All images by Sunny Herzinger. Used with permission.
Some photographers travel to take photos, while others take up photography to travel. For Germany-based engineer and landscape photographer Sunny Herzinger, it’s hard to tell which camp he belongs to. “Probably both,” was also he could say, and it’s pretty easy to see why he thinks it’s the case, as travel and photography are inseparable. Luckily for him, inspiration is not hard to come by, as he’s surrounded by the beauty of nature and the great outdoors.
Apart from being a source of creativity, photography comes with its own reward for Sunny. He was recently chosen by Adobe as one of their ten “Rising Stars of Photography” for this year. We also wanted to learn more about his beginnings in photography, what fuels his creativity, and what he sees himself doing in the future as a photographer. Fortunately for us, he was able to oblige us with a quick chat and a handful more of his work.
Phoblographer: Talk to us about how you got into photography.
Sunny Herzinger: I started taking photography more seriously in 2013, when I did my first long overseas trip to California. Back then I really had no experience in travel or photography but I wanted to capture everything! I shot a lot of cityscapes, travel stuff, and of course some landscapes. After that trip I knew that photography for me is not only a form of documentary, it is a form of art that I wanted to improve on. Over the coming years I focused more and more on capturing the beauty of nature. I started to chose my travel destinations accordingly.
Phoblographer: What made you want to seriously creatively get into it?
Sunny: Hmm, I never really know a good answer to this question. I think creativity is not something you can learn or get. I think creativity is just a way you perceive the world around you. How you interpret the things you experience. I think everybody can be creative, but the most difficult thing is to find the right outlet. Doesn’t matter if it is music, writing, photography or something else.
Phoblographer: Where do you feel you pull lots of your inspiration from these days?
Sunny: For me, the mountains and nature are the places to get inspired with! Fortunately, I live in the very southeast of Bavaria, so the alps are always just a few minutes away. Also, numerous lakes and thousands of hiking paths are waiting to get explored. Whenever I feel a bit down or the normal life gets just a bit too much, the best therapy for me is to go on a hike and take my camera with me.
Phoblographer: Tell us about a big project that you’re in the middle of working on right now.
Sunny: I started a personal photo project documenting the mountain Watzmann. It is located between the lake Königssee and Hintersee. My goal is to show this beautiful peak in every season of the year and in as many different weather conditions as possible. This coming fall, I will try to climb the 2713 m high summit.
Phoblographer: Where do you see yourself a year from now as a photographer? Got any plans?
Sunny: Since I have started traveling back in 2013 I have visited over 25 new countries. And I’m not planning to end this anytime soon. Next on my list are New Zealand and Georgia. I never know if I travel to photograph or if I photograph to travel. Probably both. But for sure, photography makes me want to see new countries. So keep your eyes on my Instagram account for some fresh photos from around the world and Bavaria.
Follow Sunny Herzinger on Instagram for more of his stunning travel photography, and keep an eye out on the Lightroom Instagram for more features on all the Rising Stars of Photography for 2018.