Interview

What was your very first photo opportunity?
Niko Neuwirth: My first memory is probably from summer ’92, when some friends and I got an old analog camera. I was about 15 years old then. we shot a great amount of black and white films in the city and spent hours in the lab developing them. at my photography apprenticeship in 1997 I started with a minolta srt and after a while I bought a Nikon f4.

Why did you become a photographer?
Niko Neuwirth: I always liked the situation, which evolves from the moment there is a camera between me and another person. it is like a flirt, a relationship, something deeper and sometimes less than that.

Was there an alternate career or opportunity?
Niko Neuwirth: Even though I have never thought of doing anything else, I guess I could have also gone into the design business. I would say that if things don’t work out with photography I would like to do something that involves plants and mud.

Which photographic genres do you admire?
Niko Neuwirth: I admire people in real life situations. still photography never really appealed to me. with my project “facing europe” I discovered the kind of scenery that I enjoy a lot. this year I started the project “Frankfurter Nächte” in which I shoot the city at night without any people involved. It is new for me and I enjoy it.

What visual look do you like best (at the moment)?
Niko Neuwirth: I would say a “natural look” with no big setting or any editing. I like capturing situations the way they are.