Embrace the magic of the moment. Capture those fleeting moments, letting light and shadow guide you. Photography is an act of love. “A picture is like a kiss. Sometimes tender, sometimes passionate.” Whatever your motivation — whether you’re feeling moody or obsessed — it all means one thing: being present. Never forget: your camera should always be with you.
Ocean Saul has been taking photographs for over half a century. Day after day. Because it’s a passion. Even as a child, he was fascinated by cameras. His first camera was a Praktika, a brand from the communist era in East Germany that came onto the market in 1948. His father forbade him from playing with it. But when he did so anyway later on, he took his first pictures. His father responded to his artistic endeavours with a beating.
He spent his childhood in Marienbad (Mariánské Lázně), which is now in the Czech Republic. He had a bicycle, played the piano, and grew up under socialism. After graduating from the Prague Conservatory, he emigrated to Paris in 1968. At the legendary Ritz Hotel, he quickly landed a job as a pianist. Debussy, Ravel and Sinatra for tea.
The next step in his life was to study at the High School of Film and Television in Munich. He began his career as a music critic for the Münchner Abendzeitung, before becoming a reporter, television producer, documentary filmmaker and writer.
One life is not enough. When the era of analogue photography came to an end, more than 100,000 of his slides were buried in a secret location. Because transience is part of life’s course. Only the best shots ‘survived’, finding a place in dozens of folders. What was the best photo? “The world is still waiting for it,” he says. It’s not about his name. For a picture to be considered good, better or best, it must have a magical aura.
And who is Ocean Saul? A chameleon. A synonym for ‘endlessly chosen by God’. But he does not refer to himself. Only his photos deserve this attribute. It was Jacques Piccard, the most famous oceanographer and deep-sea explorer of all time, who inspired him at the legendary Amazon Lodge. They understood each other. And that was remembered.
Like Cartier-Bresson, often celebrated as a pioneer of photojournalism, Ocean Saul makes use of the concept of the ‘decisive moment’. Thanks to his extraordinary ability, he captures unique moments with precision and artistic flair.
Ocean Saul’s photographic works can be found in international collections around the world.