January 2019

Top 9 of 2018


Around the change of the calendar year people tend to look at “best ofs”, and so did I regarding the “most liked” images of my account. It’s nice to be reminded of what I produced and what I’m proud of showing. And I’m happy that I had more interactions this year than ever before. 

Let me tell you a bit more about why I’m especially happy of the “Best Nine” of 2018 selection of my instagram account @gregorhofbauer. They basically reflect what I love producing: There are editorial picture, travel photos, portraits in the studio and on location and interior photographs as well. If you are a photographer like me that’s a big relief. It’s good to know I equally spark joy in various users of instagram with all the genres I cover with my photography.


Why I love editorial photography


Shooting for magazines or newspapers is a way for me to meet the most interesting people and see the most amazing places. Also interacting with the writers (if they’re with me on assignment) is a cool way of collaborating. Whenever I’m on assignment I am listening to the things they talk about with their interview partners while shooting. It gives me a better idea of what to capture and I believe that’s how I can contribute to the better images to their articles.


 


Why I love interior photography


Taking pictures of interiors combines my passion for design and photography. I appreciate the work of interior designers a lot and it’s a joy for me to translate their effort to an image that’s true to what they created. I spend a lot of time figuring out the right angles and choosing the right focal length for each shot. I always try to memorize the real feel of the light in the room to come as close as possible when processing the images. 

Shooting a lot of projects for the hospitality industry is also a hard test for the images – hotels sometimes get blunt reviews on booking platforms. But as of now I don’t know of any critique that my images wouldn’t match the reality. Additionally I recently learned that one client was able to tripple the click-rate per month on their images on booking platforms only thanks to the new images I shot for one of their hotels. 





Why I love portrait photography


The human being is of course the most interesting subject for photography. What I find most intriguing about shooting portraits is the process. Often sessions really don’t take long, but it always takes some time to warm up, connect and then it’s about capturing the right moment. No matter if I shoot portraits on location or in the studio, I always aim to finish the session with a hand full of images that are maybe unexpected to the person but they recognize themselves. If that happens then I feel like I also gave the person a new perspective on them and therefore the image is not only interesting to everybody else but also to the person in the photo.
 

Why I love travel photography


Well – who doesn’t love to travel? But on top of seeing new places in different parts of the world, it is the challenge to capture the feeling of a moment together with the essence of the scenerey that keeps me taking pictures abroad. I can find inspiring views in cities as well as in nature, in the detail as well as in the bigger picture. Sometimes I challenge myself and start creating with the elements of my surroundings and force my point of view. There’s endless amounts of inspiration and challenges anywhere I go, so I will keep bringing my camera everywhere I go.

Have you seen the other monthly updates? Check out the archive!


Mark