I’m a children of the modern times… and more importantly of the modern big cities!
Above all I love the speed, the size, the diversity, the condensation of culture, politic, science, business and lifestyle, and the fascinating mix of architectures. That's why I adore them for the opportunities and for the freedom they offer to me for living my life(style) and developing myself.
My passion is to deep dive into this city-life. And that's why I take any chance to travel to cities all over the world: enjoying great exhibitions, theatre, ballet shows, concerts, football games, exciting street and night life and delicious food & wine. It's the subject of my life, I could never live in the country side.
Early times
My father has introduced me to art very early in my life. He is a fine art painter and I still remember his wall painting of the jungle book elephant parade in my children’s room. And it became a wonderful routine of us to visit exhibitions together. A routine which I still follow and share with my best friends whenever possible, and of course also with my mum and dad.
Consequently I've started early drawing and painting. And any other creative activity. For instance I have produced my own poetry book. Ok, luckily it never has been published... Or I was playing the guitar and singing in the school choir.
But I never started photographing. I was simply afraid using my father’s Agfa SLR, because I could damage it. And I was also not so much into photographing. Having a kind of picture memory, I’ve never seen the necessity of taking pictures on top. Moreover I didn't liked people having always the camera out, instead of enjoying the moment. This has changed quite late in my life, but completely. Today I absolutely love photographing to share the pictures in my mind.
Sven Michael's Urban Photography
In my Photography I combine my two passions: photographing gives me the chance to share with you my impressions, discoveries, thoughts, feelings and dreams while diving into city-life. My focus is on people, stories, moments and actions. Therefore I have grouped my Urban Photography portfolio along three categories:
| Cityscapes: portraits of urban architecture and structures | Lifescapes: portraits of urban stories and lifestyle | Streetscapes: reportage of urban street-life
"Scape" means "a view or picture of a scene" (→). I really like this word, because it stands for what I want to achieve: "In drama, a scene is a unit of action" (→).
In addition a drama is "intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue" (→). That's why I have decided to put it into the focus of my creative photographing life. I love movies like Pulp Fiction, Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel; acts like Faust, Wir haben getan, was wir konnten, The Physicists; operas like Tristan und Isolde, Wozzeck, Tosca; and so and so on...
In conclusion, my Urban Photography is about Capturing City-life Scenes.
