A different view of soccer with Stephan Zielinski

What exactly do you do at WhiteWall and how do you live out your passion for photography in your everyday work?

I have been with WhiteWall since March 2023, starting as a sales consultant and now in the role of store manager since January. I enjoy advising our customers the most, especially evaluating their pictures in terms of composition and impact in connection with our products. I also enjoy helping our customers prepare for all kinds of projects, such as exhibitions.  

Photo: Stephan Zielinski

Please tell us more about your pictures. What is your focus? How do you choose the colors, composition, themes, etc.?

Basically, I'm more of a fan of reportage; I don't like staging pictures. In my opinion, real life provides the best motifs. In terms of design, I like to work with surfaces, shapes, perspective and the golden ratio. It's also important to me to leave the pictures as they are, i.e. not to change the original.

If I make changes, then at most:    

• from color to black and white   

• slightly change the crop  

• adjust/optimize sharpness/exposure  

How did you create your soccer pictures? Tell us a little more about the context and your approach to this series. What is the background to the series of pictures?

Actually, I wanted to photograph soccer pitches that are no longer soccer pitches in the original sense (like the picture from Cappadocia). But then I mostly photographed small places in different countries, with each place being interesting and exciting in a different way. These pictures in particular were taken on a trip from Hamburg to Dubai in 2015, which I made in an old Mercedes T1 bus. Originally, the trip was supposed to go to Nepal, but unfortunately I couldn't do that because of an earthquake.

Which products were used and why?

Photo: Stephan Zielinski // 1. Hafezieh Stadium / Shiraz, Iran | 2015 // 2. Gate in Cappadocia, Turkey | 2015 // 3. Common ground on the pitch / Iran | 2015

For the top picture, I used brushed aluminum. At the right angle, the light is reflected in the floodlights and it looks as if it is illuminated. I love the possibilities that you can create with our products.

The left-hand picture has a slightly run-down character for me, the gate is rusty and the square is not playable. In contrast to this, the high-quality showcase frame with the floating passe-partout looks simply magnificent.

The large picture at the bottom looks best in our Basel Plus frame, where the frame is a bit of a star, but that suits the picture.

Hanging: Why were the pictures hung like that, which aspects were taken into account?

The motifs all go well together, they are hanging next to our inspiration wall. The upper picture leads the eye down to the left (from the perspective of the floodlight) to the gate, which in turn leads the eye to the right to the large picture. In the large picture, the eye is then led and scattered to the right by the birds and you "land" on the inspiration wall. It's very difficult to describe!

Photo: Stephan Zielinski

What inspires you? And what inspires you? Movies, books or magazines? Or what surrounds you? 

That's hard to say, because it always depends on the motifs. That's exactly what I enjoy about customer requests, because every motif and every customer is different, of course. So many factors come together, it's more of a feeling that develops over time.

What is your favorite product at WhiteWall? And why?

The Fine Art Prints in all variations. And the metallic photo behind acrylic, which doesn't go with all motifs, but when it does, the effect is terrific.

Photo: Stephan Zielinski

Can you tell us a bit about when you started taking photos and how you got into it? And how has your photography changed over time, for example in terms of subject matter?

Actually, ever since school, I can't say exactly. I started my training as a photographer in 2003, for which I had to sign up for 8 years in the German armed forces. What you don't do for your dream.   

Do you have any tips you would like to share with others who are interested in photography?

Please don't distort the images too much (filters). If the subject doesn't have anything to offer, the filter can't save it either!