Creating can set a lot of things free that consistently harbor inside our minds. Whether we use it as an outlet, an inspiration, or simply live out what’s in our nature, art creates a separate world that we get to live in and share with the people around us. At Title, we give artists an opportunity to share these experiences with us and the world. Today’s featured creative, Constantin Schiller, did just that.
While most of us see ‘just a car’ when we look at the four-wheelers riding on the street, Constantin saw a project. A project that turned the automotive industry into an artistic platform for expression. Mercedes-Benz requested Constantin to create a Christmas Card with the car and left him enough freedom to make the project authentically Schiller.
After riding around on the country roads in the G-Class Wagon, Constantin found a perfect spot to both finish the project and take a few photos for himself. The young entrepreneur manages to see a world through his camera that’s completely separate from reality. He uses the moment’s feelings and the benefits of his surroundings to photograph an alternative reality. We got the opportunity to interview Constantin ourselves and hear about this separate creative world and further find out about the person behind the camera.
Can you give us a brief introduction to you and tell us about the projects you usually work on?
My work contains architecture, art, design, and automotive stuff most of the time. Therefore, I always try to catch the real-time situation in the places where I am for shooting. I just work with my camera and natural light. My work and my output are based on the situation at the location. That’s how I work, 25 years old, always on the search for the next visual thing around the corner.
How long have you been doing photography and when did you start?
I’ve been doing photography for about 6 years now. About 11 years ago, I started taking pictures randomly just for fun. That’s the way it started. My customers are agencies, brands, and artists.
Has living in Stuttgart influenced your projects considering you work internationally as well?
Stuttgart is my place to rethink and retouch the things I experienced on my trips and during my projects. My work is not influenced by Stuttgart or anything else. It’s just in my brain that makes it happen. Stuttgart is not a place where you can get much inspiration from. Stuttgart is the city where you just work and live.
In this project, you were able to portray a Mercedes-Benz car in a unique and artistic way. What was your inspiration behind these photos?
The client brief was pretty simple. They just needed a single winter photo of the G-class so I was pretty free to do what I wanted afterward. So, if you have no pressure and a pretty open briefing, your brain can work completely free. I had the car for about a week and I had the chance to drive around during the day, evening, or night. Even different countries. Time is key for me to get the right visuals done.
Could you describe the process behind your Mercedes-Benz images? What went into the creation and the making of these pictures?
The task was to create a Christmas card. Therefore, we needed a snowy environment so we had to search for snow in like late September. Not easy at all. I also wanted to create some pictures for myself so while we were on the road searching for the right shooting location we actually found the perfect location. I created my own private part of the shooting. We´ve chosen the most beautiful blue-sky day in late September and went on the mission. I just had my camera with me and the G-Wagon. Nothing more. Postproduction is always the part where the magic happens for me because I recapture the shooting day, the feelings, and the impressions I had throughout the day and put that into my pictures. My 3D series is based on feelings within that situation at the location we were at, in the evening where it felt like you were on another planet because of the light, rain, fog, and my added LED panels. My brain created a mystic alien world with the G-Wagon as its mothership.
What correlation do you see between the automotive industry and art in general?
Creating something new that inspires humans is always something that you can find both in the car industry and in the arts. Designers are artists. Artists designing the future of imagination. The Automotive industry, especially companies like Tesla, design the future by making new steps in terms of alternative driving, autonomous driving, and building a connected community around the brand and the world. So does art. Art builds communities. Art connects human beings. Art designs the future of us and gives us a look at what could come up and how we work as a society.
You were able to start your own company at such a young age. What made you want to build something on your own? What challenges did you face in the process?
Back in school, I noticed that I was not able to go with the regular school system. The thought of working a 9 to 5 job with a decent salary was also not an option for me, even until now. We’ll see if this will change in the future. School was always a pain in the ass for me because I had to fit in and do things I never wanted to do. The most challenging questions for me were always: “Am I able to build something on my own? With my business partner that people will need in the future? Am I smart enough to understand how the economy works? Is this the right path to go on further into the future?”
What are your creative goals for the next few years?
I wanna go into mixed media so bad because somehow the medium of photography isn’t enough for me anymore. I want to combine pictures with materials, objects, or even human beings. 3D will still be most important I guess but I just want to learn more.
Are there any projects you’re currently working on that we can look forward to in the future?
There are two specific projects on my mind which I’m working on right now. One with the most aesthetic and most luxurious car brand for me, and one other project in architecture. We’ll see if I can make it happen in 2021!
Find out more about Constantin Schiller on agentur-schillerhof.com.
