INVITATION...
Take a "side-peek" with me! I'd like to invite you to a more conscientized and sideways look at all the different objects, landscapes, weather phenomena and whatsoever is to find in Nature and which people tend to forget about.
about me...
I am a Nature-photographer living in Germany. I have a strong interest in Climate Change and Nature Preservation. To me the ruthless and careless dealing with Nature is often unbearable. Through photography I feel I can contribute to waking people up and conscientize them on this vital issue. Besides I can do what I love - being outdoors.
my intention & some thoughts...
Every photographic scene I witness outdoors and pick to capture actually represents one of many individual moments passing by in Nature every second. I choose these scenes to be as pure and undisturbed as possible, focusing only on Nature - nothing else. As if there was no industrialization... even though the location could be right next to a factory-complex. A blooming meadow swaying in the sommer-breeze, animals grazing or hunting, bees gathering nectar, a cool forest spending shade... Whenever you witness moments like that, for that very moment, you are actually witnessing and feeling a fraction of (intact) Nature, no matter how destructive it's surroundings are. But this makes these "pure" scenes so incredibly valueable and increasingly unique. Because they become scarce to non-existing.
I'd like to encourage people not only to appreciate a beautiful photograph of Nature, but to think about what is to come if actually loosing all these "scenes", respectively moments, in real life. Meaning, never again being able to feel these moments having all your senses involved - imagine forinstance you resting on a bench, hearing the leafs rustle in the trees behind you, feeling the cooling breeze on your skin, enjoying the lush green meadow before you and smelling the scent of flowers... unmatched!
That being said, however, I feel most statements concerning problems with our environment are usually scientifically dry and describe only the "hard facts", like: "if we loose more insects we'll loose more food". That's also true and serious. But don't we loose much more than a meadow, a bee and the food? Loosing Nature also means loosing important experiences, which in turn create important feelings, from joy to a variety of soothing emotions. And we loose our bond with Nature, our origin and true source of well-being, so I'm sure. Consequently, from a psychological standpoint, what will the decline of Nature do to our life-balance and psyche? Hence it's also a question of how mankind survives, with which quality, isn't it? Most people maybe don't realize that (intact) Nature made their awesome and relaxing Mountainbike-ride possible and filled their batteries for all of next week's demands. Nature has always been at our service, has always been present.
It's decline may be difficult for people to see because in the past it has been a rather sneaky process, at least in the northern countries. And it swings like a pendulum from extreme back to normal, but picking up speed as we carry on like we have in the past. And it is deceptive, especially in Europe, but more on that later.
Back on our bench conditions have changed: the sun bakes the landscape, the leafs in the trees are limp now, the breeze unbearably hot, the meadow scorched, the flowers gone. Not a very inviting place to be, indeed a hostile place. So we better jump inside (just happened in summer 2018 in parts of Germany...).
Most people need a frequent timeout from this digitalized and timed world. In consequence the constant hassle and crowdedness contributes to tense people up and will not be for the benefit of coexistence around the world. People need recreation, soothing and space for themselves. We need Nature as a basic need. Why not care for something you depend on? Probably because you haven't realized you do.
In conclusion, I understand my photography as an artistic documentation, utilizing Fineart to capture nature's scenes before they vanish from our planet due to Climate Change and other environmental pollutions. And it's also meant to be a critique of a system that destroys and spoils nature in great scale. I do my best to reach people emotionally and make them contemplate. Since only part of our senses is involved, it is often not easy to convey the spirit and hence the absolute value of these scenes to people only through visual elements. If it works, photography can be so powerful. Everybody has seen pictures or paintings that impressed lastingly. Capturing images just like this is my goal and I strive to reach it.
my photography...
Photography, it is said, is an art, the art to paint with light. In Nature-photography Nature itself creates the scenes. In broad diversity, changing constantly and often rapidly. But as a photographer, with my camera, I have a broad variety of possibilities to capture and alter the scenes the way I personally perceive them. Besides of course, being patient and persistent.
I am prone to colors, enjoy seeing them mix up, contrast each other or fade into oneanother. I tend to keep many of my photographs a bit on the darker side or at least with some darker areas or shadows. Propably because mysticism always intrigues me. And usually I like quite some overall-contrast along with it - creating pronounced, moody scenes, sometimes adding a slight colorcast to it. In black&white I often tend to use even stronger contrasts. Overall my Nature-photography varies from classic documentary to in some way alienated or abstracted images. Whichever way seems appropriate, but always the goal in mind to transfer the mood of the scene as I perceived it or to convey the esthetic of the subject. Some of my images may appear sombre and don't represent "popular" Nature-photography. But when I am outdoors on a dull winterday and feel dreary I want to convey that very mood. Photographs are about mood and succeed if they evoke the ladder. Of course "nice, bright an positive" sells, but as mentioned before I like to document the feel of Nature in which contrasting conditions are always present and belong together. Hence not only high spirits belong to my images but also sadness or maybe even tristesse in an hopefully esthetic way - just like the seasons in our latitudes have the same.
Still, I like to keep my images genuine and not to "smoothen" them too much. Meaning I mainly use my camera and it's technical options to achieve the images I have in mind. I post-process fairly little, using primarily rather slight contrast-, color- and sharpening-adjustments. I do HDR and Focus-Stacking though. But I restrain from adjustments that completely alter the original state of the images. I also don't add or remove parts of the image except dustspots or very small distractions if inevitable. For me many Fineart-Images tend to be unnaturally sleek like in the fashion or portrait business where everything and everybody is made perfect.
WHAT I AM UP TO (CURRENTLY)...
One of my recent projects is to capture my photographs within or as near as possible to my home country and not travel so much. I tend to find my motifs around my home, on foot or via bike. I shoot rather detailed fotos because landscape images without human infrastructure are hard to find.
I very much appreciate your visit.
And sharing my website whatever way you like is always a great compliment to my work. Thank you!
Your Kai Beuckmann