I am Tom Wald. I´m a german photographer, based in greater Hamburg/Germany. I took my first photos at the age of 12 or so. The first film…yes, at that time it was still analogue…actually consisted only of car bonnets in the immediate vicinity. Please don’t ask me why! I don’t know myself.

In the meantime, photography has more or less gone digital. So certainly more, rather than less, but there are still enough analogue photographers, which I admire a lot, because there you have to know what you’re doing. Yes, okay…you should also know that when you shoot digital, because often the „right“ exposure is just not right. „M“ is the key letter. This is where it stops for many people. If a barn wants to be a villa, then it should also know how to put itself in the right light. Pretending is not helpful here. The problem is…in the end, all that comes out is shit. Nobody wants that.

I’m often asked about elaborate pictures, how long it took to make the picture. Well, the answer is quite simple…often just a few minutes. Ok…if a motorbike is driving through a pub, then it does take a few attempts. More important is the question of how long it takes to get the final image. Because here the answer is: days. Idea, preparation, set-up, lighting, taking the photo, editing…all that is part of it. That’s all the time that goes into it. Of course I always try to get as much as possible into the picture, but sometimes this is not possible. As an example…if you want to have someone in the picture 2 or 3 times, then that is not possible as of today.