German Landscapes

‘Germany’s Landscapes’ is a photographic journey through coastlines, rivers, wetlands, forests and mountains. The first photographs were commissioned by stern and GEO – on topics such as geotopes and national parks – and were later published as a book. What began as a commission became an independent project that remains open-ended and is continually expanded.

Landscapes hold a special significance for us and move us deeply. On my walks, conversations repeatedly arose about the value, beauty and memories that people associate with them. At what point do we perceive a landscape as beautiful? What makes it worthy of protection – and who decides that?

I found guidance in the Federal Nature Conservation Act, which recognises the beauty of a landscape as a conservation value in its own right: nature and the landscape are to be preserved in such a way that “diversity, distinctiveness and beauty, as well as recreational value, are permanently safeguarded” (BNatSchG § 1 (1)). This legal framework became my starting point for taking a closer look.

Clients often wanted images that looked spectacular, idyllic or dreamlike. This tendency towards exaggeration still gives me a queasy feeling, as it often obscures what really matters: the authenticity of a landscape, its stories and its value to us.
I am not interested in how perfect a landscape appears, but in how we experience it, the connections we form with it and how we treat it. Landscapes are not mere backdrops. They are part of our identity, our history – and our responsibility.