Portfolio: Manuel Nieberle

— Before I started with photography, I was mainly skateboarding and filming with friends. Skateboarding really was the reason why I worked with cameras in the first place. Then I got more and more interested in capturing moments. My older brother is a musician, graphic designer, and was always experimenting with old film cameras and developing techniques, so he kinda got me into photography as well.

I love taking pictures of my friends, musicians, and also strangers I meet in the street. I think it really helps to have some time with the one you’re taking pictures of. Drinking coffee together and getting to know the other person, so the whole situation is easier and more relaxed. I usually like the unstaged, very short moments in between more than the staged ones.

There are always trends. A lot of people love the flashlight style at the moment because it gives you a very fast and blunt feeling of any emotion. It’s personal and lets you feel like you’re inside of the picture. I think it’s important not to think too much about trends and what kind of style is ‘in’ right now. Just take photos in the way you have the most fun.

I think being a young photographer is not so easy. And you have to be aware that you never really know how much money you have by the end of the month. It’s sad that especially magazines and other printed media is not able to pay photographers the way they did some years ago.

But it’s not that bad — last week I was assisting a Munich-based photographer in Florida and straight afterwards in the Canadian prairies. It’s just amazing to get the chance to see the world through your passion.

I think I can get surprised through all kinds of images I see everyday. It doesn’t matter if it’s an amazingly ugly designed ad in the supermarket or subway, brilliant covers of old vinyls or just by checking Instagram. I don’t think it’s negative that there are billions of photos being shot everyday.

For me, critics are always welcome. You can learn from everything.