Felix Kayser - Lifestyle Portrait Photographer
Felix lives and breathes Berlin, his aesthetic is largely inspired by the history, light, architecture and people of Berlin. He utilises a mix of digital and film to create beautiful portraits with a lovely tone.
How did you discover photography?
I found my way to photography relatively late. The catalyst was the gentrification of my neighbourhood. I wanted to capture streets and their houses to show what it looked like here. I was inspired by street photography in East and West Berlin. A few years later, I was inspired to shoot portraits.
How would you define your work?
Lifestyle portrait with a certain lightness.
Your work has beautiful tones, how do you achieve this?
It is vital to my work, and it starts with the preparation. Choice of clothing, location, direction and time of day. Of all 4 factors, the most important is available light. You need daylight that is not too grey to achieve the best colours. It took me 3-4 years to understand natural light better. How light reflects on certain building facade materials, that not all evening light is the same and how to use this to your advantage.
What excites you most about a shoot?
Good communication with the subject/s in order to translate my vision. It is vital for the whole team to understand the concept before the shoot. Also, creativity should never be a one-way process, I want to understand the perspectives of the subjects and thus broaden my horizons. Photography is communication, in both directions.
What is your current go to techniques and/or technology?
For the last 6 years I have been working mainly with Leica M - a completely manual digital rangefinder camera. I don’t want technology to decide on the camera settings, it’s super important to me in this highly technological world. The manual focusing also makes pictures feel more personal. For larger productions I also use current cameras like Canon or Fuji. But my heart beats for analogue photography. I use a variety of cameras from the 80s/90s, especially the Mamiya 7ii, I am fascinated by the 6x7 format for portraits.
WOTW TIP: Getting into film photography? An affordable way to start, we recommend a half frame camera with some Kodak Gold.
What moment do you think of that inspires you to keep shooting?
When creative people meet and we create things together. Discovering again and again the uniquenesses of people. Even in larger sets with several creative people, great works are created through both professional work and the interpersonal moments. But of course mental states and a lively environment are also part of it. Also, the people and places in my home Berlin largely inspire me.
How do you balance creating art for yourself versus art for clients?
Clients book me because they see my free work and want to utilise this style in their marketing. Very different worlds often collide here and open communication is vital. I think it’s important that you see it pragmatically.
How would define success as a photographer?
When you yourself, the subjects, the customer and the viewer are surprised. In the sense that they have a positive reaction and perhaps even remember it. The spark has to jump and the thoughts have to flow.
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