What fascinates me about photography is that it can be just a snapshot – you see something, you hastily get out the camera and a special moment is captured on a photo that will never come back again.

On the other hand some of our photos are the results of more than 200 tries. For the first set we have taken a photo of a hand that is rolling 3 dices – we wanted to create the perfect shot with dices both in focus and in motion. And this took forever while we were sitting on the carpet of my living room floor that can be seen in the background.

So for me photography can be both – spontaneity and meticulous planning.

My favorite picture in the first set is the tiger taking a bath. It seems to be perfectly relaxed; a leaf is sitting on its head. Although the photo is taken through a window in the Zoo of Hannover is seems very natural. And I am a fan of both wild cats (esp. tigers) and wild dogs (wolves).

In the second set I have two favorites: The kite surfer on the northern sea – which is an example of the snapshot. I had only taken my small camera and the sun was very bright and reflected by the surface of the water that I could not even see if the surfer was in the picture at all when I took it.

The second one is the egg. This is one of the ones that took forever to be perfect – taken in the afternoon sun on my balcony. It took as so long that in the end the egg was almost cooked in the sun which can be seen on the surface. But the perfect star shape reflections are marvelous.

Frauke and I are having so much fun when we are taking pictures for the sets. So my wish is that we can just go on making new sets – for the enjoyment of the moment when we take them or discuss the selection of the next set.

So are so many great moments. In some groups – in which the participants already know each other a little – we let them select two pictures that they like. And then they do not use it for their own introduction but their neighbor has to connect his/her own life to these photos – spontaneously. If you only have 5 seconds to think people sometimes reveal details that are very funny or surprising that would not have come up in a planned way.

The other moment that really touched me was when a dear colleague sent pictures from Afghanistan where he used the cards with a group and left them there. Knowing that the cards are really meaningful for people around the globe is wonderful.

I really enjoy choosing where to put the focus; where do I want to draw the attention of the viewer?

Very often I have my “picture mode” switched on and I see potential pictures everywhere. Sometimes it’s just me who is fascinated by the picture I see, sometimes others can also see beauty and magic in it. Sometimes it is very spontaneous, I see something and there is the picture. Other times it takes quite a while to compose it.

I enjoy thinking about which angle to choose, which moment to grasp so that the viewer is drawn into the picture. Let the picture tell a story and show dynamics. I also love to capture moments – this special look on a face while people are interacting or a gesture with meaning.

My favorite picture of set 1 is the one of the folded hands. I still vividly remember the moment I took that picture. I was sitting in the garden with my grandmother; we were celebrating her 95^th birthday. She was telling me stories from her life and didn’t even notice me taking this picture. Her hands tell the incredible story of her life. I am so happy that this caption makes them meaningful on another level.

In set 2 it is the rock in the sea. I see loads of power and energy in this picture as well as calmness and wideness. I like the combination and depiction of contrasts.

I dream of more and more people enjoying to work with the cards all over the world.
I would love to find out more about what difference does it make to use the cards. And I am eager to develop and explore further ways how picture can support people in their learning and development.

I can‘t really choose that one moment, since it is so enriching on various levels. I always really enjoy seeing pictures of the cards being used all over the world – in various cultures and very distinctives groups.
It always feel like a little part of me is also there. I see people whom I’ve never ever met and most probably never will meet. And these people hold pictures in their hands which are meaningful to me. That lights my heart.