WHO?
My Name is Philipp Czampiel (born in 1995 in Wuppertal, Germany) and I am photographer based in Berlin. I studied Industrial Design and Strategic Design at the University of Wuppertal and went abroad a couple times for studies and work, including longer stays in Nebraska, Cincinnati, San Fransisco and Stockholm. My family is from Poland and they migrated to Germany in the 80s. After graduating from University I moved to Berlin in 2022, where, after working for 2 1/2 years as a designer at a consultancy, I now mostly make a living as a photographer.
WHAT?
I am a documentary photographer that processes intrinsic experiences through the interaction with extrinsic views. I don’t like to see my photographs as documents, because they contain something personal, almost literary. They don’t show the objective truth and are more like a subjective perception, and thus a kind of emotional truth, which makes it more vulnerable.
When I take photographs, I look for situations in which everyday life briefly shifts and the sense of orientation is renegotiated. For my personal work I shoot mostly in black and white, because I like the level of abstraction it adds. I have a few topics that fascinate me but I don’t aim for a reportage. I am more likely creating a narrative web that is less linear than atmospheric – by combining photographs from personal and public life I am creating documents that are not voyeuristic, but participative on eye level.
WHEN?
My parents influenced me a lot. They gave me an old ZENIT to play with while I was waiting for my food in the high chair. My dad also gave me compliments for my pictures when I was a teenager and this really made me feel worthy. I always naturally went out in the streets and photographed everything and everyone around me as well as my family and friends – shooting street before I knew it was a thing. Taking pictures for myself was something that always brought me a lot of pleasure. In school I did an internship assisting a photographer, but the financial perspective made me go for something else creative. I love physical objects, but also have a tendency to think visually and systematically. Also I needed something that offered more security, and that’s the reason I studied design. But during my studies I picked up a camera again and from then on it naturally became more and more serious leading to a point where I needed to give it a try as a profession before regretting not doing so in the future.
WHERE?
I always look for contexts or places of interest, and explore them with a few aspects that fascinate me in mind, but also with an openness without prejudice. I don’t want to plan too much ahead. It would ruin the authentic experience for me.
Since I always carry a camera with me I shoot everywhere, but I have a few projects that have made me focus on several places that became important to me.
There is my hometown Wuppertal, that I wanted to document, before I left it in 2022. There is Berlin as the backdrop that surrounds me in my daily life right now, acting as an interesting representation of the times we live in. There is a big public park, a place where I explore the almost magical influence of nature on our being.
WHY?
I really enjoy photographing and working with the camera as a tool. All the interactions with the world around me are wonderful confirmations for its positive effect on my life, and the life of others.
Also I just like looking at pictures.
