So German!

(SoGerman) How is it traveling around the world with the German Foreign Minister?

(Inga) Awesome! If you had told me one and a half years ago that I would walk around the Foreign Service offices, I would not have believed you. Not to mention flying in the official government plane. It’s very exciting. You can’t compare it at all with a touristic trip. Most of the time, you drive directly from the airport to the foreign affairs office. I would have never thought I would walk around the Elysée Palace and meet Macron’s dog.

How were you introduced to photography?

When I was studying in Canada, I initially took one photography course and that was the first time that I was really passionate about a topic. I took a second course a year later. And then one morning, I woke up and said I’ll be a photographer.

So, it was just a gut feeling that you knew this was right for you?

Exactly. It was very clear all of a sudden. And to be honest, I had enough of writing essays about how the world is supposed to work – all of that theoretical material was boring me. I wanted to do something! And so, I decided to become a photographer. I really wanted to go to the Lette-Verein in Berlin. So, I applied from Canada to be accepted in the school.

What fascinated you at that time about photography?

It was the first time in my life that one thing really excited me (apart from snowboarding) and I really wanted to master it. Curious enough, photography had never been a hobby of mine. When I told my mom about my plans, she was stunned. She had never seen me with a camera before! In the end, all worked out fine, and my parents were not worried anymore.

What inspired you to go abroad after you graduated from school in Germany? And what did you study at the Thomson-Rivers-University?

When I was eight years old, my dad went to Shanghai for work. We visited him often, especially during school vacations. I also spent Grade 6 in Shanghai at a German School. So, the idea of going abroad wasn’t abstract to me. I thought about working at a ski resort, but that would probably be boring after a few months. Then the thought of studying abroad crossed my mind, which would also be an opportunity to improve my English. My parents agreed but asked me to stay for at least one year.

Since I was so overwhelmed with choosing a study program, I did a test finding my aptitudes. The result was public relations. At the time, the Thomson-Rivers-University was the only university in Western Canada that offered a Bachelor of Journalism. Plus, it was close to a great ski resort.

Was it difficult to balance studying and snowboarding?

Totally! I jobbed at a hostel where I could go snowboarding. I had a friend from Australia who was really good in English literature and creative writing. He was bored after snowboarding the entire time, so, he always corrected my essays and explained to me why a sentence needed to be sounding more like that and how this style would work better; it was a win-win situation. He got to use his head again and I improved my English.

What is one of your most favorite memories from your time in Canada?

There was a store-owner of a tiny photography shop, it was so tiny, there was maybe room for three people. He was also German and had been living in Canada for a long time. I always bought all my photo equipment at this store, my photo paper, since at the time we did everything analogically, in the darkroom. We spoke a bit of German; he spoke better English than German, that’s how long he had been in Canada. I always showed him my prints. We sometimes went to photograph together and he gave me feedback on my works, which was very neat. He especially supported me when I had to work on the portfolio for the Lette-Verein. I remember how I had to make one more print because it had to be posted the next day. I was pretty stressed and hadn’t slept enough the last nights. He offered to do to the print for me – but then I said no, I will do it myself. I will go into the darkroom and make that print. He replied: “There speaks the real hero!”

So, after two years in Canada, you went back to Germany to start your training at the Lette-Verein. How did your path continue until today as one of the official photographers of the German Foreign Minister?

When I was done at the Lette-Verein, I went to New Zealand for nine months. With a work and travel visa, I went there as a photographer. I never heard back from any applications and I felt too old to do temporary jobs. I noticed how important a network is and how difficult it was to build one up.

Back in Germany, I did an internship with a Berlin magazine. In the photo editorial team, I realized how I like the journalistic and editorial aspect of the work. Then, somebody told me about a traineeship program to become an editor. I applied for the German Press Agency (dpa) and it worked out as well. I learned how press photography works and was also provided with the whole package for a multimedia journalist. After those two years as I worked as a freelancer mainly for the dpa in the picture department. But sitting mostly at the desk, after having studied photography, was not what I wanted. Now, I’m working at the Photothek, an agency for press and PR photography. And we are the primary house photographers for the German Foreign Service.

This interview was shortened.