Before the (Olympus) stormes comes…something about me.

Although I do not participate a lot on the 43rumors discussions (because I have no time) I see that many readers still don’t know who I am and how this website works. So I am trying to explain a little bit of myself and my work on 43rumors to help you to get an idea :)

This website is amateurish:
The first thing you have to keep in mind is that I am not a professional journalist, I am not a native English speaker and I never had English at school. This is just a small blog which relies on an unprofessional but very passionate work. That’s it. I don’t get paid by photo companies, I have a “normal” work as photographer and filmmaker which makes me travel a lot. That’s why for example I have no time to participate at the discussions on 43rumors.

My skills:
I speak German (main language), Italian and Spanish. I learned Portuguese and I am learning dutch and french right now. English is the last language I “learned on the fly” during my various trips (for example in USA where I still have to go 1-2 times per year for work). I studied, architecture and engineering at high school, cinema-philosophy-psychology at University. My dream would be to study physics but I guess this will remain a dream.

Why I started the blog:
As I told you I travel a lot. My main themes are war and economy. I spend a lot of time in Colombia, Bolivia, Rwanda, Uganda and I always had to travel as light as possible. When Olympus and Panasonic announced the launch of the Micro Four Thirds system I recognized that this could become my future working stuff. I needed something small, and a camera that I can use for both photography and video production. I was looking for news about the system but there was zero coverage about it. At that time I knew I had to stay home for at least six months because my mother was sick.  I spent my time to start a personal blog to collect the news. I was surprised to see people was visiting me regularly and website was growing. I renamed the blog 43rumors and it became what it is now.

Problems with the 43rumors popularity:
With increasing popularity I got in some big problems. First my language skills and time availability are very limited. With increasing amount of work I now have to spend a couple of hours per day to keep this website running. At least two times I was that close to shut down the website. I once closed it for two weeks but than readers convinced me to restart the blog. While working in stress situation I also did some mistakes (and I still do sometimes). And the biggest problems happened the last months when family issues kept me busy and I really came close to a burn out.

How I intend to work on 43rumors in future:
Two times I tried to work with some people that could help me but for many reasons it didn’t work out. The recent family issues convinced me that I have to find serious people that can help me out. It will work like that. They will work on 43rumors sister websites (like Mirrorless Rumors for example) and I will link to them regularly. In exchange they will help me whenever I am on travel or having other busy moments. But I will ALWAYS be the only one having access to my sources and to the mails. So rumors will always come from me alone!

About Cameras and Photography
A camera doesn’t matter if it comes to take great pictures. A camera only matters for me because it makes me easier to take that kind of picture is want to take. m43 is perfect for my work in countries where I have to walk a lot. A GH2 makes me easier to take videos and pictures at the same time. I use regularly my E-P1 and I will use it for many years in future. My favorite camera is the Mamiya 7 (Click here to see on eBay) because it helped me to reduce the amount of “stupid” pictures I take (Main reason why: 1 picture = 1 Euro!). So while I like to talk about future cameras and technology I want you to know that no camera will ever make you a better photographer. So buy only a camera when you need it and when it meets your expectations. Example, I will probably buy the Olympus OM camera because it’s build like a rock and it’s weather sealed. Could be a perfect camera for my next Ecuador trip!

Personal stuff: The things I learned from travelling
Honestly, travelling doesn’t change you a lot. If you are an asshole you will remain an asshole :) What I really learned from my trips, in particular from the many months spent in the Amazonas is that I am a very limited person, with many fears. I learned that live is much bigger than our fears and hopes, and that there are many unexpected surprises. So never be sure of anything, and never give up. Life is much bigger than what others are telling us, what teachers are teaching us.

Personal stuff: How I imagine my future life
I know life is short and that all what matters is my relation with the people I love and the nature that surrounds me. The only hope I have is to have a peaceful live for me and the person I love. And I wish to never loose my sense of curiosity which makes me always keep an “open” look on the world. There are still so many things to see!  I keep those words from Blake deep in my soul:
“To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”

My very next goal is to find a place where I can have my own terrain to grow potatoes and wine-grapes. I want to own many animals, and to play music almost every day. Of course I want many children…at least three ;) That’s it. Everything else that comes will be a beautiful extra in my life ;)

I hope you got an idea of who I am. Let me know if you have some questions. I am always online today!