Beauty Is In The Details

Interview with Oliver Schopgens.

1. Please tell us something about yourself. What sparked your interest in photography?

I started with photography as a small boy. Since a child, I used to love observing and noticing my surroundings and this passion, with a special interest and curiosity, thrives in me and pushes me to capture my surroundings on my camera.

2. What genres of photography appeal to you?

Some great photographers have their own special style. You see a picture and you know that this photograph was taken by him/her. I think I do not have any such special style. I do like different genres of photography (details, architecture, landscape, street). But my passion are doors! I cannot pass through a strange city, without my camera with me, without capturing photos of different doors. Doors tell me stories and demonstrate the wonderful variety of the cultures in our world. I hope my photos enable us to appreciate them. Some of the most beautiful doors I found were in India! I prefer to photograph doors strictly in 3:2 upright format. Well, perhaps I could call this my speciality?

3. Can you explain how you learnt this art form?

Actually I am an autodidact. I never had an education or special training in this field. In the analogue age, I preferred to use dipositive films. With the rise of digital photography, I made huge improvements in my work, as I was able to see the results of the captured photograph immediately. This helped me to experiment and learn. I think many ‘older’ photographers made this progress. My second biggest learning evolution happened when I joined the photo community on Flickr. Here I have found many impressive photographers, like-minded people with great works and helpful hints to improve my photography.