Please introduce yourself
Hi, my name is Anna Laudan and I’m a fine art photographer from Hamburg, Germany. My main interests are architecture and landscape photography. With my architecture images I participated in photography awards and could win some awards. I also had some exhibitions with these images.
How did you get interested in photography?
I had my first contact with photography at (high) school. I took part at a project where I was taught in photography and darkroom techniques. I used an old 35mm Canon camera which was used by my grandfather before. But in the next years photography got more and more in the background. Only in 2013 I found back to photography by watching my boyfriend taking pictures all the time. I bought a Canon 600D and became really inflamed for photography. I saw pictures at the Internet, got really impressed and spend most of my free time taking pictures. I improved my skills by watching YouTube tutorials and practiced a lot. At the end of 2014 I started doing architectural photography and became more and more successful. In general I have to say photography changed my life. I have found something in which I am really good at, I have started to travel even by myself which I never could imagined before and made a lot of new friends.
Do you have an artistic/photographic background?
Not really. I did some art classes at school, but I’m a self-taught photographer and learned most of my skills through the Internet.
Which artist/photographer inspired your art?
I watch a lot of images at the Internet every day and a lot of them inspires me. I also have a few friends at Facebook who are photographers too and it feels like a great family in which everyone supports and inspires each other. But when I started to do architecture photography I was strongly inspired by the work of Joel Tjintjelaar and I admire his work until now.
How much preparation do you put into taking a photograph?
That really depends on the subject and if I’m on a trip or at home. For my landscape images I always do a lot of research about the right place and the right time. If I want to take architecture images near or in my hometown. I invest a lot of time in planning and waiting for the right conditions. If I’m planning a trip I do some research before to find interesting buildings but than I have to deal with the conditions I get.
Which places have been your favourite shooting sites so far and why?
Oh, that’s hard to say. I really enjoyed New York City. I think that’s the best city I’ve ever seen. Very nice people, a great atmosphere and iconic buildings. But I really liked shooting in London, Rotterdam and Frankfurt too. Last year I was in the north of Ireland and it was equally amazing.
What do you do in your life besides photography?
I’m a psychologist and as day job I work at a psychiatric clinic. I do horseback riding since my childhood and like to restore old furniture.
What future plans do you have? What projects would you like to accomplish?
At the moment I’m writing a book for photoshop beginners together with two other photographers. In my part of that book I describe and teach techniques to create black and white fine art architecture images. The book is supposed to be released in summer and I am very happy with it and looking forward to see people’s reaction. I also plan to start giving workshops for architecture photography this year. Otherwise I will continue traveling and taking pictures of new locations.
website: www.anna-laudan-photography.de
