Projects
Although I generally prefer to grab my camera and go out without any specific plan or concept in mind, of course there are also a few topics and subjects I'm constantly working on since years. I just never called them projects. But finally I decided to show some of these ongoing series here on this page along with brief descriptions. Since some of the pictures fit into more than one project, which is of course quite beneficial for me, you may find a handful of images more than once. And although the project galleries contain lots of photographs which can also be found in my main galleries, you will also discover numerous pictures, you won't find anywhere else on this website. Hope you enjoy.
Natürliche Nähe
In Upper Austria's central region some still mostly unaffected wetland areas, which harbor valueable little eco systems and biotopes, can be found. But the protection of these places is quite challenging, especially since they are located so close to the town of Linz with a huge human population. So, also regarding this project, it seems crucial to me, to convey the importance of intact natural habitats to the people. Naturally all images you can find in this project are made within these wetland areas. This one might be my most comprehensive project. Actually I'm working on it since I started with nature photography. Since the wetland areas, which are the topic of Natürliche Nähe, are close to my hometown, they are just my favorite nearby locations. And, of course, the spots I visit the most, are those with the biggest output.
Actually the full title is "Natürliche Nähe - Linz' verborgene Aura" which means "Natural Closeness - The hidden Aura of Linz". And, as you can see from the title, the writings of this project are usually in German language. You also won't find a gallery here, because there's a separate website for this one: www.natuerlichenaehe.at
Treentimacy
Sceneries I got more and more attracted to during the last three years or so, are the often unappreciated rather bald trees and forests. Leafless trees offer an intimate view to their structures and shapes and into a mostly hidden world made of fragility. And much more they also provide an insight into these extremely complex organic collectives of connected individuals depending on each other. And that's also how we urgently need to see the forests on this planet. And beside that, these subjects and, in fact, also trees with particular interesting foliage, which you'll also find here, can create very photographically appealing patterns and lines, which are worth a closer look.
Beside Temporary Textures his projects is actually my most recent one and I'm constantly trying to raise my attention on it. Since settings like these can be found in very different areas, I rather run into them by accident and during quite different occasions. Take a look at the gallery of Treentimacy and enjoy the fantastic atmospheres and ambiences these creatures create.
Liquid Souls
Similar to Treentimacy this one is also about plants and fragility, but with quite a different approach. Liquid Souls consists of flowers and completely natural reflection phenomenons which are different to the well known classic bokeh dots. Back in 2017 I discovered the photographically potential of reflections like these for the first time as I witnessed it just once and I only took about ten pictures of it that particular spring. Actually first I thought, I was just incredible lucky (I was!) to be able to capture these reflections and so I didn't think, I would find a scenery like this again. But in the end I spent many hours looking for something similar and finally I could observe and photograph it way more extensive. Now I know what elements have to come together, that it occurs and so I've got the chance to "reproduce" it. By capturing the fragile and fairylike reflections I'd like to emphasize the fragility of the little flowers and in the end of the entire natural world itself.
As you will notice, the images of this project show almost without any exception pileworts. Although the first time I took an image like this, I captured two wood anemones, pileworts are much more suitable for this porpose, because they can be found much closer to the waters. And by the way, these kind of photographs are a good opportunity to go out shooting also during harsh light at noon. As all my photographs also the ones displayed in the course of this project are only single exposures made without the use of any special technique, artificial light or artificial shadow. And of course, there's no image or scene manipulation. To browse through the gallery of Liquid Souls, just follow the link.
Temporary Textures
I’m just more and more mesmerized by all the different stunning reflections, which occur on water surfaces. And I'm paying more and more attention to them. Especially since these sceneries are actually something totally common and can be found in such a wide range of natural settings. All you need are a (gently) moving water, surroundig elements which reflect on the liquid surface and some intersting sunlight.
It's definitely worth to risk some closer looks to the waters, bacause these sceneries can provide super fascinating little experiences along the way. Of course also the gallery of Temporary Textures doesn't contain images, which show man made elements or artificial light.
Habitats
For me, the biggest photographic challenge, but also the most rewarding approach, is the attempt to create a visual implementation of the human ability to both notice details and to observe the entire scenery at the same time. Such photographs are more capable to pay justice to the real setting and they're also the better way to a more enriching experience when they're taken. So also when I capture wildlife, I often try to show it in this way. In small scale and with lots of their mostly also very beautiful and impressing habitat. Of course, actually almost every wildlife image shows the animals in their habitat, but when I'm working on these series I always pay extremely close attention to the environment and the composition in which I try to display the surroundings and the bigger setting.
I'm aware, that the gallery of this project is huge and the scales of the animals are ofter super tiny. So you're invited to look closely in the gallery of Habitats and embrace the beauty of the environments the animals depend on.
Silhouettes of Grace
There are a few interesting things about silhouette images. They reduce the main subject to its shape and so they offer more space for the atmosphere. They only work, when the subject and the photographer are very well aligned and when the subject has an appealing and unmistakeable shape and of course they require a high contrast between the subject and its background. They can be beneficial, because they avoid issues of too high dynamic ranges and they can cover unwanted foreground elements. But beside all these facts, they can just look lovely, intense and sometimes spectacular and might be a welcome change to classic documentry style images.
You will find mainly wildlife pictures in the gallery of Silhouettes of Grace, but also a few images of plants. Similar to Habitats, also some of these photographs show the subject in a very small scale and demand a pretty close look.
Kingdom of Dignity
Long before I was finally able to spot my first alpine ibex, I was actually dreaming of photographing them. In the end, I took my first ibex picture back in 2014 and since then I guess I spent about 80 to 100 days up there with these magnificent mammals. Until today I only captured them in the areas of the High Tauern National Park in Austria. Since especially the elderly males are rather relaxed animals and since they live in a pretty impressive environment, which are very inviting facts for short lens images, this project is also the origin of Habitats and since the ibexes can make very appealing silhouettes it's also the origin of Silhouettes of Grace. So, if you've already seen the galleries of Habitats and Silhouettes of Grace, you'll recognize quite a few images.
I certainly had some of my most enriching wildlife moments and animal encounters up in these mountains among those peaceful creatures. The gallery of Kingdom of Dignity also contains a bigger amount of images, so take your time to have a look.