Wiebke Schröder
Name: Wiebke Schröder
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Favourite type of photography: Landscape and food photography
Location: Near Verden, Germany
Website: lilleulven.smugmug.com
Instagram: @lille.ulven.photography
How did you get into photography?
When I was five, I inherited my grandparents’ old, non-functioning camera. Since it didn’t work, I had to draw the “photographs” I imagined I was taking. For my sixth birthday, my parents gifted me a pocket camera – and yes, back then there was such a thing as pocket film, a bit like the cassette tapes to the big reel-to-reel recorders of the photography world. The hobby became a passion and has stayed with me ever since.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I graduated from the New York Institute of Photography with a diploma in Travel Photography in 2016. In 2021, I won the Winter Scenery competition of Outdoor Photography Magazine. Most recently, my image Star Formation Against Storm Clouds earned a Bronze Award in the 2024 Epson International Pano Awards.
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
It’s from my sixth birthday celebration, with my family gathered in the garden. In the photo, I accidentally cut off my uncle’s head just above his eyebrows… let’s just say my framing skills had room for improvement.
What do you love about photography?
Is there anything not to love about photography? It gets me out the door to explore places near and far, and hopefully bring home images that capture a fleeting moment. When I’m out with the camera, it feels like stepping into another dimension – where it’s just me, the camera, and the landscape around me. Back home, I enjoy turning those files into photographs that reflect what I saw and felt in that moment, preserving the memory of that day.
Read about Creative Photography, What it is and How to Get Started
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
In terms of knowledge I still use today, I wish I’d learned more about choosing the right exposure earlier. My first SLR (a Nikon F401) was one of the early models with all those “scene modes” for landscapes, portraits, sports, and the like – which made me a bit lazy. Film and development weren’t exactly cheap for a student, so I stuck to the easy settings. Sixteen years later, when I bought my first DSLR (Pentax K20D), one of my main goals was to avoid making the same mistake again.
And in terms of knowledge I wish I had, even if I probably wouldn’t use it much today – proper film development. I’d love to do the occasional roll of film and develop the images myself.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
There are so many: Norwegian fjords, Bulgarian Kuker traditions in the mountains, Icelandic and New Zealand landscapes, storm clouds over Denmark, or forests in Germany. And then there’s my own kitchen for food photography – not exactly an ideal studio, but I can make it work.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
No – the technique depends on the image I want to create. Occasionally, I’ll go for a more graphical approach, sometimes dipping my toes into abstracts, but most of the time it’s about keeping things as natural as possible.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
My goal is always to keep the image as natural as possible, so I generally don’t add elements. I do most of my work in Lightroom, adding some dodging and burning where needed. Once I’m satisfied, I often run the image past Bildkritiker (Image Critique) on ChatGPT, which gives me a first round of constructive feedback and ideas for fine-tuning. Prior to the existence of Bildkritiker, my parents did the rating of my images – so they’re now happy to enjoy their retirement and just appreciate my photographs without the pressure of critique.
Occasionally, I use Photoshop for techniques that Lightroom can’t handle – and I’m working on improving my skills there. For monochrome conversions, I like the Nik Collection, sometimes even for rescuing an image. In short: get as much right in-camera as possible, and keep post-processing to the essentials.
What's your favourite lens?
I wouldn’t say I have a favourite lens – it’s more about choosing the right lens for the image I want to create. Although, if you asked my 100–400mm lens, it might say it feels a bit neglected lately.
Read the SheClicks Guide to Lensbaby Lenses
Do you have a favourite accessory?
My L-Bracket, without question. Switching from vertical to horizontal has been so much more enjoyable since I first bought it – and my tripod appreciates the reduced drama.
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
I don’t think the perfect bag exists yet – at least not until someone invents one that weighs nothing, no matter what you pack in it, and it runs alongside you over any terrain. Until then, I’ll stick with my hiking backpack. It has a big compartment I can split into upper and lower sections with a zipper, and both can be opened individually – which is pretty nice. Rumour has it there’s a dead body in my backpack… sadly, it’s just camera gear.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
Paul Nicklen – I attended a talk he gave in Oslo around 2014, and his stories about how he captured his images were simply fascinating to hear. I left equally inspired and slightly jealous.
Ivo Danchev – not only is he an incredible photographer, but also a wonderful human being, whom I’m lucky to call a friend. He is one of the few people who can get me truly “in the zone” once I pick up my camera.
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Imma Barrera @imma.photo – stunning night landscapes. Shona Perkins @my_beautiful_scotland – gorgeous ICM work. Rachel Steward – @rachstewartnz – breathtaking New Zealand scenery. All three have the rare skill of making me stop scrolling.
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
Magnetic ND filters – I have regular ND filters, but they take up a lot of space, require a specific holder, and are heavy. Some lighting equipment, like light formers and a tripod for backgrounds, would be nice too.
And wall space – I love printing my images, but if I print them, I need room to hang them. Changing them out regularly isn’t my style, so I suspect even if I had the entire Buckingham Palace, I’d still run out of wall space for my photographs.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but that you haven't tried yet?
Proper astrophotography – photographing distant galaxies and nebulae. I’m hoping to attend an astro workshop next year, with the goal of at least learning how to properly capture the Milky Way… ideally without freezing in the process.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
I don’t think I have one single “proudest” moment. There are times in post-processing when an image comes to life and I have to pinch myself to remember I was the one who took it. And there are those moments in the field when a technique I’ve just read about actually works.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
For a moment, I thought about the power to create perfect light, placing the sun and clouds wherever I want. But to be honest, that would get boring quickly – half the fun is in the challenge and the surprise of making the best of less-than-ideal conditions.
So instead, I’d go for the power to turn my far-too-heavy backpack into a lightweight one that doesn’t drag me down… without removing any of the gear inside.
Your favourite baked goods are?
Bread and rolls from my favourite bakery in Bücken, and homemade cakes. It doesn’t need to be a multi-tier masterpiece – a simple butter cake (Butterkuchen, a Northern German tradition) is more than enough.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a database developer by profession, a cyclist by habit, and a bookworm by heart – with a soft spot for both fantasy and historical novels. Travelling and exploring the world without a camera would feel like cooking without ingredients.
My curiosity tends to guide me to new places, new perspectives, and new light. Occasionally, I end up in places I never considered visiting before, but find them so intriguingly beautiful that I have to return over and over again.
Photography workshops are the best way of getting me out of bed early and back into bed very late at night. As much as I enjoy sharing the results in photographs, I equally treasure the moments behind them – those quiet pauses where the world narrows down to just me, my camera, and the scene unfolding in front of me. My trademark, by the way, are long sentences without punctuation marks.
