ENTRY DESCRIPTION
South Africa, January 2021

In January 21 I had the privilege of working with Kevin Richardson for the 2nd time - the famous animal conservationist is known for his incessant work with wild animals with the sole purpose of bringing the world's attention to the extinction of endangered species. Only with Kevin's help have I been able to create an extraordinary image of a black panther - maybe it is the only straight towards the lens walking portrait in the world of a wild, non-domesticated black panther in a natural black environment. So how did it come about? January is actually summer in South Africa. However, during my 3-day stay, it rained almost incessantly. We arrived at his hideout. The moment we arrived, I saw two bright eyes inside the cave, positioned myself with a low camera angle and he gave me this unique moment when he came out of his lair into the daylight full of curiosity. In the soft light of the sky covered with clouds and the deep black cave in the background, his fur shimmered like a black diamond: Carbonado.

AUTHOR
Born in Germany in 1973. I discovered his love for black-and-white photography in the age of 15. After graduating from high school I worked for four years as a photography assistant followed by studying photography as a student of Prof. Gottfried Jäger and Prof. Gerd Fleischmann.

I work as a fashion photographer and, from 2003, run my own design office based in Oelde/Westphalia. Since 2013, I have been working on various freelance projects, always in black and white, alongside my commissioned work. In 2017, I opened my first gallery in a Bauhaus pavilion made of wood and glass built for the purpose.

Fascinated by a first trip to Africa it is not surprising that wildlife photography has captivated me the most. The closeness to wild animals, the tranquillity of untouched nature and the people in these environments never cease to fascinate me – I travel into the wilderness as often as I can, capturing unique moments in black and white. In 2018, this work become my new trademark after I hung up fashion photography completely.

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