Introducing...The photographic delights of Ramon Haindl

Date
11 September 2012

When we first contacted Ramon Haindl he told us he was “on the road,” driving across France by day and camping in the Alps drinking cheap whisky by night. Cool we thought. But I tell you what’s even cooler – Ramon’s photographs. If you are wowed by the creativity of one new artist this week I dare you not to let it be this guy.

What is great about Ramon’s work is that his photographs range from beautiful editorial spreads and fun, light-hearted portraits to black and white dreamy landscapes, and guess what, he makes films too!

Photographing the actress and comedian Miranda Leonhardt with the personality that only the most talented of photographers can manage to capture together with his wonderfully crisp images commissioned for The Velour AW 2011 collection, it is easy to see why we have developed quite a soft spot for this man.

But whilst we could happily go on about Ramon and his perfect photographs all day long, we thought what could be nicer than asking him a few questions and getting to know him a bit better? So that is exactly what we did. Typing the entirety of his answers out on a little iPhone, you must admit the man has dedication…

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Ramon Haindl in collaboration with Haw-Lin Services: Velour AW 2011

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Ramon Haindl in collaboration with Haw-Lin Services: Velour AW 2011

Where do you work?

Currently I am living and working in a rather small town in the middle of Germany. The resources here are limited so I’m pretty much constantly on the move, looking for places and people that keep me inspired. I especially enjoy photographing people that I didn’t know before and working with them over a long time – through that I am then able to develop a deeper relationship beyond a simple single portrait. 

The editing and most of the organisational part happens in an office and studio called MASTERDART which I share with nine other people from different creative fields including architecture, design, writing and film. 

How does your working day start?

I try to be at the office before noon, which sometimes doesn’t happen because I’m totally a night person. Most of the time I’m only able to do all the routine stuff like retouching and editing when it’s completely silent and dark outside. So my working day usually starts with at least three cups of strong coffee. If I’m on a job or project I usually get up early just to get into a creative mood and double-check my equipment and brief my assistant.

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Ramon Haindl: Miranda Leohardt

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Ramon Haindl: Miranda Leohardt

How do you work and how has that changed?

Coming from documentary photography, my work kind of grew up from a rough but hopefully authentic way of seeing things to a more considered and conceptual mixture between staged and documentary. At the moment I’m enjoying creating series that are linked by a certain place or a person but I try to tell a story beyond simply presenting reality.

I like the combination of movement and stillness, loud and silent, yet I’m most interested in the human condition and the intimacy between the subject and the photographer. It’s still very exciting for me to sense the transition from complete stranger to somebody I share some kind of secret with, who opens up just a little of their inner self. I feel very lucky that I’m able to experience that from time to time, it keeps me going!

Where would we find you if you weren’t at work?

I’m pretty much constantly working. At this very moment I’m sitting on a balcony in southern France, drinking cheap whiskey and writing these answers on an iPhone while being on vacation with my girlfriend, who is also a talented photographer. So while we’re on vacation we are still photographing and we even update the photography blog we’re doing together daily. Still, it feels pretty relaxed! Photography plays a huge part in my life, I’m pretty sure that I am unable to stop.

Would you intern for yourself (if you weren’t you)?

I guess I would like it! When I was starting to get serious about photography I was lucky enough to find an internship with a photographer who was pretty successful at this time. He still helps me when it comes to acquiring new clients and getting over the creative lows everybody experiences from time to time. I hopefully learned some lessons and I would love to share it with somebody who is likewise hungry for new things and is willing to work hard on what he loves.

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Ramon Haindl in collaboration with Haw-Lin Services: Velour AW 2011

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Ramon Haindl: Homestory (Neon Magazine)

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Ramon Haindl: Miranda Leohardt

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About the Author

Anya Lawrence

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