Hey, my name is rajue – that’s short for Ralf-Juergen.
I’m a dedicated hobby photographer from Germany. This hobby of mine started nearly 25 years ago, when I first got a digital camera (Canon point-and-shoot). Since then I tried everything – really – everything. Even a somewhat successful Blog about photography in the early 2000s (that’s why I still own this very cool top-level-domain).
Then I paused a few years for health reasons and got addicted to other stuff (brushes, colors and canvasses for example). That’s still a thing but photography got me back. To boost my creativity I convinced 3 colleagues of mine to do a photo challenge. The progression of our challenge can be viewed here.
Today I have a family, a job and a house and less time to travel the world and do travel reportage (what I really loved). So I decided to restart my photography journey and I’m planning to do more nature photography in my home region (the Hunsrueck Highlands). I’m not entirely new to animal photography, but I’m a beginner in wildlife photography. I’m really looking forward to it.
I believe in the power of communities and learning from one another. That’s why I visit workshops and conventions regularly and renewed my membership of the GDT. I hope to spread my enthusiasm for photography to others by sharing my experiences and knowledge. I aim to be a source of inspiration for those who are just starting their journey and therefore I offer a beginner’s workshop at the Volkshochschule Hunsrueck (a non-profit adult education centre) since 2019.
You can find me on Instagram (this is my personal account with lots of stuff not related to photography at all) and Flickr (very few photos, I use Flickr to watch other photographers work), but I’m not a huge fan of social media (anymore).
Please take a look at my testimonials.