by Editor Michel Romaggi in collaboration with the author, Marcel Egger 
Edited en published by Yvette Depaepe, the 2nd of November 2022

Among Marcel's beautiful photos, I have chosen an image out of his amazing compositions whose surreal subjects and dramatic colours catch the eye immediately. Thank you, Marcel, for agreeing to share with us some of the secrets to create it.

How do you come up with ideas for the subject of your photos? Where did you get the idea for "Homo sapiens media"?

'Homo sapiens media'

I have many ideas that spontaneously come to mind. Others have been on the to-do list for a long time. On my travels, I always take my camera with me and photograph a lot of useless things like stone walls, floor tiles, clouds, puddles etc. in case I could use them for my composing. When I visited the Natural History Museum in Vienna, I photographed the caveman and I knew right away that I wanted him to hold an iPhone in his hands.

How did you realize it – step by step?

For this image, I needed several photos: the Neanderthal, my iPhone, the fire, the cave from Portugal, the steppe from Namibia, and the mountains from the Dolomites. Then everything was cut out, and placed on the photo. Depth of field was created, lights and shadows were drawn in, and everything was connected with a colour look. However, I kept making make small changes and improvements. The finished picture was more complex than I expected.

What photographic equipment do you use?

My cameras: Sony A1 and A7R M3,Sony lenses: FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM, FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM, FE 55mm F1.8, FE 85mm F1.8, Tamron 15-30mm F2.8

How do you post-process your photos into those dramatic renderings that we find in some of your photos (see at the end of this tutorial: 'FireStorm and StormDance)?

Other: Nisi Filter Set S6, Sirui tripods,Lighting studio: 4 x Profoto B10, 1x Profoto A10, various light shapers and screens

How did you get into photography and what led you to this type of photography in particular?

I started with analogue photography as a boy and developed our films with colleagues in the darkroom. However, over time this technique became too complex for me. Many years later we created the annual new hairstyle collections in our hair salon. Up until 5 years ago, I hired an external photographer for this. In order to save these costs, I decided to buy a professional camera and learn to take pictures myself. My choice fell on the Sony A7R. I joined the photo club in Lustenau and the first thing I learned there was how to switch off the automatic mode and how to use the flash system in the photo studio. From then on I photographed our models myself and learned something new with every new project. Another passion of mine is travelling, whether it is in America, Africa, Asia, or just here in the mountains, there are great motifs to capture everywhere. It is always a great adventure to drive through the Savannah's in a jeep, experience the animals in their natural environment, and meet interesting people and their unusual ways of life.

Today, my vision is to create photo artworks with WOW effects.
Nowadays everyone has their smartphone in their pocket. Great tool for great snapshots spiced up with available filters. It takes more than just owning an expensive camera and pulling the trigger to make your work stand out in this sea of images.

Creative ideas perfectly staged and professionally photographed, are the cornerstone for creating photographic works of art. So if you can't take photos, you won't be able to do anything in Photoshop either. A stable foundation in the knowledge of the techniques in photography and the skills in the development options are the perfect tools.

'StormDance'

'FireStorm'

'ThaiFishingboat'