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Essen, Germany-based photographer Carsten Behler got an opportunity to utilize his outdoor photography talents on a travel project for Landlust magazine, one of the best-selling magazines in the country.
Carsten had previously worked with journalist Cornelia Höchstetter on travel stories for “Himmelblau,” a now-discontinued German magazine. Cornelia had continued to work with the publisher Landwirtschaftsverlag, who also produces Landlust, contributing several stories to their special travel issue, “Landlust Auf Reisen,” and recommended Carsten to the editorial department. He was subsequently assigned to cover the story about the Schlei Fjord, a place with which he was initially unfamiliar.
The Schlei is a narrow fjord in northern Germany, a meandering inlet of the Baltic Sea less than 20 miles southeast of Denmark. The travel story had already been written by Michael Dietrich, who provided Carsten with a list of the people he had talked to and places he had visited to compose the piece. Carsten planned to retrace Michael’s steps and produce images to complement the story.
The primary factor in planning for this shoot was the weather forecast. The summer had been a rainy and chilly one, and consistent stretches of sunny weather were few and far between. Carsten kept one eye on the weather, and one on the trees, knowing that the story had to be shot before autumn set in and the leaves started turning brown.
He received the assignment in mid-August, but had to wait until the beginning of September for an opportune streak of good weather.
When the forecast finally announced three days of sun, I packed my car and went up north.
Carsten took advantage of the sunny streak, filling his days fully by meeting with subjects, driving the countryside, and touring the towns and brackish waterways. Each day he shot from dawn till dusk to maximize his time behind the lens while the weather was good.
He especially enjoyed shooting the portrait sections of the assignment. Carsten was taken with the kindness of the subjects and the consistent relaxed atmosphere present throughout each portrait session.
He spent time with a painter, a fisherman, a woman who runs a restaurant in a small village, and a sailor who has navigated around the globe several times.
I enjoyed meeting the painter Klaus Fußmann in his little hidden country house with a beautiful flower garden and a great studio of which I really envy him. I shot lots of pictures of him in the garden and studio.
He also fondly remembers his experience in the small village of Sieseby, a pastoral town with picturesque aspects everywhere, which provided an idyllic backdrop for many images.
The sun was setting, the air was warm, and there were even some people bathing out in the Schlei.
Carsten received a very positive reaction to his images from the editorial department at Landlust. The publication ended up using 27 of Carsten’s images alongside the story, spread across 8 double pages.
Shooting this project was fun! I do a lot of on location portrait work in offices and other indoor locations, so I’m always happy to spend time in the outdoors.
See more of Carsten’s work on his website.
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