Fragments of Light No. 5: More - or the discovery of slowness

Some time ago, I began to redefine my artistic path – and as last year drew to a close, one insight after another dawned on me. For a long time, my goal had been to depict people in their clear, undeniable intensity – visible, striking, and powerful at the center of the image. All with a visual style reminiscent of great portrait photographers, yet bearing my own unique fingerprint (or perhaps especially so). But over time, a quiet question began to surface:

"Doesn't the atmosphere, the mood, and the intangible energy that I'm trying to capture need more space in my pictures?"

In a sudden moment, I realized that simply creating a portrait wasn't enough. It was about capturing the essence of that fleeting magic – those ephemeral, emotional moments when the invisible connection between photographer and subject miraculously reveals itself. Even when the visible human element is no longer the focus. Perhaps because slowing down is so important to me, allowing the noise of the world to fade further into the background.

A crucial turning point in this awakening was my return to my camera, which, with its rangefinder and manual focus, revived an old, almost forgotten element: the inconspicuous. Away from the noisy, continuous barrage of highly sophisticated camera technology, whose constant chatter shatters the atmosphere, I found a deep, almost mystical calm in the quiet capturing of the moment. Without the ballast of superfluous equipment—that technical skeleton I left behind years ago—a new dimension revealed itself to me, one I christened "Unplugged Photography" years before that.

In doing so, I realized: It is not just the equipment, but the interplay and effect of place, atmosphere and connection to people that give my works their true essence.

This newfound insight inspired me to create a presentation that goes far beyond simply stringing together images and their stories. Last autumn, when I presented my Unplugged Photography at the Leica Gallery in Frankfurt, I received a great deal of positive feedback, which further confirmed that I was on the right track. My new presentation, "More," will be a unique combination of my own writing and selected image series—an emotional experience that takes the audience on a journey back to the moment of creation, where authenticity and spontaneity merge.

In a few weeks, I will have the pleasure of experiencing my first premiere in a small circle of friends and guests – the start of a series of lectures that will later continue on a larger scale. This will create a space where not only the visible, but above all the tangible, becomes more vivid.

I believe that in this age of social media, images have become mere tips of icebergs, their true weight invisible to the viewer. Like freeze-dried ingredients placed on the dining table, in relation to the actual meal one intends to cook and serve, accompanied by wine and good music in the background, under the right lighting.

In this context, they are so insignificant as to be worth little more than an indication that somewhere, sometime, a perhaps special image was created. Without a story, without the taste, the smell, and without the experience itself. Small as a postage stamp. Visible for a second or two – at best.

"More" – that also contains a big "M" ; for the LEICA – M , which brought me back to slowing down and my next phase.

But more on that in my presentation.