Embracing Growth and Versatility: Holger Kunze Takes an Evolutionary, Experimental Approach to Impactful and Unique Street Photography
An Exclusive Interview with Pure Street Photography
He expresses thoughtfully about careful composition, artistic vision, and emotional depth. Holger shows that growth comes from experimentation and pushing creative boundaries, blending architecture, light, and human presence to create impactful images. Most importantly, he reminds us that the process of shooting and evolving as an artist is just as valuable as the final result.
Interview by Dimpy Bhalotia and Kamal Kumaar Rao
11/03/2025
(c) Holger Kunze
(c) Holger Kunze
We would love to know more about you! Who you are and where you're from? When did you start street photography?
Hi, my name is Holger. I am German but I have been living in Belgium for almost 30 years. My photography journey already started when I was a teenager when I got a hand on my first SLR camera. Since then I have always been shooting, sometimes more and sometimes less. I shot a lot of landscape, family stuff, and of course also on the streets. However, I really got into street photography only a few years ago. I opened an Instagram account to show my landscape pictures. Very quickly I lost interest in landscape as I started to see lots of amazing pictures which were labelled as street photography. I bought books about street photography and I focused my own work on the streets. That was the beginning of a new passion.
What inspired you to become a street photographer?
The inspiration to get into street photography didn't come from a specific photographer, but rather from the versatility of the genre and the fascination of how differently everyday life can be portrayed. Presenting a specific, visually pleasing, interesting view of everyday life that makes the viewer look at the photo a little longer than the usual Instagram swipe and maybe even think about it, keeps me going.
How would you describe your work in terms of style and/or approach?
I am shooting most of the time in black and white and I am composing my pictures very often by using architecture, geometry, lines, shadows and negative space. Apart from capturing a candid moment on the street my objective is to create visually striking photographs. However, street photography is a journey for me and I am trying to grow by using new techniques and approaches to also include more mood and emotions into the pictures. That is the beauty of street photography: it has so much to offer.
(c) Holger Kunze
(c) Holger Kunze
What is your photography routine like? Do you photograph every day?
Even though I have my camera with me almost every day I do not have the opportunity to shoot every day, at least not by producing real pictures. However, street photography has changed my awareness and perception in every day life. I very often walk or drive somewhere, see a scene or situation and think: “This is a great streetshot”. I frame it in my mind. In that regard I maybe indeed shoot every day.
What camera or mobile device do you use for photography? Do you shoot digitally, on film, or a mix of both?
Most of the time I am shooting with my Leica Q2 but I also have a Nikon Z6 that I use from time to time for street photography as well. It has been a long time since I shot film for the last time. Maybe I should try again.
What challenges do you face when photographing on the street?
I find it very difficult to shoot in places with lots of people. I get easily distracted and capturing a crowd of people and finding at the same time a good and balanced composition is definitely a challenge for me. So I tend to be attracted to places in cities that are a bit off the beaten track. The challenge there is sometimes to get people in the frame at all.
Do you ever wonder what happens to the people in your photos?
Yes sometimes, it happens sometimes later when I am looking at the pictures again. But due to my style very often people are not recognizable in my pictures. I rather have this feeling when I look at pictures that show certain characters in a specific moment. But as I said this question does not automatically come up when I look at my pictures.
(c) Holger Kunze
(c) Holger Kunze
(c) Holger Kunze
In your opinion, what is the biggest misconception people have about street photography?
Even though, street photography is becoming increasingly popular, I think that there is still a significant amount of people that think that street photographs are randomly taken pictures on the street that do not have any artistic value “as everybody could it”. The documentary character of street photography is probably much more accepted but the artistic dimension of it not so much, is my feeling.
What are your favourite elements to capture in a street photograph? (light, colour, composition, human interaction, etc.)
I always try to compose the pictures carefully by using light, architecture and other elements on the street, even though the human element remains the subject and the main focus point. But as I said before, my journey just started and I hope to discover other approaches focussing more on human interaction and street scenes with lots of people and layers in the frame.
What is your take on social media influence on street photography?
Obviously, as a street photographer, you want to show and share your work with an audience. In this respect, social media is a real boon. You can easily reach and interact with people around the world who share your passion. You can get instant recognition and feedback that would have been impossible in the old analogue days. But, of course, social media also has a downside. The algorithm is not necessarily a good judge of quality. Instagram and other social media can even lead to a certain uniformity in street photography, because certain styles are pushed more by the algorithm, not necessarily because they are "better", but because they are more visible or fit better into the strategic goals of the social media companies.
Are your prints available for purchase? If so, where can art buyers and collectors contact you to purchase them?
I did sell a few prints in the context of an exhibition that we organized with our street photography collective 1000streets from Brussels. I do not have an online webshop but of course I am open to sell pictures to those that are interested. I have a website https://www.holgerkunze.eu and my Instagram account @holgerbru where everybody can see my work.
(c) Holger Kunze
What advice would you give to aspiring photographers?
Shoot, shoot, shoot….For me it was very important to go out and shoot as much as possible. Try various things and do not be afraid of failure. At the end the process of taking pictures is more important than the result. Finally, I think it is always a good idea to find a group a likeminded people to shoot with. I was lucky to find the 1000Streets Collective in Brussels of which I am a member. It is not only great to have a group of people who share the same passion but also to develop and realize common projects such as exhibitions.
A huge thank you to Holger Kunze for sharing his incredible journey.
In Frame : Holger Kunze