Michael Molter

Denmark

Photo: Michael Molter

Michael is a photographer based in Denmark specialized in landscape and architecture photography since more than 40 years. He loves the early morning and late evening light that create the perfect photography moods. Michael’s lifelong project is to celebrate what is great in life by showing other show wonderful and beautiful our planet is. With his photos as a testimony of the world’s beauty, he hopes to encourage others to preserve the nature.

Q&A

How did you start with photo/video?
In 1977 I went to Texas as exchange student and I bought an Olympus OM-1 to photograph my home area and parts of Denmark so that I could show my host family what it looked like where I was from. We didn’t have internet or social media at that time. My host father photographed for the police and had a huge Olympus outfit that I could loan. This inspired me to develop as a photographer.

How would you describe your style?
Classic landscape photography. I mostly photograph in color and hardly ever with people in the image. I try to show the beauty of the landscape by using lights, shadows and colors to invite the viewer to places and landscapes that are balanced and calm.

What inspires you?
Light, form and curves as well as the untouched and solitude. It is just the viewer, the photographer and the camera - the landscape must be so vivid that you can almost hear the wind and water. The feeling of being there must be intense and almost tangible.

What is your dream shoot or project?
I would love to return to Chile and the Atacama dessert including the Andes mountains and volcanoes. It is an awesome place to take some great photos, I was there some years ago and know what to expect. Another great place I would love to photograph is the old plantations of Sao Tome and the deteoriation since the Portugese left in 1975.

What is your best advice to others that want to develop as photographers?
Be critical of your own work. Don't showcase any half-hearted images, only your best. Put quality before quantity. That way you will develop respect for your work and people will expect only the best from you.

What is in your bag?

What is the most important in your bag?
The alarm clock so I can get up before daybreak. Joke apart, hte actual equipment is heavy so I only bring things I expect to use. The three most critical items are tripod, camera house and a wide-angel lens.