by Editor Michel Romaggi  in collaboration with the author Ulrike Landau
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 13th of December 2023

'Guémené sur Scorff III'

We are far from the usual image of a small town in Brittany. Can you explain how you went from the original photo to this superb interpretation of your subject (including technical details)?

This image was taken in Guémené sur Scorff, a small historic town in Brittany. At the end of the street, there is a very old house with beautiful blue shutters fascinating me every time I'm strolling along. I took quite a number of ICM images, especially as a few people walked by. Ultimately, “Guémené” consists of two of these images, a double exposure that intensifies the colours. With the help of Affinity Photo, I added some textures with brushes to clarify contours and depth and finally, I added a bit more blue on the right side with the help of Color Efex - Nik Collection. That is how the image finally appeared on my screen the way I previously had in my mind. This is how I see Guémené sur Scorff, a colourful, mysterious place through where many people have passed where so many stories are hidden. I wish the walls could talk and tell me these stories. So, I tell my own story in my image, the story of what I perceive.

What motivated you to "play" with your photos, especially with colours? What effect are you looking for? What equipment do you usually use?
When digital cameras appeared, I gradually discovered a new world really fascinating me. I realized that I was able to “paint” with the camera and to play with image editing! For this, I needed a good camera to take long exposures and to shoot in RAW format.  I also needed some good image editing programs. Today I work with a Sony Alpha 7 full-frame, an Olympus OMD EM 5, Capture One, Affinity Photo, Nik Collection, and sometimes Luminar. I love experimenting and am inspired by Anne Brigmann, William Turner, Lyonel Feininger, and Roxanne Bouché Overton. I also really like abstract art, hints rather than clear subjects, the hidden mystery and especially the colours.

'In the Reeds'

How do you choose your subjects?
My subjects are mostly buildings, streets, and people, but also trees, because I love trees, especially when they are covered in moss like here in Brittany. Many of my pictures are created by moving the camera during a long exposure, the so-called ICM, or by making double exposures directly in the camera or on the screen. This gives me the impression that I can capture several time levels or even several perspectives in one picture and just look at the new developments happening in front of me - that's not unlike psychoanalysis! As humans, there are always multiple time levels inside us all the time, all that happened before in our lives, the present, and how we imagine the future, and it is important to always take multiple perspectives into account.

'Poppy Submerged'

Short biography

I studied psychology and succeeded in an education as a psychoanalyst. I wanted to get to the bottom of things. I mainly treated women and ran my own psychotherapy practice in Berlin for 32 years. In 2021, I moved to Brittany, France, together with my husband and our two dogs, which was a very good decision.
I had my first experience in photography in 1981 when I bought an old low-priced SLR camera, a Praktica, in a photo shop in Berlin where used cameras were on display . I used it a lot or a long time. I also bought a small photo lab and developed my films and photos myself. I am self-taught.  I am the learning-by-doing type who bypasses any instruction manual. Photography became my second passion alongside my studies, but unfortunately, it lay dormant for many years after I started working.

'Guémené sur Scorff II'

Thanks for the interest in my work. I really appreciate it.
Ulrike.