Outer Impulses
My name is Carolin Unrath and I am a commercial photographer from Germany. The areas in which I work professionally and passionately are lifestyle and outdoor/sports photography.
I regularly photograph people and documentaries for outdoor brands and lifestyle campaigns for advertising agencies. When I’m not taking photos in South Africa or in the Namibian desert, I dedicate myself to my profession on high mountains like the Dolomites or in cities like Vienna, Munich or Milan.
Photography has always been my creative means of expression, even if I was active in other areas of art.
But where do I get my inspiration from? I am often asked this question when people look at my pictures. I draw a lot of inspiration from moments when I’m on the move, when I’m experiencing something and gathering new impressions. For example, when I’m cycling, ski touring, mountaineering or running – when I’m simply out in nature and not sitting in front of a screen. Because that’s when I perceive so many different places and influences and also get into a flow state mentally. I always try to utilize this energy and incorporate it into my shoots. I think that these impulses are also the main triggers from which I draw my creativity.
For the project with the new FUJIFILM GFX100S II, I created a sport orientated outdoor shoot. We used trail running apparel from a running brand based in Paris and tried to capture the feeling of moments away from the race and the calm with a more lifestyle-orientated approach – with a bit of action in between.
Just as a painter needs to know how his brushes work and where best to use them, different conditions in photography require different tools. On location, during a shoot, I need to be able to rely on my equipment. My equipment needs to be reliable and intuitive so that I can focus on capturing authentic moments while coordinating everything on set and communicating with the person in front of my lens.
With the new GFX100S II, Fujifilm has succeeded in integrating a medium format sensor into an even lighter but still robust camera body. A camera that simply works, even under difficult external conditions. I can easily take it to places where you wouldn’t have thought of medium format in the past. I can use it for speed hiking on trails, working in salty sea breezes and strong winds or moving out of my comfort zone in the rain – whatever the conditions.
Even in the most challenging lighting conditions, the autofocus worked accurately and I got remarkably sharp images while photographing my model at blue hour after sunset with a last spark of light on the horizon. These are the moments when I just love the light and the magic happens. Having a camera to help me capture these special moments is just great. The images feel very close to my own perception – to a raw moment – how I experienced and felt it.
One factor is certainly that the image quality offers so much depth in colours, details and textures. Another reason could be that when you look at it, you just feel that it’s more than full-frame, because of the image format and the look and feel – that’s definitely the more emotional part for me.
The GFX100S II fits seamlessly into my workflow. The more my photos correspond to my imagination and perception, the happier I am with the result.
That’s why the use of the camera goes beyond my commercial work. The GFX100S II is so small and light that I can take it anywhere. I like to pack it in my bag, take it with me on my next hike and simply come home with a few pictures that come very close to the moments I experienced outdoors.
