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The Interview With Photographer Carsten WitteArticle by: Veronica Baesso

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Today I have the pleasure of interviewing the amazing photographer Carsten Witte. His outstanding series captures the feminine beauty with the nostalgic idea that only an image can preserve something that is destined to fade. Witte’s art work has been seen from magazines to billboards and galleries. More at carstenwitte.com.

What is your background and how did you become involved with photography?

Sure there is more than one reason. I started with drawing but I realized that my skills will never come as close to my imagination as I want. I always loved a realistic look, so photography was the first option. The second memorable moment was in a friend’s darkroom. Seeing my own shot image becoming a realistic print under the red light was just magic.

What are the main themes in your photography?

The all over idea is definitely the circle of grace, beauty and evanescence

You define yourself as “The venerable priest of beauty”. What is beauty for you and how do you express it with your art?

First of all, I never defined myself in this way. A journalist once named me this way, and her words spread around in papers and the Internet. To explain the meaning, I try to come as close as possible in showing the beauty in life and kind of celebrate it in my work. From the beginning to the very end. One of my still favorite books is “Genesis” by Ernst Haas. He was a kind of all around photographer, traveling almost everywhere. One day his assistant told him, after checking his archive, that he captured unknowingly the whole world from volcanoes to animals and humans life. That’s how his book got born.

Who are your muses?

Women in general, some special ones for sure. And every morning I get up and see the light outside.

Who and what inspire you the most in your photography?

First of course, nature! Then, like I mentioned before, Ernst Haas for his variety, David Lynch for his mystery and style.

Let’s talk about your art project Dyptichs, what is the relationship between women and nature?

Variety, form, beauty, grace and evanescence.

Psyche, is another of your well-received art projects. Women as butterflies: what is the meaning and the underlying message?

It´s also the same circle, but also portraying my collective personality and the intention to preserve beauty for eternity.

The play of shadow and light. Mystery and charm. What is the phenomenon you call “timeless absorption”?

There are two, what you call phenomenons, the technical, which allows me to cover parts of the image in deep shadows with a structure. These shades offer the viewer space for his own imagination. This is the point when every viewer makes the images his.

The series “Lounge Nudes” is an extremely powerful and intimate project. Nudes that have a potential to express strong emotions that range well beyond the sensual aspect that is most common for this type of photography. What are the emotions you want to communicate?

I just reflect whats happening in front of my lens. Sure, I set everything from location to light, but what the portrayed person shows is out of my reach…

The models in your nudes always look so relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera. How do you reach that state?

I just guess, but what I do is to open myself very much to them and giving them full control of the situation plus a maximum of security.

What part of a woman’s body fascinates you the most?

The face. Sure, I love the other parts as well, but what counts is the full image. Does everything fit together? For me, it fits together when the face comes to life.

What are your plans for the future?

Still working on my ongoing projects, preparing my next exhibit in February in Hamburg and, some day, to work with art students at a university…

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