WHO?
I am Franz Mangel. I am a German photographer. Born (1994) in Munich I briefly grew up in North Carolina and California before returning to a small village, far outside my birthplace, in the foothills of the Bavarian alps.
WHAT?
I have a camera with me everywhere I am just in case I see something. I’m mainly interested in the human condition and always looking to tell something about what it means to be alive today. Be that in a direct way or more metaphorically, any situation may present itself as the next opportunity to make a photograph. I find it very important to keep myself open to what’s happening around me and not to have too many ideas. I’m inspired by the accidental poetry of life, curious to explore the aspects of photography that are unique to the medium.
WHEN?
Before photography came into my life I thought it was quite stupid and only there to show what things looked like. That was until I randomly came across the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson while researching cameras when I was 19. That quickly introduced me to a world of photography I hadn’t known before. It suddenly made me have an immense appetite for life. I yearned to be outside, participate and understand what moves us. Although it wasn’t until I was 22 and a year after I had moved from my little village to Berlin, that I really started making pictures on a daily basis.
WHERE?
Most of public life, which is easily accessible, takes place on the street, parks and other public places. So, that is where I like to be. Areas where the most movement and change happens have the highest chances of yielding something unforeseen that you could never imagine in your wildest dreams. For six years I worked in Berlin and since 2022 I’m living in New York City.
Equally I’ve also found that on a smaller scale the same logic applies to private life. So I find myself photographing my family and friends a lot, as well as indoors in certain places.
WHY?
Why is a question to which my answer is always in the process of changing. Recently, when I was 27 I was diagnosed with ADHD. In the years since then I’ve discovered that photography perfectly ties into the way I function. In school I was never really able to pay attention. I would always look out the window. I was a quiet day dreamer. In photography I can capitalize on my distractibility. It’s one of the few instances in life where I feel like it’s an advantage rather than a disadvantage. I can get carried away by the most minuscule things that go unnoticed to most other people. And I’m glad that in my photography that that’s a good thing. In a way it’s a very meditative activity for me. Over time I’ve also realized that image-making helps me better understand my interests. It’s become a tool to explore culture and tradition, which in turn has made me more open minded and in tune with myself.
