Either ... Or? with Armin Rohde
During the interview with Armin Rohde, we were able to recognize a real passion for photography. The actor photographed a lot in his youth - until his camera was stolen. A few years ago, he rediscovered his enthusiasm and has always had his camera with him ever since. This results in unique photographs that will be exhibited once again at the Photo Popup Fair in D?sseldorf in November 2019. For the snapshot, we asked him "Either ... Or?"
- Armin Rohde in an interview with Daniel Krug
Acting or photography?
The question doesn't arise for me at all. I don't see why I should be faced with this brutal choice. I sometimes wish there were more than 24 hours in a day, because time is always short. But so far I've managed to combine the two very well. The fact is that I was taking photographs long before I started acting. That was in the 70s with a Pentax Spotmatic 2. You basically need a certain prerequisite for both, and I like to combine the two.
Black and white or color?
I definitely prefer black and white. That's not because I don't like color. In certain contexts, color makes perfect sense. Whenever it tells me something additional or when it is the most important information in the picture, because some things can only be told through color. In general, however, I prefer to use black and white, especially when it comes to portraits. I have the feeling that I show more respect for the person with a black and white portrait and that I let the person keep their secret. At the same time, the face tells more in black and white. That sounds paradoxical, but it's exactly how I feel; color in connection with a human portrait seems almost pornographic to me.
"Sperrstunde" (Closing time)Staged or unstaged?
I actually love the unstaged, i.e. moments that happen. In the beginning, I said that a snapshot is just a snapshot. At some point I realized that I put myself in a position where I can see a good frame and have a good setting. It's like a stage set, which I map out beforehand and determine the detail for myself. Then I wait to see what will happen in this self-defined frame. I always find it particularly unfortunate when people stop just because they see someone with a camera. I've aimed the camera at a church, but I'm not interested in the church, I'm interested in the person walking past the church. I want them in the picture. This happens above all with a larger camera, less so with a small one. In this case, you're more likely to be taken for a harmless snapper. When I photograph something somewhere, I'm not the spontaneous snapshot photographer. I do that from time to time, but it's not my main concern that I see something somewhere and think I absolutely have to capture it in a picture. Even if I sometimes get some great shots. It's that I see a process and observe it. If the person does the same thing again, then I take the shot, because that's exactly what I need in the picture. So it's a mixture, a kind of planned, prepared snapshot.
Celebrity models or no-name?
I don't make a distinction at all. For me, a face is either interesting or not interesting. In movies, for example, there are extras who have insane faces. When I was filming in the Czech Republic, there were so many exciting, unused faces on location that I could have photographed them for days. For me, it's completely irrelevant how well-known or unknown someone is. I just notice that pictures with well-known people attract more attention, both in the exhibition and in sales. The photos that sell better are the ones where people say: "Ah, I've seen him on TV." For me as a photographer, a person is either exciting or not, in terms of imagery. So prominence is not a criterion for me at all and doesn't really matter.
Selfie or other?
I only take selfies because I'm the model I always have with me. I don't have to ask anyone if it's okay to take their picture. I don't like ambushing people with my camera. And if someone does feel ambushed, I show them the picture and say: "Look, maybe you'd like this." I like it when the people I photograph like themselves in the photos. Even if they say they have wrinkles or look too fat. You hear that all the time. That's why I always ask if possible and I'm not as paparazzi-like. My colleagues are an exception. They already know that I always have my camera with me. They are in a situation and know me, so they expect to be photographed. But what I would never do, and hate myself, is when colleagues take photos of other colleagues while they are sitting exhausted on a chair in the corner with their jaw hanging open and perhaps even snoring. I find it downright criminal to publish such photos. It's an assault that I consider unacceptable. I try not to assault people, but rather to involve them in my work.
"Night blind"Cigarette or camera?
Cigarettes are a thing of the past for me. Today, the smell of a cigarette almost makes me feel nauseous. Not the smell of a freshly lit one, which I sometimes find almost pleasant. But the cold smoke an hour later, I don't like that at all. It's like this with the camera: some people ask: "Is that your new hobby?" Then I say: "No, it's an old passion!" And it's a passion that borders on obsession or mania. I even keep the camera under my pillow when I go to bed. It always has to be within reach, no more than an arm's length away, otherwise I get restless. It really has become a kind of obsession.
100 pictures or one conscious one?
That's one of the things I always ask myself. When I was in the USA, I had 8 rolls of 36 pictures each for a year. Of course, I had to think carefully about when to take 8 times 36 pictures. Unfortunately, everything was stolen while I was hitchhiking and has been lost forever. Let me put it this way, to get a good shot, you sometimes have to pull the trigger a hundred times to get that one picture that really hits the spot. Because I didn't want to do it myself, I used to have to find someone to develop the film for me. I was too inexperienced and that was too tricky for me. It also took one, two, maybe even three weeks before I could get into a darkroom somewhere. At some point I bought myself a Polish black and white enlarger and threw my brothers out of the room to turn the red lamp into the ceiling. The learning curve is much steeper these days. You learn faster if you can look at the image immediately. It's extremely valuable to be able to check the results immediately. That's why I wouldn't make a dogma out of it. Anyone who manages to pull the trigger just once and get that one picture has my utmost respect. Chapeau! I'd like to be able to do that too, but I'd rather pull the trigger once too often than too little to get my picture afterwards.
Role models or your own style?
Both. I try to take inspiration from role models and develop my own style from them. Although I don't think too much about the style. Of course, I look at pictures by famous, great photographers that I find really great and impressive. Pictures by Robert Lebeck, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Annie Leibovitz and, and, and. I can't even get the names together. Richard Hamilton, Diane Arbus or the wonderful Vivian Maier, for example, is a huge role model, of whom people didn't even know that she took photographs all her life. It was only in her estate that thousands of photos were found that are so wonderful, so good you can kneel down. Even as an actor, I say: "Well stolen is half invented." I do look at what others do and try to find something in it that I can use for myself or not. I pay my absolute respect to every great photographer.
"Deep in the West"
"Waiting for Godot"Yes or no?
I can summarize this quite simply: I consider myself a skeptical optimist. That's the best way to describe me.
Big equipment or just a camera?
After my equipment was stolen in the USA, I didn't take any more photos for decades until these camera phones came out. When I had over 100,000 pictures, I thought: "Rohde, you can't go on like this. You need something clever in your hand!" Then I found the camera I wanted and bought the large and small versions. I now have almost 20 lenses, all possible focal lengths, some even double. I realized that not all focal lengths are the same. For example, I use two 85s, one with a 1.8 aperture and one with a 1.4 aperture. Although it only cost a quarter of the price, I now prefer to use the 1.8. It weighs only half as much and takes just as wonderful photos. Nevertheless, I won't sell the 1.4, because I can still use it for very special sessions. I now always have the 1.8 85mm on the large camera and I usually have the 24mm with 1.4 or the 35mm on the small camera. When I had the small camera, I always wanted the big one. When I got the big one, I realized that I really like being out and about with the small one. It doesn't make you look like a photographer, and all the photographers I admire only ever had small equipment with them. I love traveling with compact equipment. I have the big one for portrait sessions or very specific projects. Then I'm glad that I have the full-frame. But I always have the small one with me when I'm out and about, in the evening or even when I go shopping.
"Schnappschuss" magazine
The Foto Koch magazine is modern, creative and unique in terms of design and content.
more information
More from Armin Rohde
you can find his latest work on his Instagram channel @arminrohde
