Photography Manifesto

I do reportage/documentary photography. My images are created exclusively in digital form. Analog photography is dead and done; any thought of its resurrection is absolute nonsense. There is no discussion about that. Please – thank you – goodbye!

My photos are edited in Lightroom / Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex. Editing includes cropping, exposure, contrast, possible color correction, and sharpening. Frames and “film grain” may be added. Otherwise, nothing is altered from the original image. I do not retouch (all wrinkles, scars, and pimples stay), and no objects are removed or added. My photos are “guaranteed real and authentic.”

(Title photo: “Repair Café” on Roxas Avenue in Kalibo/Aklan, Philippines, 2024. Camera Fuji X100V. Edited in Lightroom)

Manifesto of My Photography

1. I photograph with intention, not by accident. Every image begins with an attitude. I decide what to show – and what to leave out. My camera is a tool, not a toy.
   
2. Light is my raw material. Natural light takes precedence. I don’t seek perfect light, but honest light. I don’t want to illuminate – I want to reveal.
   
3. Respect is non-negotiable. I do not photograph people against their will. My images arise from encounter, not appropriation.
   
4. Technique follows content. I work with high-quality tools – but they do not define my art. The camera must never speak louder than the subject.
   
5. Beauty is not a surface. I seek the true, not the smooth. Scars, wrinkles, traces of use – they tell of life. I do not photograph them away.
   
6. No manipulation. NO Ai. No lies. My photos are authentic. I do not retouch, I do not manipulate. No digital interventions alter what I have seen. I rely on composition, light, and moment – not on Photoshop.
   
7. I am part of the world I show. My perspective is never neutral. I stand by my view – subjective, gay, German, and shaped by departure.
   
8. The moment counts. A good photo does not just freeze time – it tells what came before and what may come after. I wait for that one moment. Always.
   
9. Less is more. I believe in reduction. A good photo needs no effects. Clarity, depth, and composition – that’s enough.
   
10. I photograph to remember. My images are bridges to the past, signposts to the present. I preserve what would otherwise be lost.
    
11. I show what matters to me. Photography is my language. What I show is an invitation: to look, to reflect, to pause.