About Me – Karsten Socher Photography

The Beginning: From the Darkroom to the Digital World

As a child, I was fascinated by how light creates images on silver halide film. This magic in the darkroom – watching how a picture emerges from nothing – never let me go. In school, I gained access to the photo lab and finally understood: Photography is not just pressing a button, it's chemistry, craftsmanship and art all at once. Because I was constantly taking photographs, it felt natural to get involved with the school newspaper. 1989 was the start – and I never stopped moving forward.

The Choice: Studio or Street?

After my apprenticeship as a photo laboratory technician and later as a photographer, I could have taken a traditional path: open a studio, build a business, hire staff. But I was drawn elsewhere. Photojournalism offered me something no studio ever could: experiencing something new every day. Looking behind the scenes where no one else has access. Meeting new people daily. Capturing the unexpected. This unpredictability, this authenticity – that was my drive.

With my master's degree in photography and my years as a photojournalist, I quickly realized: the traditional studio was not my path. Instead, I created the freedom to turn any location into a photo studio. My mobile photo studio. Flexibility instead of rent. Adventure instead of routine.

From Analog to Digital – and Why I Still Develop My Old Films

Technology has changed dramatically. No more chemical baths, instead long hours at the computer. From the darkroom to the Lightroom room. And yet: every era has its charm. The analog days taught me to photograph consciously – every image counted, film was expensive. That sharpened my eye. Today I shoot digitally, but occasionally I still pick up my old cameras and develop my films analog. This nostalgia keeps me grounded.

Marketing? It transformed the same way. From magazine ads to social media, blogs, websites. I had to learn that too. But it fits: in a world that moves faster, I stay flexible.

What Good Photography Means to Me

Early in journalism I learned: There is a big difference between photos and images.

Photos are quick. A swipe through Instagram, three seconds of attention, gone. But good images? They linger. You want to explore them, be drawn in, understand the story behind them. A good image works like a good book – it doesn't let you go.

That's my standard: no images that look arranged and posed. Instead, real moments, captured authentically. Whether at a wedding, an event or in press photography – my goal is always the same: evoke emotions. The groom's tears. A guest's surprise. The real moment, not the staged pose.

This documentary closeness – that's my trademark. That's what sets my images apart from those that are "made" in the darkroom or in Lightroom.

Clients and the Moment of Recognition

Every client group is fun for me – corporate photography, press photography, events. It always depends on who the client is. But there is one moment I will never forget: A letter reached me from someone who wanted my autograph. That was the moment when I realized: my work has touched people. My images have meaning beyond the photograph itself.

I'm even prouder of the day when SAT.1 used one of my photos of David Hasselhoff on "PromiBigBrother." That image – with the Berlin Wall in the background – was broadcast daily as an eye-catcher. Millions saw it. It was no accident, it was recognition for 30 years of craftsmanship and artistic vision.

Life Outside the Camera

I also photograph privately and as a hobby, but to be honest: it's becoming rarer. You can't constantly be in the thick of it without losing yourself. I need a balance. Theater, dancing, swimming, cycling – these things give me new perspectives. They recharge my eyes. My home office is my refuge, and I'm gradually renovating my house – a new project that challenges and fascinates me.

The Future

In five, ten years, I hope to still be working as a photographer. Still capturing new moments, still evoking emotions. There are so many ideas I want to realize. So many goals I want to achieve with the right clients.

But above all: I want to keep doing what I've been doing since 1989 – capture real moments that touch people and are never forgotten.

Do you have questions or would you like to book me?
Feel free to contact me – I look forward to hearing from you.