PHOENIX PHOTOGRAPHY

It is with great pleasure we bring you one of the finest German photographer and a great human being Mr. Jerry Louis Ruff in the new edition of FOCUSED | WITH WORLD PHOTO FREAKS.

Here he talks about his life, photography and beyond.

Jerry-Louis Ruff started photography at a very early stage during his childhood. What fascinated and moved him was the infinite creativity and the ability of photography to tell a story in a special way.

Between the year 2007 and 2013 he studied photography and graphic design from Institute for Learning System (ILS) Hamburg, Germany.

He started participating in various salons and photography competitions since 2015 and has achieved various distinctions viz A.CPE, G.APS, AFIAP, PPSA, HERMES and CROWN 2 to name a few to his credit.

Besides photography I love to create and edit fractal images on my computer. I am an animal lover, especially cats. I work on animal conservation. I have built wooden sheds for feral cats so that they stay protected during the winters. My passion for creating databases for the photographic issues takes majority of my time.

WORLD PHOTO FREAKS is a very creative group which is full of talented photographers. I always take inspiration from here. I find new ways and views from the photographers here and I try to implement them in my photography as well.

I think the Indian photographers do not stick to the orthodox method of photography anymore and are trying out many creative ways which is fantastic. During the time when I was judging at World Photo Freaks, I was fascinated by the variety of visual languages and creativity shown by the participants from India. It made my judging easier because I was able to understand the story of the photographers so effectively and effortlessly.

I think the new age photographers are ready to accept new challenges in this field. Unlike older generation they do not stick to traditional photography anymore. They have shown the new prospective and new pictorial language to the world.

During old times the photographers didn’t had the newer technologies and other resources which the newer generation is having now. But the old school photographers remained faithful to the traditional way and as they say “Old is gold”, bygone era will never fade away, it will come back in some or the other form.

Previously I had supported few photography clubs but due to constraints of time and family I have limited myself. Today I conduct only 3 workshops a year and the entire benefit goes to animal conservation and welfare.

Talent can’t be hidden or should not be suppressed due to monetary circumstances. I am so proud to be a part of the esteemed platform of World Photo Freaks where you are providing a global stage to the newer photographers to showcase their work in an unique way, that too free of cost. Unlike the salon competitions, TEAM WORLD PHOTO FREAKS is regularly keeping healthy photography contests without any entry fees and sending awards to the winners by spending money through own pockets. This is actually true love and dedication towards promoting photography. I can’t thank you enough for this wonderful gesture and excellent initiative.

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I was at home all the time during this pandemic. Still I try to remain at home and enjoy indoor creative photography. Yes, I miss outdoor photography but during COVID 19 pandemic I got to spend quality time with my family. I would suggest not to go out and avoid crowded places until vaccinated.

This pandemic came as a blessing in disguise to me because I got a chance to publish two of my books based on photography titled NATURLICH EISENHEIM. It has 2 volumes namely a) “UNDN AM MEE” b) “SCHNURRENDE GOTTER”. These books are based on the natural beauty of the Eisenheim village and the cats that lives there. The photographs in the books have English subtitles. Now they are available online.

In my view abstract photography is enigmatic and minimalist, sometimes blurred, sometimes provocative but also an image that you look at for longer than few seconds which invites you to discover it.

I followed this pack of wolves for a while in the forest of Bavaria and I was amazed to see how these animals protect and support each other selflessly and also sets the hierarchy right. I think I will remember them for a very long time.

I took this photograph during my vacation in Prague. Though the image is noisy but somehow I love the composition and the situational story of it.

There are many photographers who have made an impact including some brilliant photo-artists of WORLD PHOTO FREAKS too when I was in the jury panel. I was truly impressed by some of the silhouettes and black & white images posted during the competition.

Currently I am following the works of Nigel Danson, Mads Peter Iversen and Ian Worth. I watch their videos on YouTube.

Having grown up in a mixed culture of Germany and America and having judged many international competitions, I have noticed in Germany a dominant “sterile and tidy” trait with a tendency towards minimalist image composition is getting popular. The younger generation photographers are breaking the old traditional paths and are courageous enough to explore and experiment new things in this field.