TITLE: Botanical Studies

The idea grew over 10 years ago inspired by the nature drawings of Ernst Haeckel. For more than 6 years I'm actually photographing botanical objects in this very minimalistic black and white style.

Inspired by countless sketches by Ernst Haeckel from "Art Forms of Nature" (1899-1904) and by Karl Blossfeldt's photographs from the 1920s and 1930s. The idea for my project "Botanical Studies" was born, in which the respective motifs were deliberately implemented in a minimalist way.

AUTHOR: Matthias Conrad (Germany)

Nature and landscapes have always played an important role in my life. I was born in the mid-1970s in a small town in Thuringia, on the edge of the Hainich National Park, in the middle of Germany, where I grew up very close to nature. Trips and vacations with my parents and grandparents often led to nature. I discovered photography very early on in my childhood when I was playing around with my parents' and grandparents' analog EXA and Praktika cameras, which were made in the GDR.

What started as a small hobby has developed over the years into my profession and my passion. My love of traveling also arose during my business studies. My fascination for landscape photography began with various stays abroad in Canada, Mexico, and the USA and their diverse landscapes.

In the meantime, this type of photography also plays a decisive role in my professional life. In addition to workshops and photo trips, I often travel to Switzerland, Austria, and southern Germany to produce work for commercial projects.