Olaf König

My name is Olaf König; I was born in Krefeld in 1969 and have been living in the Bergisches Land near Cologne for 30 years. My journey into the world of photography began in 2014, when my third daughter was born. This event was the catalyst that prompted me to explore the art of photography more deeply and to discover my creative side.
I soon realised that photography is far more than simply pressing the shutter button. It is an art form that requires a great deal of sensitivity, technical skill and a keen eye for subjects. To develop my skills further, I took part in numerous workshops, photo walks and photography trips. Through these experiences, I learnt to recognise subjects, frame them effectively, make use of light and shadow, and find the right perspective.

My photographic journey began with macro and nature photography. Nature was never really foreign to me, as I grew up in the countryside. By photographing nature in all its facets – and particularly through macro photography – I came to feel very close to it. This had a profound influence on the way I view what is happening around me. And that, in turn, led me to street photography.

Intuition is absolutely essential, particularly in street photography. I’m not the sort of street photographer who blatantly takes photos of other people; I prefer to choose a scene and then wait until the right person walks into it without realising it.

My ‘Frau Holle’ was taken during a photo walk in Wuppertal (Germany). There’s an old railway line there that has been converted into a footpath and cycle path. From there, you can look out over the rooftops of the houses.
At one point, I spotted this back garden, which struck me as very interesting. The colours of the houses and the clutter in the garden, with rubbish bins scattered about, made for a great subject. After I’d taken a photo, the woman suddenly appeared at the window, looked out briefly and then disappeared again. I realised straight away that she would come back to the window. So I waited a few minutes and that’s exactly what happened: she threw the blanket out of the window and shook it out. That was the perfect moment to press the shutter button.
And these are precisely the moments when intuition plays a major role.

My vantage point and the interplay of light and colour created a beautiful composition. My companions were delighted when they saw the preview, and I had a feeling that this photograph was something special. When I posted it on Instagram, I could hardly believe the flood of comments and ‘likes’ that came in within such a short space of time. That’s when I realised that this photograph has a very special effect on the viewer.

The first thing people always ask me is which country the photo was taken in. Viewers feel as though they have been transported to southern countries such as Italy, Spain or Portugal, where such scenes in narrow city alleyways are a common sight.
For many viewers, this creates a certain holiday atmosphere.

As I’ve already said, I look more closely now and spot scenes in advance that I never used to notice as anything special before I took up photography. I’ve become more patient; I’m happy to wait for the right moment to press the shutter button. My perception of the things happening around me has become sharper. Details, lines and composition play a major role. I simply go through life with my eyes more open.

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t even notice the message from 12AWARDS at first, as it ended up in my spam folder. It was only when I received a reminder email about this interview that I realised I’d won this award. I couldn’t help but let out a little cry of joy.
I posted the news straight away on Instagram and Facebook to share my joy with all my followers.
This is my first major award in an international competition, and it really doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a place on the podium or a special mention – it’s something very special. The award recognises my years of photographic work, takes it to a new level and encourages me to continue along this path.

I would like to share my photographic knowledge and many years of experience with other photographers. My aim is to offer my own workshops, photo walks and perhaps even photography trips. Winning the 12AWARDS has made it clear to me that I have the necessary qualifications for such a project and that I will be putting this into practice in the near future. I will be revamping my website, maintaining it more actively and investing more time in self-promotion.