I call myself a newbee at analog photography but in this past 3 years my addiction grew to a certain point of no return.

Starting out with the classical 35mm film format using a Leica M6 with strictly manual setting opportunities I learned quickly how to transfer a scene onto film. No need for any support of an automatic camera needed!

Once hooked with analog photography the wish of more self-control emerged and so some black and white film rolls were agitated in a developing tank by myself – one more step into the film world was done. Even precise temperatures for color film developing seemed to be no big hurdle and so not only B&W film strips were hanging to try in the bathroom but color strips too.

Different film formats can create a different look for certain scenes and the amount of available shots can also influence the way of shooting – instead of the regular 36 exposures only 20 (Hasselblad XPAN) or even just 12 with a 6×6 Hasselblad 500c/m can change the approach of taking a photo dramatically. So the arsenal of gear grew, GAS has taken its full force on me.

Basically I am more comfortable with wider lenses such as a 35mm lens or even better a 28mm lens where even a bit more of a scene can be captured which is quite handy when shooting streetphotography.

I cannot name the single one camera I love the most as well as I could not name one certain film stock which I prefer to shoot since there is a variance of different film available and each and everyone can shine in their brightest light at certain scenes such as the Lomography Potsdam or Earl Grey 100 for a film noir look, the classic Portra 400 with its gorgeous pastel color palette when overexposed or the industrial look with Lomography Metropolis or the contrasty black and white Kodak Tmax400 for portrait shoots. My tastes varies and most of the time I choose the film I think would fit the best in this moment.

My style of shooting is wide-ranging or at least I could not yet stick to one. I’m constantly observing and if I find something of interest I try to capture it even though I would say that I often find myself strolling through the streets of Vienna to shot everyday-life scenes but also subjects with a sparse background please my eyes.

Not only photography of the past gave me a push but also newer platforms such as Instagram helped me to evolve and paved my way into a collective of like-minded and very creative individuals similar addicted to photography and everything around it. Die Rote Kammer emerged in the summer of 2021 and thanks to its creativeness pushed the boundaries of my photographic horizon further. Making your own darkroom prints and working together on photo projects and art exhibitions as a team of enthusiasts is very much enjoyable.

PP 2022