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Spreewald Journal Issue: September/October 2018

Interview with photographer Peter Becker: "The very fact that the Spreewald is a unique lagoon landscape with a Slavic settlement history makes for unique motifs."

After his career as a teacher, Peter Becker is very enthusiastic about capturing the beautiful diversity of the Spreewald in words and especially in pictures. As a freelance journalist and photographer, he can draw on a colourful fund of Spreewald anecdotes and motifs. We asked Peter Becker, who is an ambassador for the region in his very own way, what attraction he sees in Spreewald photography.

Mr Becker, what makes the Spreewald a cornucopia of photo motifs for you that still arouses your enthusiasm after many years? The fact alone that the Spreewald is a unique lagoon landscape with a Slavic settlement history makes for unique motifs. Add to that the change of seasons, there are rare animal and plant species, and there is always something new to discover. What do you pay particular attention to in your photographs? Is there a main intention you want to convey to the viewers of your photos? The ordinary in a special context - that is the aim of my work. It's about looking at things in the truest sense of the word: from a frog's or bird's eye view, everyday things already look special. If the light is right and the colours work well together, the result can be a very special photo. I enjoy the comments in the social media in which I present some photos, especially those with a "wow effect" and the statement that it must be particularly beautiful in the Spreewald, a destination worth visiting. Among other things, you also give workshops and photo tours and roam the region with resourceful amateur photographers. What makes this exchange so exciting for you? I try to take into account the different levels of the course participants and give them tips. In the process, it happens time and again that I can learn something myself. Many a tip from a participant has already helped me. Is there any feedback from the participants that you hear again and again, or any that was perhaps quite surprising? It is particularly exciting to see the participants' photos afterwards. Sometimes their photos are better than mine, which of course annoys me a bit, but I try to implement at the next opportunity. Do you have a motif that you have been waiting for patiently for a long time and that you absolutely want to capture? There are many: For years I've been waiting for wolf, beaver, moose, raccoon, raccoon dog and co. Preferably on a river or in a rick landscape, so as not to give the impression that it could have been photographed anywhere.

You can find more information about the Spreewald picture service at www.bilderbecker.de.