Photographer in portrait: Sonia Aumiller – On the Hunt for the Extraordinary Moment

In the series of lookphotos, we welcome a new addition. From now on, Sonia Aumiller is on the lookout for special moments and extraordinary places. We introduce you to the Munich woman and her wonderful photographs in a portrait.

Sonia Aumiller ©Relaximages

How It All Began

It is thanks to her father that Sonia is a photographer who captures the most beautiful motifs from near and far. She was only twelve years old When the enthusiastic photographer put his discarded Nikon FE2 into the hands of his little daughter. That was the beginning of a great passion.

Passion for Photography and Design

Because of her fascination with photography and design, the Munich-born artist studied at the University of Applied Arts in Paris. There she initially devoted herself to both fields of study. On the one hand, she acquired technical skills, such as developing analog film, and on the other, she sharpened her senses for image composition, style, and colors. Finally, she had to decide on a subject. She first chose design. Sonia Aumiller worked as a fashion designer for twenty years. She worked for two major Munich fashion labels in the casual and sportswear sector. There, she mainly designed denim tops for ladies and gentlemen.

Nevertheless, she has always remained true to photography:

“Through my work as a fashion designer I travelled a lot, and photography was like a calming balance to this fast-paced profession.”

With the birth of her children, she gave up her professional design work for the time being and has since lived out her creativity mainly through photography.

Extraordinary Moments and Special Places

Sonia finds it especially exciting to capture extraordinary moments or special places.

“Catching the right moment is just amazing.”

The photographer does not like to be pinned down to certain genres. Sonia likes the solitude, tranquility, and the roughness of nature, as well as the constant change and compositions that arise in cities. Photographing people always takes some effort on her part. That is something that she is continually working on, (as she points out with a wink.)

Multi-Faceted Image Composition

Above all, the photographer places great importance on creating multi-faceted image compositions. When she is on a journey or at an event, she deliberately chooses a subject as an anchor point. However, she always tries to approach the object or situation freely and without reservation. This often leads to the emergence of completely new perspectives that she likes even better.

“I like intuitive photography in the same way, for example at the Oktoberfest, where the mélange of Bavarian tradition, commerce, and sensory overload creates unforeseeable motifs.”

For the photographer, who lives with her two sons in south Munich, the special atmosphere of this great Bavarian folk festival, which once a year becomes a meeting place for people from all over the world, is always an almost endless source of inspiration of the most complex motifs.

Telling Stories with Humorous Details

Amidst all of this, Sonia always tries to have a unique view. She wants to tell little stories with her photos. She relishes in capturing humorous details that might be overlooked otherwise. She gets annoyed when she doesn’t have her camera with her and she can’t capture a special moment, or an unusual subject, or beautiful light.  She feels it “slip through her fingers.”

Discover Sonia Aumiller at lookphotos

Cover: lookphotos / Sonia Aumiller / 71306424