People

Travel Portraits

Travel Portraits connect a person with a place that is allowed to remain recognisable. Streets, architecture, colour and everyday life are more than scenery: they provide context without turning the portrait into simple travel documentation.

31 images 1 series

Back to People

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 1 of 31

Section

Style & focus

When making portraits while travelling, I often know a place less well than I know my everyday surroundings. I therefore begin by observing how the light falls, which colours recur and what kinds of movement genuinely belong to it, rather than forcing a finished image idea onto the location. This avoids interchangeable motifs and allows local characteristics to remain visible.

The background may carry information, but it still needs to be legible. A distinctive building, a form of transport or a busy street can say a great deal; too many equally strong elements, however, take presence away from the person. The balance between portrait and sense of place is decisive.

For a series, I look for a recurring anchor — perhaps a colour, a quality of light, a focal length or a particular distance from the person. Very different locations can then belong together without being made uniform or reduced to decorative scenery.

Series

Bogotá Encounters

In this series, Bogotá is more than a backdrop. Painted façades, old timber doors, narrow lanes and the vivid red of a city bus give each portrait a distinct frame. Burgundy clothing links the changing locations and holds the sequence together visually.

Open the series page

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 2 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 3 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 4 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 5 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 6 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 7 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 8 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 9 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 10 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 11 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 12 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 13 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 14 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 15 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 16 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 17 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 18 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 19 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 20 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 21 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 22 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 23 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 24 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 25 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 26 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 27 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 28 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 29 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 30 of 31

Street portrait among painted façades and murals in Bogotá — image 31 of 31

About the series

Colour as a route through Bogotá

The images move between quiet and highly animated backgrounds. A portrait beside an old door feels more restrained and personal, while graffiti, painted walls and graphic patterns bring greater movement into the frame. The location changes not only the colour of an image, but its emotional tone.

Small parts of the surroundings often determine the composition: a line in the masonry, the edge of an entrance, plants along the street or a colour echoed in the clothing. Bogotá remains recognisable in every frame without being reduced to a postcard view.

The series therefore tells more than the story of a portrait shoot in Bogotá. It shows how strongly a location can participate in a portrait. The person remains central, but architecture, colour and street life provide the rhythm that turns individual photographs into a connected sequence.

Contact

An idea for a portrait or a shared series?

If you would like to discuss a portrait shoot, a TFP idea or an independent creative project, send me a few lines. It helps to mention the idea, the kind of location you have in mind and which photographs in this portfolio speak to you. I also share new work and developing series on Instagram.

Send e-mail Open Instagram