August 21, 2019

Through The Lens Of David Wachmann

Berlin-based photographer and biologist David Wachmann a.k.a. @davidwachmann took us on his latest journey to beautiful Helsinki, Finland. Capturing the gloomy feel of those short Scandinavian summer days, David shot this story for our Discovery Redefined campaign, wearing the Meridian 38mm Silver Blue Milanese. Read our exclusive interview below!

Tell us about yourself! How did you get into photography?

There's no defining moment in my life that made me pick up a camera – I have always had an interest in photography and art that slowly developed into what I do today. I remember taking photos on family vacations with my parents' first digital camera when I was a child. In my teens I was very interested in drawing and painting, but would always take photos while traveling. After upgrading my camera and spending much more time studying photography over the last few years, I started shooting portraits and using film.

Which other artists inspire your work?

There are countless artists out there whose work impresses me, be it photography, paintings, films, music or some other form of art. Staying in the realm of still photography, some of my favourite contemporary photographers include Andrew Kearns, Tom Mitchell, Dean Martindale, apricotberlin (Jessica Schwarz and Tiago da Silva), André Josselin and Henrik Purienne.

What has been your favourite shoot so far?

I don't have one – I'm never quite happy with any shoot as a whole, and also rarely have favourites of any kind. There are some single photos I keep coming back to though, which I guess you could call my favourite ones.

How about filming?

I have tried filming and editing footage and found it to be very interesting and rewarding, but not easy by any means and so much more work! I would like to do more of it though.

What importance does traveling play in your life, and which are the most inspiring places you’ve been to?

Traveling is a double-edged sword. Of course, as the cliché goes, I love experiencing new places and cultures. But too often tourism is part of the reason these cultures are forgotten but for cheap souvenirs and the environment suffers irreparable damages. I'm fortunate enough to have seen a lot of the world already, but it is difficult to balance an urge to explore more of it with your personal responsibility and conscience.

Maybe hypocritically, the places that inspired me the most have always been those where I was completely alone, preferably in nature.

Would you say traveling makes photography more interesting? And if yes, in what way?

Of course traveling makes photography more interesting, because traveling is interesting in and of itself. Where there are new things to see and experience, there are new subjects to photograph. Capturing the unfamiliar can be an easy way to create interest – which does not mean that the familiar cannot be just as interesting.