(Urban) landscape photographer Kerstin Bittner: on the move between street canyons and quiet places of longing

(Photo: Kerstin Bittner © Britta Loose-Buhr)

The diversity of the colorful visual worlds in Westend61’s portfolio is reflected in the individuality of the photographers we work with throughout Europe. Here you will find people with the most diverse backgrounds and photographic concepts. Their creativity is the basis and condition of our success as a stock photo provider. Today, let’s take a look at the other side of the camera and see how they work. We’d like to introduce you to Kerstin Bittner from Hamburg, whose (urban) landscapes have been a permanent fixture in our portfolio for years.

Kerstin’s Westend61 images are like an exciting journey through northern Germany: Coastal landscapes, but always also her adopted home of Hamburg from a variety of new angles and in fantastic lighting moods. And her path into professional photography is also exciting: Kerstin Bittner has a doctorate in biology and has worked in this field for around 20 years. She combines the precise eye of a natural scientist with a keen sense for the beauty of both natural and man-made environments.

When the Eckernförde native moved to Lake Constance in 1997 after completing her studies in Kiel for her doctorate, she probably never thought of making photography her profession. “Back then, photography was mainly a way for me to balance out my academic work. What could be better than sitting on the shores of Lake Constance and taking photos in exciting light? You find peace and quiet and still have the good feeling of having achieved something afterwards,” she recalls.

Creative relaxation with the camera. But that’s not all: “Back then, I worked in an environmental office in environmental communication, among other things, and was able to combine scientific work and photography.” With increasingly better photographic and creative know-how, the joy of photography grew. Contacts from work led to the first commissions for corporate and business photography.

© Westend61 / Kerstin Bittner

When Kerstin Bittner and her husband moved to Hamburg in 2017, photography had long since become more than just a hobby for them. She explored her new home on extended forays with her camera. Not only did she spend a lot of time on foot, but at the same time she continued step by step towards becoming a professional photographer. In addition, she specialized in family pictures, which, with their spontaneity and vitality, formed a counterweight to the mostly “unobserved” (city) landscape impressions.

In 2015, she came into contact with Westend61. “I was looking for a German-speaking agency, which was important to me because of the copyright and contractual details. What I appreciate about Westend61 is the good communication within the team, the high quality standards and the willingness to help when you need advice.” It was the beginning of a fruitful collaboration for both sides: for us, the enrichment of our portfolio, for Kerstin the opportunity to gradually develop a stable passive source of income alongside contract photography.

As for most photographers, the corona lockdown was also a turning point for Kerstin. Almost exactly four years ago, life suddenly came to a standstill. The pandemic was not only a health and social crisis, but also an existential economic challenge, especially for many people in the cultural and creative industries. It was no different for Kerstin Bittner: “The family photos, which had been a mainstay until then, suddenly stopped working.” But she made the best of the situation: with numerous pictures of suddenly deserted places in the middle of the city that were otherwise bubbling over with hustle and bustle, she not only created aesthetically pleasing photos, but also impressive contemporary documents of this exceptional situation. Her conclusion: “All in all, and despite all the worries, it was a very productive time for me. And I was glad that I was able to continue submitting my photos to Westend61.”

© Westend61 / Kerstin Bittner

Kerstin now offers a much broader range of services: in addition to stock photography, she photographs photo reportages and image photos for companies, associations and museums, but also provides images for art prints, calendars and postcards, for travel magazines and guides. These variations of her portfolio are an addition, but also a change from her traditional profession of landscape photography: “Here the calm, planned aspects of landscape photography, there the interaction with people and the ‘action’ of reportage. With the latter, I especially love the look behind the scenes.” Here she is not dealing with models, but with “real people from real life” after all, recognition value and a personal touch are important here. 

Professional photography is a constantly changing environment that requires flexibility. Kerstin attributes the fact that she can hold her own here to her mix of motifs and marketing channels. Stock photography as a regular source of income is now an important pillar of her concept. Kerstin is one of the few photographers at Westend61 who has specialized in the less lucrative landscape photography in her stock photo portfolio, while most others focus on “people & lifestyle”. Nevertheless, she manages to generate stable sales with more than 2600 images listed on Westend61. Her recipe for success: “Staying on top of things, keeping up to date and trying to find your own visual language even in classic landscape photography.” And that means meticulous planning in advance, often getting up at an early hour to be at a particular photo location – and then hoping for the perfect light. 

However, Kerstin has also noticed the changes in the industry, especially the increasing price pressure on photographers. This is especially true in urban and landscape photography, where many providers of good photos are competing with each other and where amateur photographers often sell their pictures below value. Kerstin is critical of the AI hype: “This is a threat to us, especially with city and landscape motifs: I think that AI will soon be able to take ‘the perfect picture’ of places that have been photographed a lot – for example by learning from my pictures, which have been produced with a lot of effort.” She also believes that certain classic stock motifs, such as symbolic images on a wide variety of topics, could soon be dominated by AI.

© Westend61 / Kerstin Bittner

But conversely, Kerstin is also certain that there will always be niches for flesh-and-blood photo professionals: especially when authenticity, emotionality and personal recognition value are required, such as in photo reportages that are about people – and fortunately that is quite often the case. “AI can’t provide this kind of personal approach,” Kerstin is certain. And the most important thing: “No matter who and what you photograph: You always have to bring in individuality to stand out.”

More infos about Kerstin at her homepage kerstinbittner.de and her Instagram-Account @kerstinbittner_fotografie