Author name: Stefan Wilde

A guy in an office job in Hamburg with far too many film cameras and far too little time to shoot them.

An unexpected Yashica T4 and some unplanned snow

In the summer of 2022 I experienced some health issues that needed time and attention, so I applied for a treatment. There was a waiting period. So in the middle of November I finally arrived in a small spa town in Northern Germany where I was to stay until Christmas. I had time on my hands in between the treatments . My condition allowed for walks, in fact I was encouraged to go out. The weather, however, had decided not to cooperate with this medical advice. It displayed all the characteristics of the Northern German winter. It is possible to love the Northern German winter if you watch it unfold from, say, the Bahamas. Any view point closer than that is not advised. Grey, cold, rain and misery will last until they run out of steam and are then replaced by fresh grey, rain, cold and misery, just more of it this time.

Zeiss Ikoflex III (1939) – Atoning For GAS By Doing A History Project – By Stefan Wilde

When I first bought and tried a Rolleiflex I fell in love with TLRs. They are by no means perfect, but very quirky and eye-catching. I love that. Yes I am that kind of person. I could say that I also love the way the cameras operate and how they involve me more in the process and all these things. But that’s not an excuse for buying another one. I own a perfectly good Rolleiflex 2,8 F, overhauled and in great working condition. This is arguably one of the finest TLRs out there. So if it was about the photography, there would hardly be a reason to get more TLRs.

Marco Polo Tower, Hamburg

Not at home with my Rolleiflex – Stefan Wilde

Is a photograph any good if it needs an introduction? Shouldn´t art speak to you without accompanying words? Shouldn’t a great picture captivate your imagination and inspire thought and free association without the author telling you what to think and associate?

I have this idea in my head that a picture should wow the viewer. Like what Cartier-Bresson made. My own “work” if I may call my hobby work at all, falls way short of that grand idea. That is why I hesitate to show my pictures to anyone. Are they any good if I need to tell people why I made them in the first place? And, more importantly, do I have anything to say that would be remotely interesting to anyone?

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