Tobias Holzweiler

There is not much information about you online. Who are you?

I’m a 29-year-old photographer from Germany. I started in 2015, when I picked up my first DSLR. These days I shoot both digital and film — mostly film, whenever I can. My work is about people, documentary, street, and the mundane things in everyday life.

When did you start, and how long did it take to find your style?

I picked up my first DSLR in 2015 and began documenting city trips with friends. I was a DJ until 2018, so I brought my camera along to shows and started taking photos there; shortly after that I was photographing parties and festivals. In 2017 I started meeting friends and strangers for TFP shoots. I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot in the past few years, and to see incredible places and people.

It took me a lot of time and a lot of failure to develop a style of my own. I genuinely believe photography is an ongoing process, shaped by your surroundings, your mood, the circumstances of your days, the places you see and the people you meet. Your style evolves every day.

Is finding a style something you think about, or does it happen on its own?

One piece of advice I’d give is not to try to fit into a specific niche. I started out photographing what I was interested in, and I still do. It still brings me the most joy. Photography lets me find beauty in the ordinary. If you feel like shooting people, shoot portraits; if you feel like shooting nature, go and document it. Follow what interests you most, and don’t assume you have to stick to one subject.

Film or digital — which do you enjoy more? And how did film start for you?

I started shooting film a year ago because my favourite photographers shoot film and I wanted to understand why. I bought a Leica M6, a fully manual camera, and it changed the way I photograph entirely. It taught me to slow down and to rethink my compositions. At first it was painful to spend so much money on film, but a year on, 95% of the time I’d pick up the analogue camera for a personal project rather than go digital. It’s far more fun, and the photographs mean much more to me.

How do you rate the moment you are in? Do you feel you are giving your best?

I’m pretty happy with what I’m able to achieve. When I have an idea or a specific picture in my head, I can make it. Social media lets me share what I want to share easily, and that gives me the feeling of working and evolving as a photographer. But there is a long way to go, because photography has so much more to offer. I want to shoot more editorials in future, and fewer but more conceptual shoots. As I said, as soon as I get comfortable with what I’m doing, some new inspiration turns up and reminds me how much there is still to learn.

What kind of clients do you work with, and how do you make a living from photography?

My work is about people: portraits, documenting events, commercial shoots and weddings. I also shoot small campaigns with influencers. I make videos too, though my photographs are much better.

Your photographs have a cinematic feel. Where does your inspiration come from, and is there a photographer you’d like us to interview?

I know a lot of my photos look cinematic, and I love shooting at night. But honestly, I’m not chasing that look. These days I prefer something much more natural. Somehow the scenes I shoot have that cinematic feel in themselves; I only press the shutter. I love watching films, though I wouldn’t call myself a huge film fan. I have my favourites and I watch them over and over, because when I really like a film I get lost in it: the story, the music, the locations, everything.

My favourite photographers are Joe Greer and André Wagner, both street photographers from the US. I love the candid way they capture life. Photographing strangers in the street is very difficult in Germany because of our privacy laws, so I don’t shoot as much street photography as I would like.

Pick one photograph and tell us what’s behind it.

It’s by far the photograph I remember most. I took it right by the opera in Paris in October 2019. There was a girl in a yellow dress standing next to me. I wanted to photograph her but didn’t know when the right moment would be. I was concentrating so hard on acting natural and waiting that I completely missed the fact that a crowd of strangers had started to cross the street. Then, out of nowhere, her boyfriend appeared, took her face in his hands and kissed her. I was shocked and thrilled at once, and I took a single shot from the hip. My heart was racing and I walked away. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the camera for almost ten minutes, I was so overwhelmed. Then I sat down on a bench and looked. I’d nailed it.

In your bio you say photography changed your entire life. Do you still feel the fascination of the beginning?

I don’t feel like a child when I’m out photographing, because it has become my job. But I take my camera everywhere, because having it with me lets me look at life in a different and more meaningful way. It didn’t change my life because I can make a living from it; it changed it because looking through the camera is how I express everything I see and feel.

What do you do when you’re not shooting?

I was a DJ for almost six years and I still love music. I get a lot of inspiration from it — it can change my whole mood in seconds. I also love training, and finding new ideas by talking to like-minded people. I like talking about mindset and productivity, and I’m always looking for ways to improve my own life.

How is the YouTube channel going, and what’s next?

My YouTube videos aren’t anything special, honestly, but after more than five years of photography I think I’ve had some experiences worth sharing. I try to upload a new video every now and then, and I’d like to make the channel a way of giving something back to the people who support me.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for having me. I hope somebody reads this and feels inspired. Keep shooting, and don’t settle. Life’s a big classroom, there’s so much to learn.