Harald Bader

I took my first photos in 1979. Analog and black and white, with a pretty old camera in a brown leather case, using roll film. Over the years, I've photographed with many different analog and simple digital cameras. My enthusiasm grew with each new camera, and so a few years ago I decided to treat myself to a Canon EOS 6D Mark II – the biggest leap in camera technology for me up to that point. But this fantastic new camera only fueled my passion even more, and I never went anywhere without my Canon with me. During this time, the idea of becoming a self-employed photographer and turning a hobby I had pursued for almost 40 years into my profession grew stronger and stronger. A true "profession." But this new camera, which was absolutely amazing to me, only fueled my passion even more, and I never went anywhere without my Canon. I'd always thought my photos weren't good enough, since they were mostly spontaneous snapshots, but an experience with a cameraman at SWR Stuttgart planted a small seed in my subconscious: At the time, I was working as a cable assistant at SWR, helping the cameraman with the cable while he and an intern practiced a complicated camera movement in the regional news studio. I stood there happily, grinning, simply because it was nice to be there, not to make fun of anyone else. The cameraman eventually challenged me to try it myself instead of just laughing… The intern took the cable, and I stood by the electronic camera on the large pump and performed the camera movement as the cameraman wanted. Apparently, I did quite well. His comment was just one sentence that I'll never forget: "You should become a cameraman." I'm still incredibly grateful to him for that sentence. It was the foundation for my decision today. The intern took the cable, and I stood by the electronic camera on the large pump and performed the camera movement as the cameraman wanted. So, at almost 50, I became a self-employed photographer, bought a Canon EOS R5 and a few lenses, and started looking for ways to sell my photos. If I had to describe how and what I photograph, I'd say I do spontaneous photography. That means anything that catches my eye gets photographed. This year I was in Tuscany, and one morning at 4:30 a.m. I was at the Leaning Tower in Pisa with my camera set up on a tripod to get the perfect shot of the sunrise at the Piazza dei Miracoli. And I waited and took photos and waited and took photos… until I finally saw that the sun was just then behind the Leaning Tower, casting a long shadow on the grass. So I quickly took the camera off the tripod and walked until I found the perfect angle for my photo. And so, as so often happens, the most beautiful picture was one I had taken spontaneously, because I was attentively observing the scene and realized what was about to happen in front of me.