While German photographer Peter Franck's photo projects might be a regular feature in the Sony World Photography Awards – he's been recognised an impressive seven times since the programme started 17 years ago – his work is fresh and unpredictable. Ever creative, his work is praised by judges year after year for being experimental, thought-provoking, and alluring. To launch our new series #LensLuminaries, which spotlights a chosen photographer on our Instagram feed, we interview the photographic artist to discover more.
© Peter Franck
What inspired you to be a photographer?
I studied painting and graphics but photography allows me to combine various media in one picture.
Who or what are your creative influences?
Artists who have pushed boundaries and interwoven genres continue to influence me. Those who reinvent themselves and never tire of creating something new. For me, my creative influences are more painters than photographers.
You’re an internationally established photographer with gallery representation in London
and Germany. Your work has also been featured in exhibitions around the world. Could you tell us how you formed this professional relationship with galleries?
The galleries approached me. The spaces in London contacted me after the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about photography?
Break down the limits of this photography.
What projects are you currently working on?
I always work on several series simultaneously and over many years. The latest series is about a picture in an exhibition, which becomes a picture again. All series overlap at one point or another.
You’ve won and been shortlisted multiple times in the Sony World Photography Awards. What kind of influence has the awards had on your career?
The competition is a good opportunity to reflect and question my work. It’s also a great chance to get to know artists that you might have previously overlooked.
What advice would you give to people entering the Sony World Photography Awards?
Take the work from your portfolio that you find most controversial, that you may struggle with. Never do work specifically for a competition.
What do you hope to achieve through your photography?
By working with photography and art I hope to gain the freedom to create photography and art.
