Talk with Hendrik Wieduwilt
Dr. Hendrik Wieduwilt worked as a lawyer, a legal correspondent (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and a spokesperson for the federal ministry of justice in Berlin. Today, he passes on his experience from the media business to executives as a media trainer. He writes and speaks about law policy and the digital world.
Why do you photograph?
There are many, many reasons. I'll name a few: It helps me to make memories. I never forget a place or a moment when I took some time to make pictures. It is a reason to go places - Steve McCurry said his camera was is passport and that's very true. You don't need to go to India, the camera also helps to explore your own neighborhood. It's also a way of artistic expression. Sometimes photos make other people happy, be it through commissioned work like a wedding or a business portrait or just the beauty of a good shot uploaded on social media.
What do you want to communicate with photographs?
Depends, sometimes I want to preserve memories for other people (wedding photography). Sometimes I want to make certain character traits of a person visible - like in a portrait. Or the emotional impact of a place and a time.
How important is the use of digital or the use of analog for you?
Not important. I'm old enough to have learned to shoot with analog film. I tried film again some time ago but apart from nostalgia and feeling artsy (for no reason) it gave me nothing.
What made you choose to continue towards the use of photography in your past?
I'm a visual person, it was just an itch that doesn't go away. When I don't take a picture for a week or so I get really cranky.
How important is your location for the development of your photographic projects and how do you benefit from it?
I'd like to say it's not important at all but that would be a lie. Of course it's beneficial for street photography to live in a big city. That being said, maybe I would make totally different photos if I lived in a small village. But usually I'm drawn to people.
How do you think photography can develop with the current stage of COVID19?
Obviously there will be a drop in productivity for many photographers. But the pandemic was also an opportunity for journalistic works as well as everyday photography. We will see some great projects on this pandemic, that's for sure.
How do you perceive yourself through photographs? What role do self-portraits take in this world where 99% of people are used to looking at themselves constantly?
I detest the selfie addiction of our times. Good self-portraits can be interesting though. It's really not my genre - even though selfies are always ridiculously successful on social media.
When you look back at images you've taken in the past what feelings do you have?
Mostly regret that I didn't learn more about photography in an earlier time in my life. So many boring shots! Wonder what I'll think about my current shots in a couple of years.
Do you photograph or have you often photographed your parents? How do you deal with situations where relationships are very close? And how do they react as subjects?
No. It's something that I really struggle with. I learned to make portraits of strangers, easily. But it's hard with people you love and who are really not keen on being photographed. So far I have mostly snapshots which are okay but I'd love to make some real portraits.
If I tell you Photographic Illiteracy?
Not everybody needs to know the basics of photography. It is a problem in debates about freedom of photography though and it is worrying. People love to look at "beautiful" photos of the 50s and 60s, they love "street photography" but the same people might send you a cease and desist letter when you take their picture on the street. Many shots from the past are simply not possible anymore, especially in western Europeans countries.
In what countries have you sought your fortune or simply sought another point of view?
Israel really has changed my perspective whenever I went there. It's fascinating. Everybody should witness the madness and love of this very special part of the world at least once in their lives.
Has there ever been a story that completely displaced you, and that you didn't have the courage to photograph?
I cannot remember any. But still today it happens now and then that I don't muster the courage to ask for a portrait on the street. I usually regret it for days so I try not to let it happen very often.
How has your passion for photography been shaped and contextualized?
My father is and my grandfather was a photography enthusiast. But the real ignition was a trip to Israel. My airbnb-host in Tel Aviv - today she's a friend - was very interested in my pictures from the west bank since she wasn't allowed to go there.
Later a picture of a refugee camp was printed in a travel guide. After my trip to Israel I dove in a ton of books, youtube-Videos and documentaries about photography.
In this time in history where photographs fill our lives, how do you get in touch with their physicality and materiality?
I try to print, at least for a calendar to give away to my loved ones, bigger prints for presents, small ones for postcards and sometimes for myself. But I should print a lot more. It's absolutely essential but sometimes I'm incredibly lazy. I buy photography books and go to museums.
Are there colors, lights or tones that you are particularly drawn to?
I love the black and white tonality of certain cameras like the Ricoh GR or the modern Leicas. I use a Portra 400 film simulation for most shots.
I always love it when the sun is reflected on a big glass front of a building. It creates a surreal light and surprises the viewer since most people do not pay attention to these things.
How do you know if an image is going to be shot in black and white or color?
Tricky question. Some time ago I came up with a rule of thumb for myself: I try to only shoot color if color takes the main stage. I almost always shoot with the LCD switched to black and white since it helps me to read the light and texture.
How strong is your cultural identity within your way of perceiving the world? And why?
Not that strong when it comes to privacy rights. I'd like us Europeans and especially us Germans to relax a little. But my photography is certainly influenced by an individualistic way of thinking.
Are you working on new projects, research? Can you tell us about them?
I'm still taking pictures of restaurants etc. during the shutdown/lockdown. I made a calendar from some of those shots, maybe more in the future. Next year I want to photograph brown coal mining, a dying industry in Germany. But so far that's nothing more than an idea - corona slowed things down.
Would you be willing to publish an independent fanzine with our project?
Why not? Let's talk about it!
"TBILISIANS ON ESCALATORS" is definitely an interesting project, what was it born from and how was working on it?
Thank you! I was traveling in Georgia with a friend. When I rode on these enormous escalators in Tblisi I realized that everybody zones out because it just takes so long to get up or down. Plus, many very different people were on these escalators. I took a couple of hours on my own to just ride up and down and up and down. People often didn't realize that I took pictures, often they just didn't care.
How much time do you dedicate to the construction of a project?
Less than I should maybe but when I construct too much I might not get outside and actually shoot. For my project "Metal Heads" I did quite a bit of planning (can't say how many hours). Still didn't properly publish that thing, though.
When you work on a project, do you start with the idea, or do you simply leave this opportunity to create something in the moment of selection and editing?
I try to shoot with intent but often I see a pattern later during selection and editing. But you definitely should have an idea of some sort - otherwise photography is just documentation (that genre has its place but usually is not what I want to do).
How do you think your role in the world of photography can make a difference?
Barely, it's a huge world with many great artists and teachers. But I'll do my best as a lawyer and writer to protect the freedom of photography. I don't want to end up in a world of staged photography - and fucking selfies.
Hendrik Wieduwilt