In search of the perfect motif

Are photographers actually reluctant to be photographed by other photographers?
Philipp Gladsome: No, I don't have any problems with that. I always find it interesting to see how other photographers work. The only problem is that you have to be very careful not to say things like: Should I stand here or is the light better here? (laughs)

As a photographer, at the level you're at now, do you prefer the term photographer or rather artist?
Photographer, please! It took me a long time to call myself a photographer. Simply because I never trained in this field. I just look through it, press the button and that's it. Somehow, what comes out looks quite alright.

How do you explain your success over the past few years?
In my case, success is not so much because I'm an incredibly good photographer, but rather because I was in the right place at the right time. It was more luck than judgement. I'm sure there are many more photographers who are better than me. They just weren't lucky enough to be there at the time and get on well with certain people.

Through frequent posts on social media channels, for example, you now get the feeling that photographers also cultivate a certain pop star image. Take the German photographer Paul Ripke, for example. Alongside music stars, he can also be seen at the celebrations of the German national football team. What do you think of the hype?
Paul Ripke is pretty good at marketing himself. He's managed to turn a photographer into a brand. Relatively few photographers manage that. I think that's also the problem with many photographers, that they tend to keep a low profile. For me, it's more of an in-between thing. I wouldn't say that I'm totally shy and uptight, but I'm also not the kind of person who is always completely forward.

Where does the public's increased interest in photographers come from? Can this be explained by the social media aspect of being able to follow everything, so to speak?
Yes, I think so. In the past, it was the photo that was printed in the newspaper or hung on the wall as a poster. You never saw how it was taken or who the person behind the camera was. Nowadays, you're much closer to the people than perhaps ten years ago.

It's noticeable that you're very close to the artists. Not in the photographer's pit in front of the stage, but right there with them.
Yes, I think that's the only way I can take the photos that I do and that differ from what other press photographers take in the pit during the first three songs. The perspective alone gives you a completely different insight. When you're standing behind an artist, with the large hall in front of you, it's simply a much more impressive picture than when I photograph the nostrils from diagonally below.

Your pictures captivate with their perspective and without a lot of frills. Are the days of exaggerated effects over?
Yes, I would say so. The fact that people on social media platforms want honest photos and close-up images means that dead-edited images with ten thousand light sources are boring. This closeness is even more interesting - especially when it comes to artists.

Looking back, Gladsome's passion for photography developed as a child. "My parents simply put a camera in my hand when I was nine years old." It quickly became uninteresting again until his father introduced him to an analogue SLR camera when he was 14. Another six years passed. "I remembered that I had such a camera in my hand and that it was quite interesting. Then I looked on eBay, bought one for 25 euros and went out to photograph friends." His pictures were well received and he was hired by Chemnitz city magazines, artist friends and DJs. Philipp Gladsome modestly describes the fact that he now has K.I.Z., Silbermond, Marteria and Matthias Schweighöfer in front of his lens as a "fortunate circumstance".
It all started with Kraftklub. They were the ones who took me on tour with them. I was lucky enough to accompany them when they were just getting big. If you can point to Kraftklub as a reference, that's a lot, even though you were really just someone who took a few photos around Chemnitz. That's how other artists became aware of me. They then said, the Kraftklub guys are cool guys, they'll probably only take one cool guy with them. Why don't you just come with me? Then first came MC Fitti, Robin Schulz, Silbermond and K.I.Z. Then there were more and more."

Do you always have a camera with you?
Not at the moment, but I usually do when I'm out and about in the city. Usually just a small analogue one, which has to suffice for certain moments. But when I'm travelling, of course I have at least five cameras with me.

Is this actually your dream job now?
It was never my dream job. I just took photos and never thought that it could become my job. It just turned out that way. At some point I got to the point where I thought, ok, I'm earning all my money with photography. Apparently I am a photographer. So it wasn't a conscious decision, it more or less happened that way.

How are your plans to organise your own exhibition going?
I've already organised one once at the Brühl - with three friends. But that was five years ago. So it's time for a second one. But my standards have risen. Back then, I only exhibited pictures that I thought were beautiful. That's no longer enough for me. Now I need a common thread running through it or a motto or something. I find simply hanging pictures boring. Unless I can think of a good theme or something else, I won't do it.

Philipp Gladsome is on the road more than 250 days a year. Among other things, he photographs the director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York for a major car manufacturer, accompanies the world-famous star pianist Lang Lang to the Olympic Games in Brazil, travels with the well-known DJ and producer Robin Schulz via private jet to a gig in Ibiza, shoots a music video in Los Angeles with an up-and-coming band or is on the road in Hong Kong for a well-known electronics giant. And yet he always returns home to Chemnitz.

You are travelling the world, at home in Chemnitz, why is the city such a good retreat for you?
I have my family here, my circle of friends and it always feels like coming home when I'm in Chemnitz. You also know people everywhere here and it's not so anonymous. I lived in Berlin during my training as a social assistant. I felt like I was missing out on something every night that I stayed at home. Every day there's a party somewhere, a concert or something else. You don't have that in Chemnitz - but that's good. I can stay at home in the evening, relax and unwind. Another reason why Chemnitz is my main place of residence is that the rents are so cheap and I now have so much stuff, camera equipment, clothes, I don't know what all, that I need a big flat.

If you were to photograph something in Chemnitz, what would it be?
I have to say, I really like photographing people in the Zeisigwald. Up on the Fuchsberg, that's always my absolute haven of peace. So if I had to show someone Chemnitz, that would probably be the first place I would go.

Does Chemnitz inspire you in any way? I noticed your modesty during the interview. Is that also a Chemnitz virtue?
Yes, I think so. The fact that I have a haven of peace here with family and friends also keeps me grounded. That helps me not to get carried away in my head.

Chemnitz wants to be the Capital of Culture in seven years' time. What do you wish for the city until then?
More events like KRACH. I've always noticed that Chemnitz has an incredibly large creative scene for its size. There are many bands and artists who are supported to some extent. Because they are the future of the city and also make up the city. If you lose them, you don't have much left. These are the people who organise the parties and take care of the things that keep other people in the city.