About the Artist
Dennis Eichmann studied Fine Arts and Fashion Design in Berlin, Kiel, and Vienna. He currently lives in Berlin where he works as a freelance photographer and multi-disciplinary artist.
You can find Dennis on Instagram and Behance and can purchase his beautiful postcards via his website.
Hi Dennis! Thank you for this beautiful series of our ceramics! Our ceramist, Panikos will be so thrilled to see his pieces come to life. Could you tell us a little about the collaboration?
As a child I spent all of my summer vacations in Italy on the beach, so naturally I’m very drawn to all things Mediterranean. I fell in love with these Cypriot ceramics the moment I saw them. Being quite fond of handmade pottery with expressive glazes, I know I wanted to capture them on film. To create a summery atmosphere I shot them in direct sunlight using fresh fruits and flowers as props. In order to achieve a cohesive color story we chose to add some yellow and brown fabrics. These also helped to draw the different pieces together and make the table settings more homely and inviting. Almost as if you were at your Greek grandmother’s house and she is serving you fresh produce from her own little garden.
What got you into analog photography?
I guess, growing up in the 90’s made analog photography naturally my first choice. Back then, analog was still quite big because digital hadn't really caught on yet.
Thinking back, I think I got my first camera as a rather small kid. I remember it was a super basic yellow and black plastic camera with a fixed focus. But it gave me the opportunity to play around and explore this medium. This particular camera came with a little book with instructions and basic infos on photography for kids.
It was much later in art school when I turned back to analog. After years of digital phone photography I was craving something more tactile and hence nostalgic. That’s when I first started to document my travels and other projects on film again.
What do you love to photograph?
Lonely objects like plastic chairs, beverage crates and of course lots of sunlight. 
What are your tools?
I currently shoot most of my pictures with two analog Canon and Minolta SLR cameras.
Before I started using these, I experimented with a variety of 80’s point-and-shoot cameras. Those are great for street photography and snapshots. But as I progressed my journey into the world of analog photography, it became clear to me that a larger, more versatile camera better suited my needs. I’m not super picky when it comes to filmstoct to be honest. Most of the time I’m either using Kodak or Fuji film.
In the last year, I developed a new curiosity for black-and-white film. Fomapan 400 is my favourite so far. 
What aspect of analog photography do you find the most interesting?
It’s actually quite simple, I just really enjoy working with physical objects, rather than a screen-based all-digital workflow.
Also, for me it's about letting go of control a little bit. I don't really edit my pictures color-wise. I like having the camera and the film chemistry create the image. As a photographer, I think you act a bit like a curator. You take what's there and bring it into a new context. The right framing is a major aspect in this process.
Fortunately I’m working with a great lab that delivers amazing results in terms of developing and scanning my negatives.
I regard analog photography, especially instant photography like Polaroid, as part of the ready-made art form.The light hitting the film emulsion is like a direct cast of the photographed object. The organic nature of the film and it’s features like the coarse grain or the potential unpredictability are two things that I find quite exciting.
Your favourite/most memorable holiday?
That one is definitely my road trip through California in 2019. It was my first journey to the US, something I had been dreaming about doing almost all my life. Hopefully once things go back to normal and international travels are safer again, I’ll be able to spend more time in LA.
Your favourite/most memorable photo?
It’s hard to pick just one photo as there are so many different aspects that can make a picture special, whether it's the place or time the picture was shot or the object photographed.
There are two images that are very dear to my heart though. The first one is a picture of a lone giant rock balancing on a Cretan beach. I took this picture on my 30th birthday on my first Greek vacation.
The second picture is one of a winding road that I took on a trip to the Canary Islands in 2017. After spending a sun-filled day at the beach in El Medano (Tenerife) I cycled back to the hotel. That's where I found this empty street framed by the beautiful evening light, almost like a stage.
Photos courtesy by Dennis Eichmann.