Keyword archive for: 2022

“Great, can we get together again”

Pleasant atmosphere, ideal exhibition weather, a lot of positive feedback: After four ideal exhibition days, we draw a positive balance.

«Pleasant atmosphere, ideal exhibition weather, lots of positive feedback. We are very satisfied», summed up Urs Hintermann, OC President of Photo Münsingen, on Sunday afternoon.

According to an initial estimate, around 3500 to 4000 people interested in photography attended Photo Münsingen 2022. This corresponds to the long-term average before the pandemic. In particular, the presentations by various photographers and experts were well received.

Urs Hintermann: «Great, can we get together again. People feel the need to attend such events again. So we experienced a nice exchange between photographers, visitors and sponsors.»

We would like to thank the more than 100 helpers as well as sponsors, patrons and partners. Among them the main sponsors Nikon, Bookfactory and Foto Video Zumstein.

Photo Münsingen 2023 will take place from May 18th to 21st, 2023.

Impressions of Photo Münsingen 2022: pictures and social media

The Pho­to Mün­sin­gen is in full swing. Our photo team is on the way. Impressions, reports and posts can be found in our picture gallery and on the social media channels.

At the nuclear gallery and on Flickr we have photos of the vernissage and first impressions of Photo Münsingen 2022.

Use the hashtag #photomuensingen! And follow us on our social media channels for up-to-date information and impressions:

The Photo Münsingen Award 2022 goes to Lucerne

"Last Call" is the name of the winner tableau Photo Club Competition of Pho­to Mün­sin­gen 2022. The work of the Lucerne photo team convinced the jury. 50 teams from all over Switzerland took part in the "Abstract" competition.

 "Very, very, beautiful," said Antonino Catalano about the tableau of the Photo teams Lucerne on the occasion of the vernissage. The picture was discussed in the three-person jury. «The cable in the middle is the connection between above and below. The four components on the page form a circle that holds together. And the red dot looks like the dot on the I,” Catalano describes the composition. Alongside him, Alice Lautenschlager and Anita Vozza acted as jurors.

The jury placed the photo club Münsingen with "Berner Brunnen" and the photo club Ebikon with "water colors" in second and third place. Then come the Fotoclub Fricktal (“Curved”), the Fotofreunde Oberaargau (“Indigo”) and the Fotoklub Solothurn (“Abstract”).

All panels are at the Pho­to Mün­sin­gen exhibited in the castle hall. There, visitors can also judge the work of the photo clubs and win nice prizes. Six winners will be drawn from all the talons submitted on Sunday, May 29th. Vouchers from Nikon, Foto Video Zumstein and Bookfactory are waiting for them.

Incidentally, the theme of the competition for next year is already known: the Photo Münsingen Award 2023 is about “customs”.

To the exposition…
To the visitor competition…

Lectures and Audio Vision: An overview of the dates

Numerous lectures, audiovisual productions and the Photosuisse award ceremony will take place over the four days of the exhibition. When is what? An overview.

Thursday May 26, 2022

Exhibitions and Photo Arena open from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m., Audio Vision blocks in the Füürwehrsaal at 13.00 p.m., 13.45 p.m., 14.30 p.m. and 15.15 p.m

10.30 Lecture: Marco Felix, tips for travel photography parish hall
11.00 Lecture: Thomas Kern, The emergence of a portrait series Fürwehrhuus
12.00 Lecture: Andreas Zimmermann, m.object parish hall
13.00 Lecture: Christian Reding, Nikon innovations parish hall
14.30 Lecture: Thomas Biasotto, MASSIVE parish hall
16.00 Lecture: Patric Vigato, EIZO, color management parish hall
16.30 Lecture: Martin Bissig, Extremely on the move Fürwehrhuus
17.00 Lecture: Christian Reding, Get a taste of photo technology parish hall

Friday 27st May 2022

Exhibitions and Photo Arena open from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m., Audio Vision blocks in the Füürwehrsaal at 13.00 p.m., 13.45 p.m., 14.30 p.m. and 15.15 p.m

11.00 Lecture: Harry Lieber (DE), The beauty behind the obvious Fürwehrhuus
11.00 Lecture: Oliver May, EIZO, color management parish hall
12.00 Lecture: Andreas Zimmermann, m.object parish hall
13.00 Lecture: Christian Reding, Nikon innovations parish hall
14.30 Lecture: Mary Farinello, bookfactory Software parish hall
19.00 Multivision: Andreas Zimmermann, totally crazy Fürwehrhuus

Saturday, May 28, 2022

Exhibitions and Photo Arena open from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m., Audio Vision blocks in the Füürwehrsaal at 13.00 p.m., 13.45 p.m., 14.30 p.m. and 15.15 p.m

11.00 Lecture: Mathias Kniepeiss (AT), The magic of the moment Fürwehrhuus
11.00 Lecture: Oliver May, EIZO, color management parish hall
12.00 Lecture: Andreas Zimmermann, m.object parish hall
13.00 Lecture: Christian Reding, Nikon innovations parish hall
14.00 Award ceremony PHOTOSUISSE 2021 Auditorium school building Schlossmatt
14.30 Lecture: Marco Felix, tips for travel photography parish hall
16.30 Lecture: Olivier Morin (FR), Arctic Fun Fürwehrhuus

Sunday May 29, 2022

Exhibitions and Photo Arena open from 10 a.m. to 17 p.m., Audio Vision blocks in the Füürwehrsaal at 13.00 p.m., 13.45 p.m., 14.30 p.m. and 15.15 p.m

10.30 Lecture: Christian Reding, Get a taste of photo technology parish hall
11.00 Lecture: Werner Richner (DE), Between heaven and earth Fürwehrhuus
12.00 Lecture: Andreas Zimmermann, m.object parish hall
13.00 Lecture: Christian Reding, Nikon innovations parish hall
14.30 Lecture: Christian Burkhardt & Filipp Rechsteiner, Bookfactory parish hall
16.00 Raffle for the winners of the visitor competition Schlossgutsaal

Interview with Thomas Kern: "I just come to you as a person."

For the series "Je te regarde et tu dis" Thomas Kern photographed 61 people from all areas of the canton of Fribourg. In the interview he talks about the creation of the series, his working method and the selection of the portrayed.

Thomas Kern, you are at home in Aargau, but for the 12th edition of the "Photographic investigation: Freiburg theme" you portrayed the people of Freiburg for a whole year. how come

I have to digress a bit. The Enquête Photographique Fribourgeoise is a competition that I have known for a long time. However, I didn't realize for a long time that it was also open to photographers from outside the canton and that I could apply there. After my exhibition about Haiti in 2017, I didn't have any major projects. So I found it interesting to apply here.

So you were looking for a topic.

Yes. It wasn't that easy, because I'm not from Freiburg. I don't have a large income. It quickly became clear to me that I wanted to do portraits - because I just like doing it. I didn't want to impose a theme on the whole thing, though. For example, I didn't want to photograph a certain ethnic group or a certain type of people. I wanted to leave that open. When applying, the great art was to describe the project on three pages in a comprehensible way without telling the jury which people in the canton of Friborg I would ultimately be photographing. At the time, I didn't even want to know myself, I just wanted to leave it to chance.

So how did you choose the people for your portraits?

As part of my research, I read a book by Jean-François Haas, a writer from Fribourg. In these novellas, Haas unspectacularly described the lives of random people in very beautiful stories. I immediately had the feeling that they were from Freiburg, even though it wasn't declared anywhere. That was like a guide for me. So I started with him. Then I had a few more people to connect with. For example, a tobacco farmer I once did a report about. I asked these people to pass me on to someone next. About 80 percent of the contacts came about through references.

Elsewhere you mentioned the concentration between you and the sitter. What do you mean by that?

When photographing, a moment should arise in which there is nothing between me and the photographed person. No image, no mask. I wanted to get as close to the people as possible. Create a common focus. It was important to me that people's views were unobstructed. Because that allows viewers to look inside the images. As soon as I take a portrait where the facial expression is the result of an interaction between me and that person, then as a photographer I own that moment. However, I wanted the people looking at these pictures to be able to look inside the pictures. And that the people I photographed look at the viewers exactly as they looked at me.

How is it possible to achieve this concentration?

This is very individual, there is no recipe. It was important to me that I talked to people about the project beforehand: I'll come to your house and there's no reason. Except that someone called your name. We don't know each other and I don't want you to represent anything - even if you're in a football club, I won't come and photograph you as a footballer. I just come to you as a human. I want to leave everything else out of the picture. People understood that.

What role does technology play here?

I took the pictures analogue, that was clear to me for various reasons. On the one hand, I grew up with it. It's a technique that doesn't scare me. On the other hand, as a photographer, it forces me to be more careful, especially with portraits. It's a slower process. After twelve frames I have to change the film. The rhythm is different than when I expose 1500 images. It's also important: I don't have to see what I'm doing and, above all, I don't want the person portrayed to see what I'm doing.

We are all constantly being photographed these days. So much so that taking pictures is no longer perceived as the actual action. But if you take pictures so slowly, then it suddenly becomes an act. That leads people to the moment when I say, "Now, that's fine, the light is right, now don't think about anything".

How did you choose the location of the portrait and the position of the portrayed?

I didn't really care what background appeared in the picture. Nevertheless, my goal was always to take an interesting picture. Since I was working with natural light, the choice in terms of location was mostly minimal. I needed a bit of space and the light had to be there. So that's what happened. For posture I give very light instructions, watch the body language to see if the person is comfortable. At the end there are very few instructions. “Look into the camera, look directly, please shut your mouth”. I didn't want people to laugh because it's a strong gesture that immediately puts them at a certain distance.

To what extent were those portrayed able to have a say?

Actually, I didn't even ask her. Although I feel like it's something very collaborative we're doing. It was clear from the start that I would take the photo.

To the exhibition by Thomas Kern…

To the lecture by Thomas Kern…

Cover picture: © Luca Zanetti

Photosuisse 2021: award ceremony at Photo Münsingen

As part of Photo Münsingen, the PHOTOSUISSE award ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2022 at 14.00:2021 p.m. The umbrella organization of people interested in photography from all over Switzerland honors its best photographers and the best clubs of the XNUMX competition.

It's a kind of Swiss photography championship: every year, PHOTOSUISSE honors the best photographers and the best photo clubs in a competition. Each in separate categories for color and black-and-white images, as well as for digital images, paper images and portfolios. And also in individual ratings for certain topics.

For the 2021 edition, 483 print images and 656 digital photos from 15 different clubs were submitted by a total of 114 members. These photos were judged by René Dürr (CH), Viola Michaelis (CH), Klaus Loorbeer (A) and Michel Planson (F).

The winners are:

  • Best All-Around Photographer Jean-Marc Ayer, SGP Genève
  • Best all-round club AARSO Fotoklub, Zofingen
  • Best Color Photographer Jean-Marc Ayer, SGP Genève
  • Best black and white photographer Daniel Brändli, AARSO Fotoklub, Zofingen
  • Best Color Club AARSO Photo Club, Zofingen
  • Best Black and White Club AARSO Photo Club, Zofingen

The complete rankings are available on the Photosuisse website.

The best and award-winning pictures from the annual competitions from 2019 to 2021 are shown PHOTOSUISSE at Photo Münsingen. A photo book with the pictures is published for each year. PHOTOSUISSE is the umbrella organization for people interested in photography from all over Switzerland. There are currently 38 photo clubs and around 130 people as individual members.

Cover photo: Morning encounterm, © Jean-Marc Ayer, Best All-Around Photographer 2021

Painting with light: visiting the light painting specialist

Taking photos without light is like making coffee without water: black and a dry thing. Various workshops therefore deal with the Pho­to Mün­sin­gen 2022 with the all-important ingredient. Bruno Kneubühler is someone who tames light in a special way. He creates amazing images using light painting.

When Bruno Kneubühler takes photographs, it is initially dark. In light painting, the shutter of the camera is opened in complete darkness, so that various light sources can then be used to literally draw in the picture. "The idea is that you compose an image with lamps, glow sticks, LED lights, Plexiglas or simply anything that lights up or can be illuminated," says Kneubühler, explaining the basic principle.

All in one exposure

For example, a ghostly mask appears. With a flashlight, the photographer draws a skeleton in the air. Then he lights colored spots on the sandstone wall of the cave and transforms it into a mystical location. The shutter is closed again. A colorful image appears on the camera display - which immediately arouses the viewer's interest and imagination.

"Everything in the picture is created in one exposure, nothing is put together in Photoshop," is how Bruno Kneubühler describes his fascination with the technology. “You can actually paint with light just as you would paint with paint. The sensor simply records what it sees.”

It is important to think carefully about how to proceed. You can't turn off the light. "It's a try. And it's always exciting to see whether the result is what you had in mind," says Bruno Kneubühler.

Experiments with the flashlight

The native of Bern taught himself light painting. After initially photographing light trails from cars, fireworks or Bengal matches, he began experimenting with flashlights. Gradually, thanks to the internet and his own tinkering, he got to know more technology. Meanwhile, he regularly leads workshops.

At the Pho­to Mün­sin­gen Bruno Kneubühler offers two light painting courses. in the foundation course the participants get to know technology and basics: At «Light painting advanced» advanced images are then developed.

Good ideas and a tripod

A prerequisite for the light painting workshops is that the participants can operate their cameras. You should know how to set aperture, ISO, exposure time and especially noise reduction for long exposures. You will also need a tripod and a remote shutter release. A headlamp and a hat to cover the lens are also useful tools.

Good ideas are always needed for light painting. "It always depends on the situation and the available material, what you can do," says Kneubühler, "if the participants like, we can implement relatively complex images in the workshops".

Various workshops on light

So much for light painting. Special lighting situations and their possibilities are dealt with at the Pho­to Mün­sin­gen In 2022, however, there will also be numerous other workshops. For example, there is the course «Sand Blast» by Felix Peter, in which a magical world is created with colored light and flour. In workshop "Nude in the candlelight" by Christoph Ris, it's all about creating enchanting, sensual shots with as little light as possible. The workshop is also recommended for lighting enthusiasts "Laws of Light" by Martin Zurmühle or the course «Portrait shots 1 model – 1 light» with Remo Zehnder.

Sports photographer Martin Bissig: "It's just as exhausting for me as it is for the athletes"

As an action and mountain bike photographer, Martin Bissig accompanies athletes on their adventures to remote corners of the world. At Photo Münsingen he is showing excerpts from the series "Facing K2" (Pakistan), "Chasing Trails" (Iran) and "Nekor - A Pilgrim Ride" (Tibet). In the interview, Bissig talks about his working methods, preparations and equipment.

Martin Bissig, you accompany athletes on their adventures. How do you prepare for such a mission?

A distinction must be made between material and physical preparation. With regard to the material, it's important that I know right from the start what I'm going to encounter, what it looks like on site and what my options are. For example, there is often no way to charge batteries for days. So I have to make sure that I can work autonomously during this time. That means: having enough memory cards and batteries with you, having the option of making a backup and so on. Then I always work with two cameras in case one fails. Also important are radios to talk to the athletes, or a drone. It's often difficult to get something like this when you're on the go.

What is the physical preparation like?

I travel a lot before the expedition. I don't train specifically, but I try to be in good physical shape all year round. It's just as physically demanding for me as it is for the athletes. When it comes to altitude, I have already acclimatized in a high-altitude tent at home. I prepare well, because if an athlete drops out during an expedition, that's part of the story. On the other hand, if I fail, there are no pictures. And I can't afford that.

What camera equipment do you work with?

I've been working with the Canon system completely mirrorless for three years - mainly because of the size and weight, which is very relevant for me. I always work with two cameras at the same time. I have a 15mm wide-angle lens on one, a superzoom on the other, currently a 24-240mm. It's important to me that I can cover the entire focal length range and don't have to change lenses. I have the cameras on a hip belt, so I'm ready at all times.

Who are the clients for these pictures, how is your work financed?

You have to differentiate: on the one hand there are the expeditions. I don't earn enough with these to be able to earn my living in Switzerland. Although the stories are published in fifteen to twenty countries at a time and are also financed by sponsors. On the other hand, I do a lot of commercial work, here in Switzerland and in neighboring countries. For bike manufacturers, backpack manufacturers, holiday destinations and so on. That's how I earn my money.

The expeditions I do are financed by sponsors, who then also receive part of the pictures. Or by athletes, who in turn covered this with sponsors. Partly also from tourist destinations where we are invited. And then I get a little kickback from the magazines in which we publish.

How do you work on site: are you a silent observer or do you arrange things?

On an expedition, I try to be as real and authentic as possible. I don't arrange anything, I don't set anything, but most of what happens happens that way. That means I'm really an observer. There are of course action scenes that we do two or three times to make it look cool, but I wouldn't arrange anything that doesn't correspond to reality.

What is involved in your work on site?

On an expedition like the one in Pakistan, that's a very large area that I cover in the form of a one-man show: I filmed, photographed, flew drones, did the sound. I also edited the film and distributed images to the magazines. On site, my working day starts early in the morning when I get up and the driver ends after a hard day of interviews.

Do you have a tip for photographers who want to get into extreme sports and action photography?

There is really only one thing: go out, do, have fun with what you like to do. Commercial success usually comes naturally afterwards. Although you have to say: it's a tough place, there are many existing and good photographers out there who already have a name. To get started, I suggest teaming up with an athlete. Or in the commercial sector to contact manufacturers of outdoor equipment. There are always cool, young brands that are also looking for cool young photographers.

To the exhibition by Martin Bissig…

To the lecture by Martin Bissig…

 

Photo workshops 2022: Register now

The Pho­to Mün­sin­gen offers a comprehensive workshop program with experienced workshop leaders. From animal, landscape, wedding and portrait to nude photography, everything is included. Expand your knowledge! Secure your place online from Tuesday, April 19, 20 p.m.! Continue reading

Hot off the press: our brochure is here

The brochure of Pho­to Mün­sin­gen 2022 gives an overview of the photo exhibitions, lectures, audiovisual presentations and photo workshops. It also contains exciting photographer interviews and information about sponsors and partners. Continue reading