Felix is a photographer and videographer working out of Berlin, Germany. His photography captures people in the spaces that define their daily surroundings in urban territory and the streets, combining portrait and street photography to document social landscapes. It is his experience of the stories that unfold before his lens that his work tells of. The objective is not to tell his subjects’ stories – they are their own -- but how his gaze informs what he encounters when he meets people in the context of their societies and cultures on his travels to different parts of the world.
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When asked what his reason for practicing photography is, he said: “It fulfills me, and it gives me peace and happiness; the never-ending learning curve about the behavior of light and shadow teaches me patience and points me to the complexities of life. It not only has the power to open doors and is, therefore, a path to opportunities and situations, but I have also met some of the most interesting people on my journey, some of whom have become good friends. On a personal level, photography has helped me heal when I needed to, it recharges my batteries by inspiring me. I can literally get lost on purpose, and my wandering has, more often than not, led me to where the picture was waiting. For me, good photography is multi-layered in both composition and contextually – it will make you wonder about the story it tells and inspire you to ask questions.”
Vollmann's photos always have several angles and can be understood to universally exceed borders. This is because when he immerses himself in the feel of a city, town, or area. His objective is always to connect with people. It is these unique conversations that drive him and his lens toward the subjects. The integral human connection is central to everyone he photographs, which is why his utmost guiding rule is to be respectful of his subject’s integral humanity at all times in his work.
He considers himself fortunate that his work has placed him in the privileged position of having had the opportunity to experience many different cultures intensely on different continents, in over X countries, and in some exceptionally challenging environments. This includes but is not limited to countries affected by the aftermath of war and colonialism, countries harshly impacted by climate change, and countries where it is extremely difficult to travel, all of which prerequisites embracing diversity, empathy, respect, openness and sensitivity. He has also worked extensively in Germany in both videography and photography, interviewing politicians, activists, actors as well as photographing political campaigns and advertisements. He is a German native speaker and a proficient user of English and French. His knowledge of Kiswahili, Arabic and Portuguese is basic.
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“It’s simple, really. My driving force is to produce and create stories, practice, learn, grow, and fall with them. And when I stumble, my process allows me to stand up again and to continue creating. My story as a photo artist includes society, the arts, and people, and the outcome stems from love, hard work and taking an in-depth look at what my lens is capturing.”