Manni’s World

LFI: What does Manni’s world look like and what makes it so unique?
Jürgen Schmittdiel:  Manni is an original, a person who lives very connected with nature and collects lots of stuff from the good old days. He loves his animals and anything relating to the Wild West. This is exactly what his world looks like: an old farmyard with a cobbled stone entryway, items and accessories from a bygone era, a Western style saloon with a lot of Wild West paraphernalia, a rustic old bakery with an open fireplace, a butcher’s corner and an old saddle workshop in the basement. The property has animals, including horses, donkeys, chickens, rabbits and, of course, cats and farmyard dogs. His world is a place of sanctuary, separate from our increasingly modern and hectic world, which, at times, seems to be turned on its head. A place that makes you feel well and accepted – that is what makes Manni’s world special, in my eyes.

How long have you been working on this project and what has changed during that time?
The first images were taken in October 2020. I was wandering over fields and farms, taking landscape and macro photographs, when I spotted an old white Land Rover in the distance. There was an elderly chap wearing a hat, cigarillo between his lips, visiting the pasture to feed his highland cattle some apples. I hadn't done a lot of portrait photography up until that moment, but his face had the kind of character I wanted to capture. I gathered up my courage to approach him and asked to take his portrait. As we chatted, he told me about his farm and that I was welcome to take pictures there, too, if I liked. And so it came about that I’ve been privy to Manni’s extraordinary world for over three years now: a place where time seems to have stood still, where everything remains unchanged, save for a little thing or two being moved or added, here and there. It’s the seasons rather, which make everything appear in a new light, time and again.

How do you proceed with your photography? How do you choose what to turn into an image?
Manni’s world offers so many motifs and opportunities, that you really don’t need much of an agenda or photographic objective to begin working. It feels more like the pictures find me. I meander about, allow myself to be inspired, and usually my heart tells me when it is time to take a picture. For example, Manni was giving me a tour of the farmyard and wanted me to take a picture of his garden from up high in the barn window, which, unfortunately, didn’t quite work. As we were up in the barn having a conversation, I noticed a ray of light falling on Manni’s face and I immediately had the feeling that this was the moment to take an amazing portrait – a completely different image than what we had planned. As so often happens, it is a combination of luck or serendipity, an eye for that perfect moment and the acquired technical skills that converge to become a great photograph.