Ralph Baiker, freelance photographer, graduated from the University of Applied Sciences in Dortmund, has given several personal lectures in Hamburg and received the German Youth Photo Teaching Award.
"Photography requires a highly focused, constantly drawing attitude. To make a difference in your work, you first have to make yourself a different kind of photographer." Ralph Baiker has been obsessed with photography since he was a child, often taking random shots on the street with his friends. at the age of 16, he became interested in abstract photography, and in doing so, became wildly obsessed with libraries and museums, studying various genres of photography. "Photography and art are intertwined. When I was still in school, I was very inspired by the paintings of abstract painter Francis Bacon, and that's why I chose photography as my path."
Creativity - the roots of photography
There are many heavily post-processed photos on Ralph's personal web page, most of which are Ralph's commercial photography. "How long do readers stay on the page when flipping through an advertising magazine? The answer is less than a second. Only work that is very visually striking can capture the reader's eye. This requires not only unique photography skills, but also strong post-processing skills." Ralph does not agree that post-processing ruins the look of the photo itself, claiming that it is because of post-processing that our photos are more interesting.
For Ralph, post-processing is a free, romantic, and richly creative session that will provide a powerful life to photography. "Creativity is at the root of commercial photography. We need to keep tapping into inspiration and use it as a supplement for creativity." Ralph says.
Concentration - the soul of photography
Ralph loves to travel, and he enjoys traveling to different places to take photographs. "I try to stay in each place long enough to put down my camera and observe, feel and understand the place with my heart and body. Before I came to teach at Beihang University Zhuhai, I went to Hong Kong for a three-month-long travel photography, and this experience reaffirmed my understanding of photography as focus." For Ralph, photography means concentration, constantly expanding one's horizons and gaining knowledge. "To express a subject thoroughly through photography, you need to spend enough energy on research and learn as much information as possible related to the subject. It's a long process."
Ralph has his own approach about teaching photography. "My classroom is just a guiding light for the students, I will teach them how to use the photos, understand them and how to create amazing work through post-production. What I say is just the direction, it's up to the student to navigate exactly where they want to go." Ralph says, "I really enjoy teaching the students here, even though we've only been together for a short month. They are very creative and very dedicated to photography. If the students can keep this initial focus, I believe we can all master the way of photography and produce amazing work."
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