In my workshops I have experienced that it is always also in the literal sense about visual speaking and telling, about the speaking image. But not only about what is shown, but a lot about how and why. This is a very personal approach that makes photography a medium for one's own perception.
Now it is already an old hat that a picture says more than a thousand words. Photos are the focus of the messages in social media, almost everyone makes them and rather posts pictures than texts. Also the self-portrait is booming again, is called today quite naturally Selfie. At the same time the photo technology is getting better and better, it is quite easy for anyone who gets a bit involved to take good photos. Software and artificial intelligence take over parts of the image processing and design. Who knows, maybe in a few years' time cameras will only deliver a complete package of data at the push of a button, which can be designed at will on the computer. Focus, depth of field, exposure and image elements could then be defined later. Some of these already exist.
And yet photos still have a different quality. They always represent the personality of the person who took the photo. Sometimes clearer, sometimes more hidden. But the selection of the subject, the cropping, the tonal value adjustment in the post-processing, colour highlights, montages, all this says something about the photographer's attitude and perception. For me, this is a narrative of its own in photographs - regardless of the motif. "talkingvisual" means to make exactly that conscious. It is not the view to the outside combined with the question of what others might like that guides the search for motifs, but the view to the inside. What really interests me, why do I photograph, what stimulates the motif in me? Everyone can find that out for themselves. This requires curiosity, concentration and precise observation. Photographing in the streets promotes precisely this form of creativity as well as the observation of inside and outside.
By concentrating on the present and fading out thoughts, one gets closer to one's surroundings, one perceives more precisely. When strolling through the city, you are inspired by the most diverse things and people and you often come across something that is currently occupying you. Sometimes you find new perspectives, a new point of view, you notice things you haven't seen before, even if you've walked past the same place x times before. These can be very illuminating moments and you become more sensitive to new perspectives.
Photos taken in this way stimulate self-reflection in the aftermath. One can ask oneself questions about one's own photos and will notice what has preoccupied one. Why are my photos today dominated by lines? Why do strong contrasts appear again and again? Why don't I dare to get closer to people? One's own state of mind is reflected by the external pictures - the photos taken - and little aha-experiences emerge again and again. Often you suddenly see details that you didn't even notice while taking the picture - but which complete the picture in the first place. Our perception can be more comprehensive than our sense of sight if we concentrate fully on the moment. I experience this again and again and also some workshop participants were surprised when they looked at his photos later. Photography as such is then a beautiful moment of presence. This unstresses the head, brings a certain calmness and promotes a clear view of the surroundings. The result is actually no longer so important - but it is still mostly successful, because the photos represent a personal moment of attention.