and building a career from passion.
In this article, Christoph shares how a childhood dream of the far north became a life in northern Sweden, from his award-winning blue hour image of a lone tree to his top photography spots and four lessons that keep his work grounded.
