We were lucky to catch up with Stefan Falke recently and have shared our conversation below.
Stefan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
My latest project “Keep Going New York !!” means a lot to me because not only did I document the streets of New York during the Pandemic in 2020 and self-published the book but the work also got me through that challenging year by staying busy and creative. I focused on the resilience of my fellow New Yorkers, on moments of normalcy under exceptional circumstances during the pandemic. The positive attitude in most of the photographs of my chosen hometown show New Yorkers doing what they always do: They keep going !!
The self-published book received honorable mentions and awards from the American Society of Media Photographers, the International Photography Awards and Communication Arts.
Stefan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I grew up in Germany and photography became my passion since my father gave me my first camera when I was a teenager. After an unsuccessful attempt to study in civil engineering I started assisting photographers until I got small assignments from newspapers and magazines. Later a lucky connection to a movie director resulted in work as a set photographer for over 20 movie productions filmed mostly in Europe and Africa.
But I have always been drawn to personal projects which so far resulted in three photography books, “Moko Jumbies: The Dancing Spirits of Trinidad”, “LA FRONTERA: Artists along the US – Mexican Border” and my latest, the award winning “KEEP GOING NEW YORK !!” Photos from those projects were shown in over 20 solo exhibitions in Germany, France, Mexico and the US and I offer prints from my extensive archive to individual photo collectors and photography lovers.
Today my wife and I live in New York City. My personal projects keep me on my creative toes and show my ability to visualize ideas big and small, far and near.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being a photographer is a privilege. The most rewarding aspect of it is being able to look at life through a different lens, in my case literally. I am not bored ever because I constantly see things. I am always creating, even when I am not taking photos. I was born an creative, I started drawing as a child, pretty obsessively. It was all about filling the paper, schoolbook or cardboard with something fun. Never planned, just on impulse. Cartoon like. The element of surprise. A mentor of mine, a sculptor, once said to me that she likes to create things that she did not know existed. I love that. I want to be surprised by my own work. That is my biggest reward when I can say ‘wow’, I like this photo. And I created it. Then the personal connection with my clients and other creatives. I constantly meet people whom I would normally not meet without my camera. I have photographed hundreds of artists, often from other countries and cultures. Many became friends and they are enriching my personal and creative life.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Maybe the unconscious goal is to create things that are still here when I am not. Lasting work, like books are very important to me. Especially books. I was lucky enough to have published three books so far and they all have a deep meaning to me, and I was told that they have meaning to others too. One of my websites, borderartists.com , is being preserved by an organization for the future so when I am not able to maintain it, it’ll be there for a long long time. They asked me for my permission because they thought it was worth saving for future generations. That kind of feedback keeps me going and makes me feel that I am contributing something positive to the world through my work.
My mission is to tell positive stories in a challenging world. My above mentioned project is a good example. I visited most major and some smaller cities on both sides of the 2000 miles long U.S. – Mexico border and photographed about 200 painters, photographers, musicians, writers, dancers, architects and art promoters in order to shine a spotlight on the vibrant cultural activities and cross-border opportunities that exist despite the tremendous challenges in the bi-national region.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stefanfalke.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanfalke_portfolio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.stefanfalke/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanfalke
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/stefanfalke
- Other: Border project: https://borderartists.com Keep Going New York !! book: https://www.blurb.com/b/10620426-keep-going-new-york
Image Credits
© Stefan Falke