Until today...

Wrote this text up as a response to an email asking about how I got to where I am at, but since it turned out to be pretty elaborate, I might as well share it…

I started with analog SLR photography when I was 16, and after graduating from my high school/college (2003) and doing some ad agency internship applied to go to university for communications design (late 2004). That school (FH D here in Düsseldorf where I haven’t even graduated yet) has helped me develop my sense for style and composition further, and by doing graphic and other communication design, I got to sneak into the processes of my industry. Compared to my regular high school, in Düsseldorf, finally my interests for visuals and communication were spoken to.
At the same time, I never stopped taking pictures for myself and displaying them on the internet.

My online presence has helped me a lot, but of course it didn’t build up itself while I was passive. It does take some effort to maintain blogs like I have and had them. I used to run a mixed media blog (2002), then the Fotoblog (2003) for several years with a photo posted every day, and Flickr (early 2005); and these personal-professional websites have made me become known to people and possible clients, be it directly or indirectly. (I have never applied for any photo assignment, instead have always been approached.)
Today, some people still cannot understand how even my Tumblelog (2007) is an instrument for customer aquisition (besides transmitting an image of a young German woman). It sums up my persona and therefore reflects it in ways that I feel are important for people to know and help them trust the brand I am aware to have consistently become.

Then, I am very much a workaholic. As soon as I got the chance to work for people and companies (2006), I did work my ass off to make it right, make it perfect, to assure them they made the right decision in choosing me, to impress them and ultimately myself.
I have become a Photoshop specialist and don’t ever want to be less precise and reliable — and try to be better every time I take photos.
Also, I have the ideas, then organize and carry out many so-called test shoots. They are done are to build up my portfolio, to train myself and get to know the people I want to work with: reliable assistants, make-up artists and models. This way, I will be able to handle larger and larger jobs as they come.