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1/10
Spaces of Light
Spaces of Light
Torsten Andreas Hoffmann
May 29, 2026
A mixture of Zen philosophy, architectural elements and the interplay with light – Torsten Hoffmann’s work focuses on creating a diversity of spaces of light. In doing so, the photographer, who originally studied painting, combines the two art forms. He spoke with us about how these spaces emerge.
LFI: What do you associate with spaces of light, and how did the idea for this project come about?
Torsten Hoffmann: I’ve been interested in Japanese Zen philosophy for many years, and I meditate for 20 minutes every day. I wanted to find a way to translate my experiences and thoughts about this practice into images. The core idea is that reality, as we experience it with our five senses, is only a small part of the larger whole. With these pictures, I’m trying to blur visible reality to some extent and create something greater, something transcendent.
Your colour-rich works almost look like paintings and are very different from your black-and-white photography. How did your style develop in this direction?
I’ve never settled for just one style. So I continue to work as an architecture and street photographer in black and white, or with pairs of images, as in my Architecture Follows Nature series. With Lichträume (Spaces of Light) my real intention was to develop painting through the lens of a camera. I studied that art form many years ago and, to this day, remain a ‘hidden’ painter. After all, the same creative principles apply to photography as to painting. Trying out something new beyond classic photography always appeals to me.
In your work, architecture appears like an abstract concept. What interests you about this perspective of spaces and shapes?
In this series, I use architecture as the foundation for my painterly compositions; I usually seek out places with colourful houses, pay attention to distinctive light conditions, and thus create ‘spaces of light’ in the truest sense of the word. These spaces are also imbued with a special light on the canvas. The pictures are best appreciated not by trying to analyse them, but by viewing them contemplatively.
How exactly do your pictures come about?
I usually envision the picture composition beforehand while making my preparations. I work with a neutral density filter that darkens the lens, allowing me to use longer exposure times even during the day. Then I choose an appropriate location, hopefully with magical light, and move the camera in my own particular way, whilst the picture is being exposed.
What equipment did you use?
I’ve been working with the small CL since 2018, and with the Leica SL3 since last year, which allows me to work even more precisely.
Eliza TrappLFI: What do you associate with spaces of light, and how did the idea for this project come about?
Torsten Hoffmann: I’ve been interested in Japanese Zen philosophy for many years, and I meditate for 20 minutes every day. I wanted to find a way to translate my experiences and thoughts about this practice into images. The core idea is that reality, as we experience it with our five senses, is only a small part of the larger whole. With these pictures, I’m trying to blur visible reality to some extent and create something greater, something transcendent.
Your colour-rich works almost look like paintings and are very different from your black-and-white photography. How did your style develop in this direction?
I’ve never settled for just one style. So I continue to work as an architecture and street photographer in black and white, or with pairs of images, as in my Architecture Follows Nature series. With Lichträume (Spaces of Light) my real intention was to develop painting through the lens of a camera. I studied that art form many years ago and, to this day, remain a ‘hidden’ painter. After all, the same creative principles apply to photography as to painting. Trying out something new beyond classic photography always appeals to me.
In your work, architecture appears like an abstract concept. What interests you about this perspective of spaces and shapes?
In this series, I use architecture as the foundation for my painterly compositions; I usually seek out places with colourful houses, pay attention to distinctive light conditions, and thus create ‘spaces of light’ in the truest sense of the word. These spaces are also imbued with a special light on the canvas. The pictures are best appreciated not by trying to analyse them, but by viewing them contemplatively.
How exactly do your pictures come about?
I usually envision the picture composition beforehand while making my preparations. I work with a neutral density filter that darkens the lens, allowing me to use longer exposure times even during the day. Then I choose an appropriate location, hopefully with magical light, and move the camera in my own particular way, whilst the picture is being exposed.
What equipment did you use?
I’ve been working with the small CL since 2018, and with the Leica SL3 since last year, which allows me to work even more precisely.
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Torsten Andreas Hoffmann
EQUIPMENT: Leica SL3, Super-Vario-Elmar-TL 11-23 f/3.5-4.5 Asph
Torsten Andreas Hoffmann+-
The photographer is the author of 25 books. He studied Art Education with an emphasis on Photography at the HBK Braunschweig. Photographic journeys took him to India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nepal, Turkey, the USA, the Sahara and the United Arab Emirates, among other places. His work has been exhibited internationally and has received numerous awards. He lives in Germany, in Goslar and near Frankfurt on the Main. More
