Michael Kagerer:
Landscape photographer based in Germany
@michaelkagerer
Starring, Michael Kagerer: Landscape and adventure photographer based in Munich, Germany.
"Wandering Around NZ"
Our guest of the week, Michael, has been exploring New Zealand for a while now. This country, which is all about dramatic landscapes, has been attracting increasing number of tourists every year and nowadays NZ is a dream destination for landscape photographers and fans of Sir Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies.
Actually, the International Visitor Survey from 2004 found that six percent of visitors to New Zealand (around 120,000 – 150,000 people) cited The Lord of the Rings as being one of the main reasons for visiting New Zealand.
Well, Michael has been documenting visually his experience around New Zealand and luckily for us we can learn a little bit about his trip, his vision of the world, and of course, his photography. Michael, better known in Instagram as @michaelkagerer is a voracious traveler and explorer and the word “happiness” defines perfectly his current state of mind.
His adventurous spirit has allowed him to capture amazing moments, and he has been doing this for a while now. Michael finds a lot of inspiration in nature; mountains, lakes, and forests play a significant role in his compositions and the tones and colors of his art have called the attention of big accounts such as @wildernesstones.
Ten questions and ten pictures from the real Middle-earth is all we need to get to know this amazing artist!
Welcome Michael! You have been sharing amazing pictures from New Zealand! What impressed you the most about this beautiful country?
The most impressive thing was definitely the enormous variety of colors and landscapes. Driving my way along these endless highways I saw so many different types of landscapes! There are these winding rainforest roads with endless bush on both sides & a couple of minutes later there are green hills with farms. Followed by very dry areas like the Tongariro Park and the west territory of the southern alps. Definitely the best landscape for me was the Fiordland National Park. Green forests, misty mountains with much fog & very spectacular cloud formations. Like in a fantasy roman! The waterfalls are unforgettable as well!
You had the chance to visit The Lone Tree (Lake Wanaka), one of the most photographed trees in the world! What makes this spot so special?
I knew that it is actually not a new spot and that there are already thousands of pictures made of this tree. But that was interesting! I really wanted to know why. When we arrived it was before the sun had raised so we couldn’t see anything. We managed to find the tree in the water and waited for the sunrise. Blue light & fog spread slowly on the water. The first sun rays painted the mountain peaks in a burning orange color and the water was completely calm.
The form and contrast of the tree standing there so lonely makes it so unreal! Its hard to think that it is situated there by chance. It felt like there has to be a reason for that tree to stand there. Magical.
Can you tell us the story behind this subaquatic photo? How it is to shot in the water?
I made some good friends at dive Tutukaka. It is a diving company which offers trips to the Poor Knights Islands. I worked with them as a photographer and that was one of my favorite weeks! First of all the water around the Islands is crystal clear caused by the east Australian current. The endless blue and all the species living in the reefs there made it into my heart. I bought a waterproof camera housing and jumped into the blue every single day. Was so much fun to explore underwater caves and all the other fantastic things there. I also made two dive courses. Seems like I’ve found another hobby!
Where or how do you find inspiration for your photography?
If there are mountains, lakes, or forests there is nothing that doesn’t inspire me. The best is to combine these things in one picture.
"I search a location, I wait for the best light and I take the picture"
Inspired by nature. Thats it. Sometimes I see awesome pics of other photographers. Then I always have to see that location with my own eyes. Inspiration by other artists. These are the two main components.
As a photographer I am sure that you feel attached to all your photos. They all represent unique moments of your life. However, among your works, do you have any picture that you really like? Which photo is your favorite?
Oh yes! There is that special moment! It is a picture of a deer in the local forest of my home town. I tried to get a picture of this animal countless times. Finally I had that unique moment when I heard something in the woods! There he was. Five seconds eye to eye and the deer ran away again. But I was fast enough to capture the following pic!
If you had the opportunity of going back in time to capture an experienced moment again, which one would be?
This epic sunrise at Lake Eibsee in Bavaria! The fog surrounding the lake was perfect. The mountains were looking gorgeous and the sun rays were unreal!
Can you tell us the most crazy anecdote that ever happened to you being outdoors?
Two friends and I got lost in a cave in New Zealand! We climbed down one of the unofficial parts of the cave for three hours. On the way back it was too slippery to climb up the 7 meter abyss again!
We had a panic attack but then we managed to stand on each others shoulders. I climbed the last 4 meters on my own and searched for help. I found people outside the cave with ropes and together we rescued my friends. What an experience!
Learning a new skill always comes with practice and time. But useful tips can accelerate our learning process! What are the 3 most important pieces of advice you would like to give to young talent pursuing a career as a landscape photographer?
Never stop taking pictures. Stick to your passion, you will improve day after day. Give it time and don’t be annoyed if you don’t get many likes and fans straight away.
Use fixed focal length lenses. By doing so you will improve your skills rapidly, especially if you focus manually. Do not use the automatic camera mode for landscapes. Play with shutter speed and exposure.
Learn from others. Meet photographers and take pictures with them. Ask them how they are working and share your experiences.
"Follow these 3 steps and you will improve for sure. That is the way I did it and everybody else can do it too!"
Can you name your top 3 landscape photographers in IG?
I would say that @benjaminhardman, @kpunkka and @alexisrateau are my favorite landscape photographers.
Can you fix the world in one sentence?
Don’t care about others, do it your own way.
Thanks a lot Michael for your inspiring feedback! It is a true honor to count with you as part of this community and we are looking forward to your future work. It is quite incredible to see all the places you have visited so far as well as your ability to capture unique moments!
