Stefan is an MA Photography student based in San Diego, CA. He grew up in the Swiss alps. Stefan is a self-taught photographer and attended a three-year course to delve into photography and develop his own style. His early work was influenced by Swiss fine art photographer and tutor Reto Camenisch. In 2021 Stefan joined a two-year master’s program to further develop his photography and storytelling skills. The nearby desert became Stefan’s preferred place for research and visual documentation. In several projects he covered environmental issues and the water crisis in the Anza Borrego desert.
Series
photoSCHWEIZ 2022
10 images
HUMAN IMPACT IN THE DESERT OF CALIFORNIA - A MATTER OF SCALE Stefan explores the impact of human alterations in the largest desert state park of Southern California. He shows how minuscule humans are in the vast desert landscape, yet how many permanent traces we leave. Stefan shows the decay caused by anthropogenic changes. And he researched the conflict in the multi-use of public land, such as no-access military areas next to popular off-roading. And how scars from iconic road and railroad constructions from the early 20th century, built for economic reasons, are neglecting historical significance and traditional use of the land, for instance, by native tribes. These places teach an authentic, walkable history lesson of how industrialization permanently altered the landscape of the American West. My work is a reminder of our Earth’s durability and fragility. Nothing lasts forever...
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