On a recent trip through the pages of Flickr I came across the prolific photographer Felix Jaegle (felix388). Browsing Felix’s photostream is like taking a tour around the world, with stops in Spain, Scotland, Mexico, and Germany just to name a few places. I caught up with Felix and asked him a few questions about his photography and his travels.
TravelMuse: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Felix Jaegle: I am from the southwestern part of Germany and continue to live in the southwest, but of a different country, [France]. Being fascinated [with] airplanes (maybe this is because they take you to fascinating places), I became an aerospace engineer and ended up a Ph.D. student in Toulouse, the capital of aeronautics. My field is computational fluid dynamics, something like the Pixar studios of the scientific guild, which means that producing colorful images is now my job and my hobby.
TM: What got you interested in photography, and why do you continue to enjoy it?
FJ: I have traveled a lot and seen great places, thanks to my parents who always took the kids with them on vacations. The whole family was taking photographs when traveling, and this is how it all started for me. My first camera was an instamatic with a funny kind of film cartridge and square pictures. Then after a while I have got the old all-manual SLR of my parents, which is how I learned about f-stops, etc. But what really got me addicted was digital photography, with its instant learning effect and the lack of the feeling of “wasting film” when experimenting. Photography in a great way congregates the fascination of the technology, art and aesthetics. as well as keeps the memory of great adventures alive, in the most vivid colors or—better still—in black and white.
TM: How long have you been using Flickr, and what do you like about it?
FJ: Since early 2007, which does not make me a pioneer on this field, which is quite a shame actually. What I really like about it are the minimalistic yet unique aesthetics of the site, its ingenious tools and—most obviously—having regular visitors who motivate me to try out new things in photography!
TM: What kind of responses have you gotten to your photos on Flickr?
FJ: Mostly encouraging comments, and from time to time my brother leaving a witty remark. All are very appreciated!
TM: What kind of equipment and software do you use?
FJ: Practically all my photos on Flickr have been made with a good old Canon 300D. This may not sound very exciting, but it definitely is still the same amazing toy it was on the first day [I used it]. What really counts in a camera is that there is an “M” or an “Av” symbol on that dial at the top, the rest is luxury (very generally speaking at least). Not that I have anything against luxury—on the contrary! I also have some strobist gear (remote flashes) which are great fun to experiment with. On the software side, I tend to keep it simple and mostly in the cloud using “picnik”, a picture editing web-app.
Actually, having a mild form of color-blindness, my picture editing would not be stellar anyways, which is why I thought it’d be wise to put the color part entirely into the trusted hands of Canon Inc.
TM: How does photography change how you travel?
FJ: This depends entirely on my fellow travelers. If they are not too much into photography themselves, I try not to do epic shooting sessions, because I know how boring this can be for others. However, when alone or with other photographers, I can wander around at length waiting for something that inspires me and then spend a great amount of time on a motive to get it right.
TM: What is your favorite subject to photograph? What inspires you?
FJ: I don’t think I have found a pet project in photography yet. I still want to try everything that is possible at least once. Inspiration comes from friends, out of the blue, but also to a great extent from the web. Some time ago, for example, I saw a video of someone strapping a camera with an ultra-wide angle to the chest of a race cyclist, which resulted in great action photos. As I do cycling as a sport, I might try this out some time!
TM: What is your favorite photograph that you’ve taken and why?
FJ: I do not tend to rank pictures and decide which one is the best. But if I had to make a choice, it would probably be a totally unspectacular one. It shows some apron vehicles in the great 70s style pastel colors of the Munich airport, sitting idly on the tarmac just after a rain shower. I particularly like the composition and the atmosphere, abandoned, almost desolate in that kind of weather, but on the other hand optimistic, waiting in anticipation for that Airbus flying in from the United States or Asia, already close somewhere in those clouds.
TM: What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?
FJ: Don’t force yourself into wanting to produce good pictures. You might already have to produce results in your job all day, so take it easy—it’s your hobby! Don’t be disappointed if you come back from a tour with only lame ideas or great ones that are all blurred or underexposed. Take your time and enjoy the learning, you will be rewarded!
