Nicolas van Ryk

Images are created in your head

In South Africa, there is a big blue sky and everything seems so far away, infinitely large, and beyond the horizon it goes on for ever. As a child, I wanted to know what came after these mountains, after that plateau. I wanted to explore the world and in the meantime I have been able to see a large part of it. I have taken pictures for National Geographic in South Africa and my reports and contributions have been published in various other national and international newspapers and magazines. I am a member of the photographers’ agency Visum and an appointed member of the prestigious German Photographic Association (DGPh). So far, my work has taken me to 51 countries and 218 world heritage sites on all five continents. There is no area that is not worth reporting on and depicting. Only now the images must be of the story and the story must be of the images. The posed must act uncontrived and everything has to be authentic. As a photographer you need to be in the centre of things, but still be in the background. For this, the approach is vital. Empathy is needed and instinct is required. Trust has to be earned. This is essential for good reportage pictures. The matter of photo equipment is also important. Better small and fine, than big and showy. But only in moments. Freezing those moments is the art of photography. Perception, a flair for all-too-human aspects and technical speed must be combined with one another to capture moments of life. Reportage photography is always Street and Travel Photography too. I have worked according to these principles in many countries. Particularly often in Portugal, Israel and South Africa, my second home. Next to capturing people, I have a particular fondness for cats, flowers and garden art. Here I can indulge in my special fondness for macro photography and showcase all of it on my websites www.nicolas-van-ryk.de and www.luchslicht.de.