About me

I am a photographer based in Graz, Austria, Europe. A runaway at heart, I simply wanted to escape the elite boarding school. After a few fistfights in my new school class I felt grounded. I won only a few, lost most of them—but I made friends. My parents had given me a solid education. A blessing, a perfect tool, something I could rely on. I wanted to leave, and so I left home, which had already changed several times before I turned ten. I dropped out of my physics and economics studies and left behind the world I knew. Everything I owned fit into a backpack, and life swept my friend Walter and me to South America—to the mouth of the Amazon river. I estimated my chances of surviving and returning at 50/50, but in the end, there were fewer snakes than expected. Why explore the Amazon? Simply because it was there, calling us with its promise of adventure. As far as I knew, no one had navigated the full length of the river before. We were 23 and ready to go.

Ten months later, my journals were filled with stories I wish I had read before setting off—of jungle, animals, rapids, native people, corruption, drugs, fear, euphoria, illness, exhaustion, survival. So close to death, yet never more alive! I returned with torn clothes and a battered backpack—but thousands of slides and hundreds of journal pages preserved the wonders. Travel had changed me—and awakened a hunger for more.

Three years later, it happened again. Everything I had acquired since coming home was sold off. A new door opened. A new journey began.

I was headed east— this time, with Barbara. She had given up her perfect career as an executive secretary—my 24-year-old gypsy girl.

We got caught up in the civil war in Sri Lanka, and later immersed ourselves into the cultural heart of Asia. A magician made us fly—or die—and we learned how much easier it is to give than to take from the poorest. Our modest budget brought us straight into the soul of Asia. Golden signs guided us to higher levels in the Himalaya, and later of reality in Burma. Opium—black gold—glittered along our path to the hill tribes hidden in the Golden Triangle. They touched our skin and hair in wonder—they had never seen white people before. In Taman Negara, Malaysia’s green lung, the jungle claimed us once again. Finally, we found rest for seven weeks on coral islands off China’s coast. These were only some of the stations along our way. After a year, two strangers returned to Europe—overloaded with the treasures life had given them. We had begun to walk our own path. My life continued to be full of travel, wonder, and adventure. It still is—every single day. To some, it may seem less spectacular. To me, it was breathtaking.

Since you’ve read this far, you may be truly interested in treasures. Go on—they’re only a step away. Take a chance and step into my photographs. But be warned: this is dangerous ground. You may encounter traps, illusions, temptations… But perhaps also the hidden path to the beginning of a new adventure.

For more than twenty years, I was fortunate enough to combine my love of travel with a management career in transport telematics, chemicals, textiles, and the steel industry. Hundreds of business trips took me across all five continents. Lufthansa granted me Senator status, but the real rewards were the human encounters. Business is always done between people. From budget travel with a backpack, I found myself now staying in five-star hotels, meeting industry leaders and government officials. While backpacking had opened the beating heart of a country, business access revealed the inner workings of its economic engine. It was thrilling to witness India’s rise as an industrial giant—even though not all of it served its people well. I gained insight into Chinese mindsets, made lifelong friends in India, and became a trusted partner from Dubai to Shanghai. The key was always understanding the culture—the soul—of the people I met. I studied their history, their religion, their philosophy, and learned the basics of some of their languages. What a life—and what an exhausting one! My camera was always with me. Industrial photography, snapshots of new technologies and emerging markets—it was all part of the journey. My archive now holds over 100,000 images from more than thirty years of travel. They capture changes in the world—and glimpses of hidden paradises.

At some point, I shifted from taking to making photographs — because it was more demanding, more fulfilling. Digital photography allowed quick, direct results. Portraits became my passion: the highest discipline in photography. They lead us beyond external appearances, into the realm of personality, imagination, and longing. Faces draw us in—because they always reflect something within ourselves. I passed the master photographer's exam and began working professionally. And whatever I capture with my camera — I do it in full confidence that I will find beauty behind it.

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