Interview with Gunther Deichmann

If you’ve been listening to the podcast, you may have heard our interview with Gunther Deichmann about his “Views from My Balcony” project, which turned into his latest book. When the pandemic hit, Gunther, a long time photographer and avid traveler, found himself locked up in a tiny 10th story apartment in Manila with just one window to the world – his balcony. Over the course of the pandemic, he photographed life as he could see it from that one vantage point. If you want to hear more about that experience and the project that resulted from it, give that podcast episode a listen. You can find it here.

After hearing Gunther talk about that project, we knew he would be an amazing featured photographer. With decades of experience shooting documentary and street photography, Gunther has seen the world from many angles. And over the years, he’s honed many skills that can help street photographers improve their craft.

Gunther is a master of observation, he knows people well, he isn’t afraid of communication challenges when roaming a foreign country, and he has a few radical self editing techniques that are worthy of imitation. We picked Gunther’s brain about his approach to street photography and what he does to really see a place and the people who inhabit it. Over the course of our conversation, we heard many fascinating stories from Gunther’s travels too.

Grab a cup of coffee and get ready for an interview that feels like a chat with a good friend. Who knows? You may even come away with some improved street photography techniques. In any case, we’re sure you’re going to enjoy this interview.

A Selection of Gunther’s Photos

The View from Gunther’s Balcony

A selection of images from Gunther’s pandemic project. A few of these photos are featured in his book and some were taken after the book was published.