Oliver Fluck – Creating a Stage

Such is the intensity of Oliver Fluck’s strikingly lit photographs, one would be forgiven for thinking he had a team of lighting technicians assisting him with every shot. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Fluck’s talent lies in his intuition and patience to wait for that perfect moment and that perfect shot. The only other equipment he needs besides his camera is a pair of comfortable shoes.

A native of Limburg, Germany, Oliver Fluck seems to have an instinctive understanding of cities and settings around the world, and the intimacy of his photography clearly displays this. Luckily his move from Germany to Princeton (just outside of New York) helped him awaken the photographer inside and produce such a collection.

How did you first discover your love of photography?

It took me a while to discover that. As a kid, I was often exposed to analog photography, since my father worked as a journalist. Interestingly, only with the purchase of his first digital camera back in 2001, I could feel a little spark. I was well aware of all the work that goes into developing photos in the lab. That’s why it fascinated me that with digital photography, one can almost instantly see the result on a computer screen, and do things with it. However, it took another two years until I felt the urge to actually take pictures myself. That was when I moved from Germany to Princeton, New Jersey for an internship. The interest in photography grew while I spent my weekends discovering nearby New York City.

Your pictures are so beautifully lit, almost as if they were shot in a studio, how do you get the lighting so right in an outdoors situation?

Oh, thank you! I don’t work on getting lighting the way I want. It’s more that I roam around searching for scenes that I find interesting. The more I advanced in this discipline, the more I realized the importance of light. However, it’s hard to find, and you get pickier the longer you have occupied your mind with it. It’s a tedious and weird thing to do. Sometimes, when walking through a city alone without finding it, I start questioning my sanity.

The composition of your photography seems so well managed, how do you prepare before you take the photo?

Unless I’m searching for something in particular, where the composition is already set beforehand (like my series ‘Street Theater’), I usually creep around the scene, looking at it from different angles. Once I’ve found a good position, I start from there, and keep trying from a few more angles. Afterwards, it usually turns out that the first attempts are not the good ones, and I’m glad I kept experimenting. You would expect that one learns over time, but it seems I don’t: the first attempts are just never the good ones.

Whose work has influenced you most?

May I name painters? I love the mood in Edward Hopper’s works. Also, I recently discovered the urban paintings by Kim Cogan. I probably noticed him too late to call him an influence, but I’m very impressed, and feel connected with his works. I’m collecting prints of his paintings now. Not the originals, just prints.

What is the one thing you wish you knew before you started taking photos?

I wish I had signed up to a mileage program back then.

Among your works, which one was the most difficult to shoot? Why?

Actually, the main difficulty is rarely an outside factor. Occasionally, when I find something that might be worth photographing, I have to convince myself that it’s really worth the effort to stop, get the camera out, set it up and all that. There is often a little debate going on in my head. Sometimes, the lazy side wins and I say ‘eh’ and decide not to do it. So besides a fence here, or a garbage can there, I would say that sometimes, the greatest challenge is that of staying inspired.

What’s next for Oliver Fluck?

Some small steps, too small to be mentioned. Oh, and two big ideas, but those are still too vague to be mentioned :) Of course I also hope for success here on Photocircle. I really like what you guys do!

Thanks for your time, Oliver, and good luck creeping around those streets at night!

If you like Oliver’s work, take a look at his gallery on Photocircle and visit his website.