in this world, it's living the dream! In Paris I shot for many years famous and not so famous American Jazz Musicians. In 2002 the Smithsonian Institution in D.C accepted right after my arrival in New York my portfolio of these photographs. I learnt a lot from these guys but most importantly I developed one very important component of my style and that is the mix of inspired improvisation and well-prepared structure. As an artist you MUST know your technique inside out/second nature so you kind of be able to "forget" it and to get loose. Let inspiration and the moment take over! The last five years I was a member of the famous Boxing Gym GLEASON's in Brooklyn, at the very beginning just to shoot and then to become a boxer myself and to give my take from the inside. Boxing is a great meditation and a balance to the professional photo-world. I had an

exhibition during the Dumbo Art Festival in 2006 and Everlast featured my work in their Magazine in 2007. But most importantly boxing strengthened my back-bone, my stamina and it emphasized a virtue that every photographer must have in order to make it, no matter on which level he/she is: Exercise, train and never give up! The featured fashion-story "Luxe Generation" for MR Magazine just came out. I developed the autumn 2010 men's story with my fashion-director John Jones. We shot in studio and I used the BRONCOLOR Ring flash C. I love that light because it perfectly fits in with my other lighting techniques and helps me to keep a consistent style in my photography, an edgy look that represents my vision and makes my work recognizable. I modified the Ring flash a little bit, put a grid up-front and intensified the fall-off with black-foil paper. This is where the instinctive feel