Stunning Transformations of Buildings into Abstract Art with Norbert Fritz
Award-winning landscape and architectural photographer Norbert Fritz creates beautifully composed abstract art out of the ordinary. We had the pleasure of talking to Norbert about his creative inspirations and how he relates composing an image to composing music.
Winged Storm
What’s the one quote that always fires you up?
NF: “Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso
Window Stream
How did you begin you photography career?
NF: I have always been interested in arts and music. But photography was a more sudden decision. I bought a compact camera in December 2011 and I started taking photos.
I especially liked capturing subtle subjects – moments, landscapes and nature. Then, I realized that I wanted to bring more out of my photos, so I decided to buy my first digital SLR camera, it was December 2012.
Replaceable lenses, and the possibilities they offered, opened an almost completely new world to me and I started to use the camera more widely. I was interested in abstract themes, macros, buildings, cityscape and astrophotography, too. I also experimented with making portraits. However, my main focus was still nature, landscapes, buildings and abstract themes.
I’m a self-taught photographer. It is a really exciting adventure when you learn from your own mistakes, and work toward making better and better photos. I learned music in my childhood and I can play on instruments like the piano and guitar. Composing a photo is a complex task, similar to composing music. In photography, my instrument is the camera and the rhythm is dictated by the light. Continuous practice on this unique and special tool allows me to play more and more beautiful “melodies.”
Do you have any particular habits that are a part of how you begin your creative process?
NF: I go around a scene, watching things. If needed, I look at a place several times at different times of day, noticing differences in the light conditions, colors, and angles.
What do you do when you hit a wall during your creative process?
NF: I just take a break. I make something else, or I watch a movie, go to a cafe, read a book. I simply choose to do other things and trust that ideas will come.
What artist(s) or photographer do you most admire? And how has their work influenced your own?
NF: I really like classic photographers like André Kertész, Robert Capa, Elliott Erwitt, but I also like surrealist photographer Erik Johansson‘s works too. I like the works of Pablo Picasso and Victor Vasarely, whose works are in the Vasarely Museum in Pécs, Hungary, where I live.
Augmented Reality
What’s your favorite photo you’ve ever captured and why?
NF: I have a lot of photos and it is hard to say which one is my favorite. Each has its own story, or specialty, which I like about it. I really like the Levels of Reading, the Window Stream, the Winged Storm, or what I have taken recently with my phone called Fragments or Augmented Reality.
Fragments
If your essence were able to be captured/created in a photo, what would be happening in it?
NF: I think it would be like a sci-fi movie scene – minimalistic, futuristic, tricky, unpredictable and all this from an unusual perspective.
What are you focusing on right now in your art and photography?
NF: I recently had my first solo photo and audiovisual exhibition, which was absolutely great.
I made my artwork available in canvas print format and began shipping worldwide. Now I’m working on a mobile street photo series and, besides that, I have many other ideas of what I am going to make next with my DSLR.
Levels of Reading
What book would you recommend any creative person read?
NF: Anyone who, like me, is interested in tech should read Elon Musk’s Inventing the Future. It is a very inspiring story on how to build the future.
You can see more of Norbert’s work on his website. And now that you’ve seen a bit of Norbert’s work, why not have a look inside his gear bag?
