On June 23, 2020, I registered the Instagram profile. The first post followed in October. Four months in between — for logo, name, concept. That's how it goes with me sometimes. And sometimes I start something spontaneously, do it twice, and then never again. Both are shutter_speed.
The Idea Came Before the Name
The desire to show my work somewhere had been there since 2019. Doing it through my private account wasn't an option. Simply adding "Photography" to a handle wasn't either – anyone can do that. What mattered more to me was what gets shown, not who's behind it.
Getting the logo right took time. SHUTTER SPEED was an obvious choice for photography – even if the account barely showed any photos at first and is about more than just photography. The logo took longer than expected. The idea: the right side of the lettering runs out of focus, because movement and shutter speed work together. Most people probably never noticed. It was probably only genius in my own head – but I liked it then and still do today. Even if the original logo now lives only in the archive folder.
The ambition back then was bigger than the output: videos, animations, 3D renderings, a second channel. Fortunately, almost all of that stayed a fantasy.
There Was Never a Master Plan
In the first few months, motivation was high. Getting out, taking photos, thinking up and creating photo manipulations. There's a folder full of PSD files and even more ideas I never showed or finished – because the vision in your head is usually better than the result. Sometimes that became clear mid-process. Close the folder, next idea.
Over time, the initial enthusiasm faded a little. The existing material lasted about three to four months at two posts a week. I researched hashtags and best practices, adjusted the strategy weekly. What never existed: a long-term plan. And honestly, that never mattered to me. The best content never comes from pressure – it comes from just doing.
Consistently Inconsistent
Intensive phases were sometimes followed by three months of silence. Every social media expert would pull their hair out. But shutter_speed was never a business, never a strategy – always just a place to put work out into the world. And along the way, the account became more than expected: first connections, people I met on photowalks, people I still know today. None of that was planned. Hard to plan things without a plan.
Domain Secured, Website Eventually
Since some projects don't fit neatly into a square format, the idea of a proper website started to take shape – not just a portfolio, but with a blog. No buying guides, no ten tips for the perfect photo, no affiliate links. Personal thoughts, and eventually other voices too.
The domain shutter-speed.eu was secured back in 2023. As if anyone else would have taken it – but you never know. The .eu extension was a compromise: .com too expensive, .de too regional for a bilingual project.
Building the site was a different story. Hiring someone wasn't an option for a passion project. Taking a generic template from Squarespace or Wix wasn't either – too generic, not mine enough. So: build it myself.
Coding remained a slow and frustrating endeavor despite several attempts. A Webflow site eventually went live – I never really liked it from day one. But it was there. And it was maintained and expanded within my means.
The Tide Turns
With AI tools, something shifted. What I'd spent hours trying to do in Photoshop suddenly took minutes – and turned out much better. That's when it slowly dawned on me what's actually possible when the tool matches what's in your head.
Suddenly I could build a website as a complete non-developer that actually matched my vision. Five years after the start came the next big step: a self-built, simple homepage – connected to more sleepless nights than planned, but getting better and better.
In April 2026 came the long-awaited expansion of the site and the first post went live. The first interviews followed. A milestone – even though I had no idea it would come to this. Hard to plan things without a plan.
And Through It All: Photography
The range has grown over the years. Drone shots, time-lapses, macro. And then analog photography – self-developing included, of course. Six cameras, six full rolls of film, still no finished print. Anyone who's read the analog article knows: that's not failure, that's method.
In the end, it's all about the image. Not likes, not reach, not the perfect setup. Just that one moment worth holding onto – whether with a digital camera, a drone, a smartphone, or a 35mm camera from the 80s. The tools change. The curiosity doesn't.
Butterflies in My Stomach
I have no idea how much time and money I've put into shutter_speed over the past six years. Gear, domain, software, hours in front of a screen. For a hobby. With no plan, no goal, without ever doing the math – because I don't want to know.
What I do know: it doesn't stop. Not because I have to, but because I can't help it. The folders under "Projects" crossed 100 a long time ago. And we won't even talk about the subfolders. Scattered across the hard drive are countless documents titled "Ideas" from years I've nearly forgotten. Some I delete – because even with distance they haven't gotten better. Most stay. You never know.
shutter_speed is the only project that's truly lasted. Through every phase, every plan that wasn't one, every idea that came and went. The one constant. And as long as that's true, it'll keep going. And because it's simply fun. That sounds obvious, but it's the only reason that really counts.
There's still no real plan. Doesn't have to be one.
Long Road
