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Volker Birke
Germany Nominee Fine Art Amateur "Lago di Resia" Nikon D800, steeple of the former village of Graun, Italy, South Tyrol, amidst the (frozen) reservoir "Lago di Resia" where Graun has been inundated since 1950. I can't draw, but release the shutter. I've been fascinated with nature, especially sea and landscapes, all my life, and how it relates to personal feelings, atmosphere and moods. Got my first camera around the age of ten. Therefore, artistic landscape photography has always been a favorite subject, also viewing landscape paintings (e.g., created by Caspar David Friedrich or William Turner). However, I'm much interested in other genres of photography as well. For the last 15 years I have primarily used digital SLR cameras, though still employing and developing (b&w 35 mm) film occasionally. Furthermore, let me cite a great description I found in a textbook of photography: "My job as a photographer is to bring order to chaos. While it's true that our world is full of visual richness, it's also true that our world is full of visual chaos. The difficulty in creating strong, dynamic photographs is in dealing with that chaos. Out of an infinite number of elements, I (and you) have to select and arrange a certain number of them into some visual harmony. Consider the difference between a painter and a photographer. Starting with a blank canvas, the painter constructs an image by adding only those elements needed for visual excitement. But my job as a photographer is to eliminate, to strip away many of those chaotic elements that exist in front of me until I arrive at the strongest possible image." Norton, B. (2001) "The Art of Outdoor Photography - Techniques for the Advanced Amateur and Professional", Voyageur Press, Hong Kong, ISBN 13:978-0-89658-459-4, p. 12. Latest awards: https://www.volkerbirke.com/news/ Gold, silver and bronze medal winner at IPA 2015 and 2016, two HMs at IPA 2019, four HMs at IPA 2020. Silver and bronze medal winner, several HMs at "PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris" 2013, 2015 and 2020 (categories "Fine Art - Other FA" and "Nature - Sunsets", resp.). Several Honorable Mentions and Nominations at the Annual Black and White Spider Awards since 2013. 3rd Place - Honor of Distinction "It's Full of Stars" Category: Nature at the 7th Annual Photography Masters Cup / International Color Awards and several Honorable Mentions and Nominations. |
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