Born and raised in Cologne, I moved to Munich by the Isar in 1984. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to have both a homeland and a home at the same time.
The sight of the cathedral still makes my heart race every time, and I love the banks of the Isar right outside my front door just as much.

In 1986, I left everything behind in Germany and spent half a year backpacking through Africa – one of the most formative periods of my life.
Alongside a deep love for this continent, coupled with the realisation of what an island of the blessed we live on here, I also became aware on this journey that I would only be happy in a job that truly fulfill me. So I decided to turn my passion for photography into my profession.

After internships in a photography studio, a black-and-white specialist laboratory and various short-term jobs, I started working as a freelancer in 1992, mainly for daily newspapers and in the corporate sector.

At the heart of my own work have always been people – their interactions, their emotions – always photographed from within the midst of events; the detached view from outside has never been my perspective.
During my most recent reportages, I spent a great deal of time on location and soon became part of the communities there. In this way of photography when close to people I truly come alive.

Very few of the works shown here have contributed to my income, but they are an expression of what is personally meaningful to me.

'What kind of person are you, actually?' he asked.
'I am a clown,' I said,
'and I collect moments.'
Heinrich Böll | The Clown