"Der BFF Berufsverband Freie Fotografen und Filmgestalter e.V. steht für höchste Qualität in den Bereichen Fotografie und Bildgestaltung in Europa".

"The BFF is a professional association with the highest degree of professionalism and an extraordinarily creative quality. It is this combination that continues to make us unique in Europe".

Dafür bürgen die namhaften Gründungs- und Ehrenmitglieder, darunter international renommierte Fotografen-Legenden wie Prof. F. C. Gundlach, Peter Lindbergh, Sarah Moon oder Oliviero Toscani.

Derzeit bestimmen gut 500 aktive BFF-Mitglieder, stilbildende Fotografen aus den Bereichen Werbung und Editorial ebenso wie innovative Filmgestalter und Hochschullehrer für Fotografie und Design die Bildsprache entscheidend mit.

Auf Grundlage dieses hohen ästhetischen Anspruchs vertreten wir seit mehr als 45 Jahren die Interessen unserer Mitglieder. Dabei stehen Traditionen und Visionen beim BFF von Beginn an in einer kreativen Verbindung. Unser Augenmerk liegt heute nicht mehr nur auf der klassischen Fotografie. Ebenso kümmert sich der Verband um die kreativen Möglichkeiten der neuen Bildmedien und des „Digital Imaging“. SOURCE: BFF Website: https://bff.de/

Anyone who moved from jumped from a "classic" job to go full-time freelance knows the amount of fear and uncertainty it entails. Beginnings are particularly hard as you  can feel disoriented and dependant from other people. It is a time of growing networks, trust and collaboration.

The job I do today is a celebration of this cooperation scheme as I would be nothing without the hundreds of people involved in the many projects produced in the last few years. I would like to pay tribute to them today and this "magazine" in a way is a mean to do so... By showing you a glimpse of the projects B-side I hope to achieve to show you how complex their work can be and how relevant their contribution is.

Clients, Makeup artists, Stylists, assistants, models or anyone supporting the production or assisting with the administration, logistics; they all make these ideas a photographic reality! You can grow along with other people, take on a progressive adventure, make friends on your way to failures and successes. There is nothing like completing a successful shooting with people you were in tune with, looking at the same direction. Ideally you will need a lighthouse.  I   found mine a few years ago when trying to define where I wanted to go with my photographic practice.

This lighthouse for me was called BFF (Berufsverband Freie Fotografen und Filmgestalter e. V.) a photographers syndicate that held many of my German heroes and was with every of its projects setting the bar higher both technically and artistically indicating the north direction just like a compass would do. I am extremely proud to announce you today that after passing through a few portfolio presentations for good judgement by professional BFF members and after being co-opted by photographers Katja Ruge http://katjaruge.de/ (Hamburg) and Per Schorn http://perschorn.de/ (Köln), I have been accepted as a BFF member. 

It is now time to roll-up the sleeves and to work even harder to keep up with the standard. Double responsibility as I would be the actual sole member representing Rheinland-Pfalz!