Photoseries

Tough Life

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Not everyone lives on the sunny side of life. Within seconds, circumstances can turn ones life upside down. While in some countries treatment is available straight away, simple things like sheer luck decides between life and death or permanent disability in other countries. In the end, it’s all down to FATE.

In our modern and fast-moving world, even small mishaps can riddle someone off the track and make lives miserable: the loss of a smartphone, a missed flight, a partying neighbour or a broken car. And if something actually bad happens? Well, then we have the luxury of institutions, insurances or savings. Help will eventually come.

Keep in mind through that there are millions of people in these so called third-world-countries who are the backbone of our comfort zone. They do jobs we wouldn’t dare to work in and most often under hazardous conditions that endanger health and well-being. Still, these people bear their fate with the greatest dignity since moaning or groaning will not bring them any further.

Street Life

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Probably most people reading this are born into a well situated society, meaning a roof over the head, proper school education and if ambitious, a job with a fair wage. Very often, people don’t realise that they were born on the sunny side of life. But don’t forget that approximately 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing and their homes are the streets and alleys of more or less every country in the world.

Kolkata Market Life

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There are some countries, where the expression “Man Power” is still literally in use; countries where machines haven’t taken over yet and where human labour is still essential. One can only admire these people for their strength, power, endurance and willingness.

Kashmir 2015

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Getting to Kashmir involves one of the most adventurous trips in the world: a journey across the fantastic Leh-Manali Highway. We were up for this adventure and after a two day trip (479 kilometres from Manali) across the Himalayas, we arrived in the beautiful town of Leh – exhausted, tired and with a headache.

Leh lies at an altitude of 3.524 metres and due to the strong influence of Tibetan Buddhism, the city is also known as Little Tibet or the Land of Lamas. Although not as high as some of the passes across the Leh-Manali Highway, the atmosphere and especially the sky is exceptional. You’re closer to heaven and not only can you see, but feel it! Leh radiates something I can’t quite nail down. Something peaceful and mysterious at the same time. We felt like staying in an old western town with a gold-rush mood… the next three days would let us explore this amazing town and the beautiful surrounding Gompas.

Varanasi 2015

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Once in every lifetime an observant Hindu hopes to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Varanasi. Some come to wash away sickness and sin in the Ganges River. Others bring their dead to be burned. Still some come to live their last days here, for to die and be cremated in Varanasi guarantees eternal release from the cycle of birth and death.

Hands

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Hands are those very useful things at the ends of your arms.

I have always been fascinated with hands as a photo subject because they give you an insight on the persons life story: how old they are, where they come from, what they do, what their living situation looks like. Our human hands are truly unique. The appearance of your hands can reveal whether you perform extremely gentle and precise actions such as playing the violin, or heavy labor, such as digging. Only we can grasp, hold, move, and manipulate objects with them. We use our hands to feel whether something is rough or smooth, hot or cold, sharp or dull.

Now take a moment to hold them out in front of you. Look at them. They are the only two you will ever have.

Sadarghat Port | Dhaka

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The minute we arrived at Sadarghat Port, we were surrounded by ferrymen who were all eager to row us up and down the river in one of the the many Sampan ferries – the small wooden boats, powered and steered by one person. They wait in a cue to pick up passengers. Watching & documenting the daily life at this very busy port has already fascinated us during our visit in 2012 and we were eager to experience it all over again.

Once we settled the price (roughly 150 Taka per hour – excluding tips), the journey took its course. Rush hour in the Dhaka mean that thousands of people have to cross the busy waters of the Buriganga river. It’s said that this is one of the most dangerous waterways on Earth … and most dangerous for the ferrymen.

These men are really talented and fast with their boats; they navigate them like the cycle Rickshaw drivers maneuver their through the chaotic traffic in the city. It’s hard physical work too with temperatures of up to 40° Celsius (and very often the ferrymen are over 70 years old). Very impressive! It’s not a comfortable ride tough, because you have to sit cross-legged on the wooden boat deck, so cramps are a certain factor if you’re not used to sit in such a position (and of course this was the case for us).

Traffic along the Buriganga river is most common and happening at almost any given hour of the day: big boats and small boats filled with all sorts of different goods make their way up or down the river stream, launches (this is what ferries are called in Bangladesh) come and go, cargo-ships that need a repair job are parked along the waterway…all is normal here at Sadarghat port. As you can imagine with all these boats, several movements of these ferrymen are clearly not for the faint-hearted, but somehow it works out most of the times. Still, every day one or two boats capsize. And sometimes people die.

Sadarghat port is an experience itself and a must for every Bangladesh visitor – the daily chaos with all these boats on the river will stay with you for a long time.

Berlin 2013

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Berlin is one of the world’s great capitals. Since the Wall’s collapse in1989, it’s been exciting to see Berlin shed its Cold War-era blossom into a vibrant, hip and relaxed capital city. The nightlife, the people, the museums, the landmarks – Berlin offers a great variety for everyone to enjoy.

Istanbul 2013

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Although Istanbul isn’t the capital, it’s the largest city in Turkey and the leading industrial, commercial, historical, and cultural center. Not only because of the diversity of people, but also geologically; Istanbul is the only major city world-wide that lies on two continents, Asia & Europe. It’s one of the most fascinating places and therefore the “Soul of Turkey” should be visited at least once in a lifetime.

Paris 2013

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When most people think about Paris, historical & gigantic buildings, large streets, great distances and lots of people come to mind … right after “The City of Love” of course. In Paris, there are lots of opportunities to see a whole new aspect of the city. Some of the spots are pretty obvious, others not so well-known.

Today, Paris is one of the world’s leading business and cultural centres and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major global cities.

Surfing Teahupoo

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Teahupoo itself is a black beach place with many local rent out rooms and the vibes are really good – as they usually are around surf spots. We were lucky to stay with a few surfers from Brazil (including the pro-surfer Dennis Tiahara). When the guys went our for a surf the next day, they asked if we’d dare to go out with them to take some photos. This was a great opportunity and we followed their request immediately. Some local guy they knew, took us out to the massive waves on his jet-ski and we spent the next two days taking heaps of shots right near this world-famous break. It was an unforgettable experience to be so close to the action.

Dragon’s Backbone

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The Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces – also known as the Longji rice terraces – are the most famous in China. They were mostly built during the Ming Dynasty, about 500 years ago but construction actually began in the Yuan Dynasty over 700 years ago. Neatly planted with a very sophisticated watering system, this is farming since many hundred years in this fertile area. The walking trails are abundant and it’s easy to spend a week without going the same way and with every step you take you get another view.

Market Life

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For many people, life revolves around the market. It’s the place in every city (at least where supermarkets haven’t taken over yet), where people go to buy their daily needs. From dawn until dusk, markets are a bustling melting pot where all social classed collide.

Africa in the 70s

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Since I have been travelling from the early 70’s, when all those modern gadgets were not yet invented, travelling overland through remote and unexplored regions of the black continent was a privilege for only a hand full of people. Today a lot of regions that I explored by 4×4 truck with the simple method of a compass and map, are no longer accessible, at least not without an unease feeling. Back then, with Nisa in tow, the little white girl opened doors to the grimmest police officer just with her smile.

Ship Breaking Yard

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Research through the internet taught us, that the beginning of the ship breaking industry in Bangladesh came by “accident”. After a severe cyclone in 1960, a Greek ship was stranded on the beach of Chittagong and could not be re-floated for some years. Then it was scrapped and this was the birth of the Bangladesh ship breaking industry – which is the second largest in the world.

Barbers

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If you’re travelling through India, you’ll notice that the hairdressers you’ll pass along the streets are barbers for men only. Lady hairdressers are mostly hidden behind closed doors or curtains. If you insist enough though, even a local barber will give you a nice wash and blow dry … and if you’re really lucky (and you’re up for it) even a haircut. Don’t worry, hair grows again… after all, no risk, no fun.