A retrospect on many years working as conflict and documentary photographer with the focus on the refugee crisis and social issues in middle east...

That one thing that prevails during my work as a photojournalist, irrespective if working on a social reportage in refugee camps, portray soldiers at the Iraqi front lines or covering riots in the streets of Istanbul - is keeping the right attitude.

In our current media environment there seems to be less motivation to strive for extensively researched and incisive journalism. Everybody is playing against time and budget at the cost of insightful information. Only the „clicks“ count in addition to being „the fastest“ in bringing out „news“. This pressure on us results in factual errors, little or no insight into important topics and to black and white world views. But in-depth repairing is essential for a functioning media society and for democracy as a whole. Therefore I approach the complexity of the world with „slow“ journalism, deep research and a close interaction with the people I portrait. Taking time to observe the world became my credo, as well the fact doing journalism financially independent, without any existential pressure. 

After many years working in conflict regions and photojournalism as my main pillar, this is for sure my largest portfolio from working in total almost 15 years as a photographer. Normally I would say "enjoy" this portfolio, but this isn't a topic of enjoyment...

Postscript: My new project "almost-nomadic" gives me the great opportunity working on profound social documentaries. With the possibility to be on the road with my modified overlander, I got the scope to stay in a region as long as I want - working on detailed and in depth documentaries, without pressure.
"Slow journalism for a complex world"

CONTENT WARNING!
This album contains imagery from conflict regions
and their consequences,
that some viewers may find distressing.

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