by Yvette Depaepe
Published the 16th of August 2021

To Marcel Streiff, photography is an essential way to express himself and to show others his views and perceptions. He loves to capture some details of buildings and likes to play with the geometric designs in modern architecture.  The crossing lines, triangles, rectangles, curves and powerful colours are a real invitation to Marcel.
Get inspired and listen to what he tells us through this interview.
Enjoy ...

'Opposite'

'Stair and its Shadows'

 
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Marcel.
To start this interview, can you briefly tell us about yourself, your hobbies and other jobs?
First of all, I like to say thanks the Editorial Team and especially to Yvette for the invitation which is a huge honour to me!
I am a 58 years old Aircraft Engineer home based in Zürich, Switzerland. I spend my free time photographing as well as mountain biking, hiking and travelling.
I am married and I have a 23 years old daughter.  End of this year I will be 'early' retired.

'The unexpected Green'

How has your history and life experiences affected your photography?
Which are your most important experiences that has influenced your art?
It has been a long process over many years.   I bought my first analogue compact Camera 30 years ago just before travelling around the world for a whole year.
At that time, my camera actually was only meant to make a documentary about my trip.  But it also was a trigger making me more curious.  So a few years later, I bought my first analogue SLR and started photographing more intensively.
The fire was ignited. 12 years ago, I finally made the step to digital photography.
It also was the beginning of my awareness of digital processing which a an indispensable tool to me nowadays.

'Window blue'

 
What first attracted you to photography?
Everybody is looking for a meaning in life, or as some say, a passion.  This is exactly what I found in photography. The implementation of a single photo always is an adventure, consisting of curiosity about daily discoveries, about finding perfect location, about isolating the motif, the photo session itself and finally when back home, the post processing.
Photography is an essential way to express myself and to show others my views and my perceptions. All these elements make photography so exciting and pleasant to me.

'In the Neighborhood III'

 
Describe your overall photographic vision.
Photographing a detail of a building where hundreds of people pass by every day, maybe even several times a day, without ever noticing it, is one of my intentions and targets.  Furthermore I also like to show the very creative work of modern designers and architects.

'Ground 52'

 
Why are you so drawn by Architecture and Abstract Photography?
More and more of modern designed Architectures like single Houses, Office Blocks, Industrial Buildings and so on, have been built in recent years. Many of them are designed in a geometric manner with crossing lines, triangles, rectangles, curves and are provided with various and powerful colours. This is like an invitation to me to work with it.  When I see some colours shining on a Building far away, I have to go there to inspect it from nearby.  It has a kind of magnetic effect on me.  I am glad that my wife is very patient, even when I often stop suddenly on the street and turn back to look at something.

'Screens'

 
What is more important to you, the mood,/story behind your images or the technical perfection?
It depends... Technical quality is very important in my architectural photographs, because it is a part of the presentation/display of the image. To make it moody is welcome but not my primary target.  Mood is often a personal feeling from the viewer.   But a story can certainly be told by showing a little part out of a Facade which should never have been noticed otherwise.

'The lonely laboratory worker'

 
What generally is your relationship to your subject matter beyond being an observer?
Do you prepare carefully the locations where you are intending to photograph?
Actually I do not have any relationship with architecture and buildings in my daily business, but in photographic manner, they become part of my creativity and thus very important elements to me.  I never prepare the locations but mostly find them by chance when – for instance - driving along them.
Sometimes when the light is too bad or an inhibiting factor disturbs the scenery, I go back to that location another day.  Fortunately, I'm not depending on sunlight to photograph my subjects.   Those metal facades mostly are easier to photograph on a cloudy day, not showing the hard reflections of sunny days.

'Closed Windows'

 
What gear do you use (camera, lenses, bag)?
I use a Sony A7M3 Body, the Sony FE 24-70mm Objective, the Sony FE 70-300mm Objective, Cokin Polarization Filter, Cokin Linear gradient gray Filter for Landscapes and the Leofoto Ranger LS-325C Tripod and a Crumpler Bag.

'Ground 28'

 
What software do you use to process your images?
I use Photoshop Elements only.

 
'Dark Windows'

 
Can you tell us something more about your work flow?
In fact, I have 2 workflows. First, the physical workflow which I mentioned above and second, the mental workflow or even the post processing.  Some photos don't need  much adjustments except for the tones, light, contrasts etc ...Some other photos may not satisfy me at first Look but I may feel there is potential for an “experiment”.  In that case I usually spend some hours on the PC, trying to apply my fantasy and Illusions, supported by Photoshop.

'Old Electrical Pylons'

 
What is your most important advice to a beginner in Architecture and Abstract Photography and how do you get started?
My suggestion is to learn from others and to learn by experimenting.
Here on 1x, there are so many amazing good Photographers with different styles and techniques.  It is really advised to take a look at some portfolios and to make a comparison and thus trying to find your own Style.  And finally, just keep on going.  The first attempts might be not successful, but persevering will make you better and better.

'Grey and Green Stripes'

 
Who are your favourite photographers and more importantly, how has your appreciation of their work affected how you approach your own photography? 
Nowadays there are so many inspiring photographers all around the world, so my list probably would be endless. Nevertheless I  would like to mention Hans-Wolfgang Hawerkamp (hwhawerkamp) and Inge Schuster (ingeschuster) here on 1x.  I have a deep respect for their endless creativity and their constant enthusiasm for photography for years.

'Red Corner II'

 
Are there any specific directions that you would like to take your photography in the future or any specific goals that you wish to achieve?
No actually not, I am open to everything and I am interested in several other Genresof photography too.
The most important thing is to keep on having fun in photography.  To me it is not that important to reach achievements or to set targets, because generally everything happens in a different way as planned.
So, as long as you enjoy, just let if  flow.

'The Chocolate Factory II'

 
Describe your favourite photograph taken by you and why it is special to you?
My all favourite is “Rails and Stripes”.
Now I would like to press the “I just like it” button, because its difficult to explain to others and even to myself why it is my favourite.  It is probably a matter of the heart.

'Rails and Stripes'

 
Is there anything else you wish to add  and what do you think about 1X as a home base for your work?
I like the huge amount of high quality images in all categories here on 1x.  This diversity is a big plus to me , for sure.
I also appreciate a lot the respectful communication and interaction between the members and I truly hope this will going on …

'Night is coming'

'Stripes and Windows III'