Settings
I notice that I forget the magazine covers in those high supermarket shelves in the very moment I pass by. Pictures that polarize are more exciting to me.
Overrun the first impression
I often catch myself trying to question my first impression. Maybe there is something else hidden in this picture, maybe in the eyes of the model for perfume publicity. In other words: can the photo captivate the viewer and pass the first impression? Maybe this is exactly the point that makes my motivation.
A gorgeous woman whose kohl has almost gone because you can in her face that she has been crying, a proud look within a hurtful milieu. A touching melancholy, surrounded by lots of blessedness. At the latest when people are looking at my photographs and suddenly in the middle of their enthusiasm there is a ‘but’, this is where the whole thing becomes interesting.
Beautiful or less beautiful but especially boring pictures are countless. Even I am certainly not exempt. It wouldn’t work anyway because I love change and diversification, however the disillusion comes quite fast when I look through the pictures and I realize that I don’t really stick to them and much less think about them.
Second sight
To summarize the ‘About’ page: Xtropolis should do one thing: show two aspects (nice wordplay by the way). When the viewer is looking at a picture open-minded, the pictures should show the white and the black, the day and at the same time the night, the beautiful and the destroyed, the good and the evil, joy and melancholy. In any case: contrasts. Only the viewer decides whether the picture is repulsive or appealing, whether the picture underlines a certain mood (or is simply being a picture).
It is fascinating playing with contrasts. I am impressed by the French description of an orgasm: La petite mort, „the small death“. This is definitely seen in another context but the description of such a moment is in the same breath with the word death. If that’s not poetry, … then what else should be?
Before I zone out: for me, there can’t be anything nicer than knowing someone is looking at my photographs longer than usual and the thoughts of the viewer start swinging. Creating such photos is my challenge and exactly that is my motivation.
Some pictures on Xtropolis may seem provocative in a striking way. This has been either ‘wanted’, or it is the result of a once decent idea. The latter is explained amongst others in the following paragraph: ‘fun’.
You will probably notice that there is often much skin to see on my photos; whereas one does not really associate nude photographs when hearing the name ’Xtropolis’ (even if this is just assumed now). There I recommend to have a closer look and to come back to the idea of Xtropolis which was: To give one part and the rest is up to the viewer’s fantasy.
Last but not least: The Settings of Xtropolis are staged. I decline enquiries for event photos with thanks. If I ever needed party or report pictures or even own wedding photos, I would ask a colleague.
Fun
Is guaranteed. Lots of my photos were taken with my friends and acquaintances, where a photo shoot had a very familiar party character from the beginning. As far as other pictures are concerned, the creativity of both the model and the photographer was free. Looking back to some of the photo shoots, you could have rather talked about a bizarre event where the result was some interesting pictures. Regardless of the fact that it continued into the night with a nice campfire at the Lake Constance, or whether it was in a rush of adrenaline in the middle of Berlin or almost unreal, when eating in a restaurant. Those pictures where we have been using a lot of colour, left permanent impressions. Almost excessive. Furtunately, the Xtropolis website has a blog and maybe I’ll report some things myself or somebody else from one of these shoots. Perhaps you will join the next time?
Different
This is how the photographs are supposed to be. Maybe that is the case sometimes more, other times less. As long as my photos have given you some creative positive or negative impulse, I would be very happy to receive a post on my blog or an email from you.
Xtropolis