An interview with Michael Roderfeld

2nd November 2008 by Kai Chan Vong

A few weeks ago we highlighted this photo of a DJ playing with decks on the This is Now blog. It’s a great photo that uses colour to highlight the pauses during the long periods of exposure.

I caught up with the photographer Michael Roderfeld this week to ask him a few questions, enjoy the read!

Hi, can you tell us who you are and a bit about yourself?

My name is Michael Roderfeld. I’m 24 years old and studying information & design international in Lübeck, Germany.I’m in 7th semester and will start with my diploma in about one year with a focus on designing flash web-applications/websites/photography. For a year and a half, photography has been my hobby and passion. I enjoy shooting architecture, landscape, cities, streets, urban life and night shots.

Why are you interested in ‘This is now’ and what does it mean to you?

“This is now” describes the time we live in. It is now where we can do something and show contemporary works and pictures. With this group and project there is a space to show how we think about these 3 words.

Tell us about the selected photo, did you plan it out, what was involved in it?

Yes, I did plan the picture, I had an idea to use a long shutter exposure, to make the DJ’s moves visible. In the picture he didn´t move a lot but it was very interesting to see his hands in different colors. With the light the hands were frozen and sharp while the DJ himself is in the background. Filtering out the colors of the hands and leaving the rest in black/white made it more fascinating.

What do you think of the group on Flickr and do you have any other favourite photos?

It´s an interesting group where you can find a lot of great pictures and to see how others interpret the topics of the group and how they perceive it. You can find a lot of inspiration looking through the pictures.

What is your best tip for creating a great photo or picture?

Keep your eyes open! There are great photos hidden everywhere. look out for an interesting perspective, lighting or reflection and you´ll have a picture that could be better than others.

On behalf of the community at ‘This is Now’, thank you for the interview Michael. Keep up the great work and we hope to see much more great work from you.

tagged Interview