I sculpt with light.
My photography blends technical precision with creative experimentation, creating visual narratives that feel both cinematic and introspective.
Unlike most photographers who capture moments in split seconds, I build my images slowly — through long exposures at night, shaping surreal scenes with both natural and artificial light.
Each photograph balances meticulous planning with a free experimental approach that dissolves the line between staging and play, which allows for surprises.
I work without Photoshop filters or AI manipulation — nothing that couldn’t be done in an old-school darkroom. For me, it’s all about the raw connection between light, space, time, and subject.
My images live somewhere between precision and spontaneity, inviting you to see light not just as illumination, but as a sculptural, storytelling force.
Photographing in this way can be both physically and mentally quite demanding, and each image carries its own additional story. I often stand, walk, climb, crouch, or hold still for extended periods in unusual positions. Temperatures can range from freezing cold to uncomfortably hot, and wind and weather don’t exactly make the process easier.
Working outdoors at night also brings unpredictable encounters — curious passersby, sometimes very strange characters, attentive animals, and constant companions like mosquitoes or ticks, all of which make the creation of these images especially memorable.
Martin Doerken, born in 1972, is a photographer and designer from Berlin.
