For a while I took a sort of “vacation” from photography as I found myself depleted of any inspiration and as I think of myself more of a creative person than for instance a reporter, I stayed away from my cameras for quite a time.

But of course a passion cannot be extinguished like a fire with some water, as it came back and since I wasn’t tied to a professional production anymore, I was able to express myself in total freedom. I therefore started again to shoot my photos the way I wanted and felt.

Who inspires you? Who are your favourite photographers?

There are many great professional photographers out there that could be inspirational for me but I tend to be myself and try to do what I feel more than look at their great art and achievements. I admire a great photo from a great artist but I would never try to do something similar. I think that each one of us has to follow his/her own instincts as for me shooting a photo means also to put into that shot my own feelings and emotions and these can’t be copied from anyone else.

I follow Behance regularly as I like to see what other photographers do and how they do it and for instance there I have a great inspirational friend who is Bettina Güber. Although she doesn’t describe herself as a professional but as an amateur photographer, because she doesn’t sell her work but she shoots photos for her own pleasure. However the quality, the editing and what she puts of herself into her images goes well beyond the amateur stage, she in the end is a real professional photographer.

This said, I have to add that although I admire her art (and also the art and inspiration of some other great names there like Mary Michelle Scott just to mention another one) I feel inspired more from her feelings than her way to photograph. I would never try to copy her or anyone else for that matter, I have my own way of shooting and editing my photos which for me is unique.
Maybe that in the end the results I get resemble someone else’s work but that for me is pure coincidence, it’s just a convergence of feelings more than techniques.