La Loupe St. Anton, St. Christoph & Stuben am Arlberg No. 4

ALEXANDER KAISER’S
WORDRAP
My favourite camera/lens?
Arca Swiss Rm3Di/Rodenstock 70 mm.
Three traits of a good photographer?
Patience in preparation, speed in
implementation, and a feeling for the
right place and the right time.
My favourite travel destination?
No one in particular. There are so
many beautiful spots.
Three powerful places at the Arlberg?
Spullersee/Goppenspitze/Rohnspitze,
Steinernes Meer/Formaletsch, Erzberg.
I am … addicted to new impressions.
I am not … satisfied easily.
Romantic or real? Some of both
(with Gemini as my zodiac sign,
that is quite easy).
L.L. How important is photographic
technology in your outdoor projects? Do
photographers somehow also have to be
meteorologists or survival experts? You
certainly need to be athletic …
A.K. You need to be a hobby meteorologist
for sure. Listening to and reading the weather
report is part of my routine work. You need to
find your way around and feel safe in alpine
terrain. So you could say that stamina as well as
climbing and skiing skills are basic requirements
to work effectively and stay safe.
L.L. Do you prefer summer or winter for
your pictures?
A.K. Every season has a charm of its own:
storms and thunder in summer, driving snow
and cloudy skies in winter, foehn atmosphere etc.
L.L. How much Photoshop can a picture take?
A.K. I think we should consider and communicate
this as an art form of its own. There is a
programme called Photoshop with its countless
features – so why should not we photographers use it? A photographer
cannot survive without a good “digital background”
anymore. After all, you need to be able to turn the “captured”
pixels into a picture. In former times, this work was done based
on laboratories, chemicals and various film materials. And I
also believe that digital photography is by no means easier than
analog photography. A great picture always comes first – you
cannot edit what is not there.
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L.L. And what about the highly edited models you find in the
fashion industry?
A.K. Well, of course this is something completely different. As I
have said, I consider it to be an art form of its own. In this case,
a new virtual being full of dreams and desires of beauty and
perfection is born. I always like taking a look at such projects and
am impressed by what you can do already. The final product is a