Swiss-born Roderick Aichinger studied architecture and yet, ended up a photographer. It would, however, be wrong to label him an architectural photographer. Rather, he assigns a creative frame to his life-rich themes which helps put the image at ease. After training at the Munich School of Photography, German magazine NEON were the first to notice his catchy style. In his role today, he occasionally assumes the post of a passenger on a battleship which chauffeurs him at full force from Formula One race tracks to Syrian luxury hotels. Roderick has a passion for collecting. His portfolio is a true treasure trove revealing both the select and the absurd. He persistently searches for location and time. His chosen light means he is the master of the scene. Roderick meets any situation at eye level, thereby allowing the viewer to feel the unexpected.

Ask: Your work takes you to many and varied locations. On battleships, to Syrian luxury hotels, with Scottish firefighters, on Formula One race tracks. Is there a “best of” story? Was there a favourite job? Roderick: The most exciting job was for Monocle last year. I was on a Danish battleship that took us from Mombasa along the coast of Somalia to Oman. First we were stuck in the harbour for days because the ship had run out of lubricant. Later on, we had to get to Oman at full speed to pick up the Danish Minister of Defence. In order to take pictures of the ship we flew in a helicopter and I was able to take photos from above with the door open, fastened only with a gunner strap.         Ask: Your scenes often play with the topic of “daily life”. How do you develop this topic? ? Roderick: I like setting things in scene. I set the location, the time and the light. But I don’t want anything to look artificial which is why I then refer to an everyday scene or something pre-existing. In everyday life, of course, certain situations only exist for a short instance. When shooting a portrait, for instance, one will want to take a little more time.         Ask: Which roles do camera angle and light play? Roderick: I have recently noticed that there are not that many angles for any given situation. I will therefore assume a position and then work on the image rather than the angle. Lighting is high up on the list – it is what carries feelings and emotions.         Ask: When it comes to the discussion about digital and analogue photography, do you have a preference? Roderick: I am able to take pictures today that weren’t possible with analogue in the past. The execution doesn’t really matter that much to me if the end result is a great image.          Ask: You went to L.A. during your architecture studies. Why L.A.? Roderick: L.A. architecture was the hype at the time and I wanted to be on site, as it were. I stayed in Venice in a wonderful 1920s house. My flatmate gave me access to the darkroom at uni so that I could blow up my photos. At the weekends, my girlfriend and I used to drive around in the car and I took lots of photos.         Ask: Tell us a little more about your education in architecture at ETH Zürick. Roderick: I have always wanted to combine technical aspects with design. Architecture appeared to be exactly what I was looking for. On the other hand, architectural projects take too long. I like the variety that photography offers. I grew up in a very small village on Lake Constance and thus my understanding of photographers was that they were the guys with cameras during a wedding in front of the village church. Only during my time in Zurich did I learn how to become a photographer and that the job as such can be ultimately more exciting and go a long way beyond just shooting weddings. Architecture to me is in a way the reversed process of photography and therefore it was really helpful to have this education. Architecture and photography deal with interaction between 2D and  3D.         Ask: What’s the background of your education and training in photography? Roderick: Munich School of Photography 2002 – 2006. I stayed in Munich much longer than originally expected. It’s just such a beautiful place. You can hop into the car and drive to one of the numerous lakes or to Austria or Italy. Munich is a great location for photography: there are a lot of photographers, studios and publishing houses. NEON was founded there at the time and the magazine was hungry for new photographers. I went there with a box full of prints worked for NEON quite a bit from then onwards.         Ask: Tell me something about your family. What’s the background? Where did you grow up? Roderick: My parents met at a carnival party in Switzerland – and stayed. I love Switzerland. But I have become more Swiss since I’ve lived abroad. My maternal family is very artistic: My grandmother attended the Glasgow School of Art. She went to Paris as a Fashion Artist and sketched the latest fashion during the fashion shows for British newspapers. At that time, photography wasn’t allowed on the catwalk. As a child, I spent time in Glasgow every year visiting the family’s artist friends. I share with my father (amongst others)  a pronounced passion for collecting items.         

           Ask: How about your hobbies? Roderick: I collect furniture, in particular chairs. I love going to flee markets. My second passion is to collect magazines. Ask: THANK YOU, RODERICK!