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Reading Time: 10 minutes - February 28, 2022 - From the snapshot
Matthias Heiderich - Lisbon

4. What role does the color blue play in your photography?

The color blue often appears in my photographs because the sky is often seen and it is known to be blue on most days. Very many of my photographs show reduced architecture against a blue sky. So it acts a bit like a canvas that I use to show something on it that I find exciting.

5. Blue is a cold color. But in your paintings it often gives more of a warm feeling. How do you manage that?

Blue is not just blue, but a whole range of colors. Especially in the morning and evening, the blue of the sky is warmer than in the middle of the day. I don't find this cold blue of the midday sky, which digital cameras reproduce very precisely, very appealing and therefore avoid it in my pictures. In analog photography, you immediately feel much more warmth, so I also prefer to look at analog photographs. Nevertheless, I photograph more often digitally than analog.

But the good thing is that you always have the choice to influence the coloring. Even while taking the photo itself and in post-processing, I can influence the color temperatures in my own way. In doing so, the cold blue usually becomes warmer and softer.

I take some liberties there and that's what I love about creative work: the freedom.

7. Your pictures seem to tell stories about buildings and leave a lot of room for your own ideas. What fascinates you about the motifs you choose?

I'm interested in the diversity of the man-made environment, the wealth of creativity, the ideas, the passion, sometimes the megalomania, or just the craziness that certain buildings reflect. Many of the new buildings that are simply meant to be efficient and functional are of little interest to me, really.

But there are also the buildings that have such a spirit that you just stand in front of them and marvel, or shake your head, and are totally fascinated by the details. I would say that this is essentially what makes fascinating art. It's bolder, more creative, more versatile than the mainstream; yet not meant to be a status symbol, but simply an expression of great ideas and good work. I find architecture or objects that reflect that beautiful as motifs. Then it's just a matter of showing the whole thing in an appealing form, where the achievement of a photographer is to choose the detail, the light situation, the angle. That's what makes photography so appealing to me.

Matthias Heiderich

8. What do you want to show with your photography?

With my photography I want to live out my own creative energy first and foremost, and secondly show something that spoke to me personally visually. As described, I'm hardly concerned with telling stories. However, because of the amount of photos in a similar style, a kind of story or world of my own emerges, which is probably closer to my inner world than the world that actually surrounds me.

9. Why do people have no place in your images?

When people appear in photographs, they attract attention. You look at the photographs and think about the story of these people and perhaps take additional pleasure in their aesthetics. Anyway, it's more about storytelling and stories about people. Admittedly, these are not subjects that occupy me very much when I'm photographing. I don't want to tell stories, but rather capture the small sections of the world that satisfy me visually. In my case, these snippets tend to be deserted and reduced to a few elements to exude a certain calm that I seek and need in everyday life to clear my head. Honestly, I also prefer to be alone when photographing, which is certainly due to my character. I like people, but only in the right dose.

10. How do you go about your photography?

I am not a big technology freak. My equipment is very manageable, even after many years, and I don't have any insanely expensive cameras or very many different lenses. Most of the time I'm also out and about without a tripod. In my backpack I have a DSLR with lenses that cover 16-100mm, spare batteries, a Rolleiflex and medium format films, and then just a smartphone with which I very much just document. Otherwise, I would describe my approach as intensive looking while walking. This is the ideal speed for me to not miss anything and to scan my surroundings. I am often asked (especially in residential areas) if I am looking for something or if I can be helped. In doing so, I literally just look around. That's how my photography works - I'm outdoors a lot, photographing anything I like, and about 1% of those photos I show to the public. Sometimes I think photography is actually a byproduct of my urge to be outside and explore.

11 .what do you do with your pictures?

Most of my pictures disappear somewhere on my hard drives. The ones I find successful I post on social media. A small portion of them sometimes become prints that I sell. In the past, I have also published two books. I hope to add more in the future and have more frequent exhibitions again.

12. In conclusion, photography is for me â¦

the best way to switch off, get into flow mode and block out everyday life - in short, escapism.

More about Matthias Heiderich:

www.matthias-heiderich.de

instagram.com/matthiasheiderich

matthiasheiderich.tumblr.com

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