Hello dear Maria! Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers first? Who are you, where do you come from, where do you live now? Tell us something about your personal background!
Hello, my name is Maria Geithner ( @maryloo_berlin ), I was born in Berlin and live with my family in the beautiful, idyllic north of Berlin. Apart from my studies in Dresden, I have spent my whole life in this exciting capital and feel at home here. I like to travel and have always been very creative since I was a child, drawing, painting, crafting, writing, dancing and designing, but I am most interested in photography.
PICKMOTION is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and we have had the great pleasure of working with you for many years! In your opinion, how has Instagram developed over the last 10 years?
I also really enjoy working with you and I am very happy that you have been so successful with your products for 10 years and that great ideas have emerged from this photo app.
Instagram has changed a lot in that time. Firstly, the quality of the images, and the much stronger focus on social media and advertising, as well as information. I still remember when I signed up in 2012 and initially just wanted to enhance cell phone photos with a small selection of filters. It was more about the fun of sharing your own photos and snapshots with others, being happy about nice feedback there and being inspired by other photos or exciting places. The community was manageable and somewhat familiar.
Today, Instagram feels huge, has become even more colorful and louder. That's a blessing and a curse at the same time. I think it's a shame that the original focus on photography has now taken a back seat, that videos are the main focus and that many people are only motivated by commercial aspects. Many posts on Instagram seem inauthentic and artificial. I'm also very critical of the distorted and unrealistic ideals of beauty. That has taken away some of the original lightness of Instagram.
But nonetheless, it is still one of my favorite apps because I follow a lot of great, selected profiles there, both small and large accounts, which are managed with great care and share content that I personally find very inspiring, authentic and educational. I also like to be "influenced" by them every now and then (laughs).
I am also very happy that I continue to follow some of the people I enjoyed communicating with when I first started using Instagram.
Your hometown is Berlin and you always share beautiful perspectives from our beautiful capital. What makes Berlin so special for you?
No corner in Berlin looks like the other. Berlin has so many different faces and facets. Very different in every district. Here you discover a mix of old and new, as well as very familiar and also changed places.
You can watch the lively and sometimes rough hustle and bustle of people and suddenly find a very quiet and idyllic corner 2-3 streets away or the feeling of village life on the outskirts of the city.
Even as a native Berliner, I only know a fraction of this city and I still enjoy exploring new and unknown corners.
In addition to snapshots from Berlin, there are also many other beautiful places to discover on your account: from the sea to the Alps. Where do you like to go on holiday?
One of my absolute favorite places to switch off and find peace in recent years has definitely been the North Sea island of Amrum. This landscape has also been very impressive for me from a photographic point of view. I love taking a lot of photos on vacation and find the variety between urban motifs, architecture and beautiful landscapes very appealing. Whether in Germany, Europe or elsewhere in the world.
Your pictures always radiate a special sense of calm - probably because there are (almost) never people in them. That must be a difficult undertaking, especially in Berlin. How do you manage it and what tips do you have for other city photographers?
I research what interests me beforehand and think about a possible route. But I always keep my eyes open in the area, observe a lot and then like to let myself drift spontaneously through smaller side streets that are often not quite as busy. Sometimes a little patience or a quieter time of day is necessary so that you can capture deserted subjects. Getting up early is definitely worth it when the city is still sleepy and with a bit of luck the soft morning light will also help you find subjects.
What equipment do you use for your pictures and how do you edit them?
For Instagram, I only take photos with my smartphone (currently iPhone 14 Pro), edit the images with the VSCO app, as well as the filters and editing functions in the Instagram app.
Otherwise, I have always enjoyed taking portraits with my Canon SLR camera or some old analogue cameras like my Pentacon Six. Unfortunately, due to work and family life, I rarely find the opportunity to do so these days, as photo editing is much quicker and easier with a smartphone.
What inspires you and why?
Life itself, good conversations, activities with friends, art and photography, but also letting yourself go spontaneously as the mood takes you and simply keeping your eyes open for what you encounter and what inspires you along the way.
From a photographic point of view, I always find subjects or exciting snapshots particularly inspiring, where I can think about what story lies behind them. That's probably why I like photographing old houses that have already seen a bit of history and show traces of the past. But I also like the new and timeless with aesthetic or minimalist design. The mix makes it varied and interesting in the end.
Do you have a favorite picture of yourself? Can you tell us the story behind it?
I have several, but in any case, this is the first motif that was selected as a postcard at Pickmotion. I was on my way to a World Cup match with my friend Linda ( @lindaberlin ), we were a bit in a hurry and running late to get a good spot at the public viewing. I passed an old Citroen in front of a colorful house facade and spontaneously decided to walk back a few steps to quickly take 2-3 pictures of it. Today it is still one of my top sellers at Pickmotion. It was definitely a very good decision to capture this motif again!
Do you still enjoy writing postcards yourself?
Oh yes. I almost always send postcards to my family and friends when I'm on vacation. For birthdays, holidays, etc., I now design all the greeting cards myself, cut the paper to size, stamp, punch, emboss, glue or paint the motifs with watercolors and love to write everything myself and create it individually for the occasion and the person. Most people are still happiest with handwritten words that you can hold in your own hands and it seems so much more appreciative with a card or postcard than in a text message or email.
Do you have a favorite PICKMOTION product?
It's difficult to decide, as there are so many great products available now. I think the postcards will remain my all-time favorites, but the magnets and calendars also have a permanent place in my home.
Would you like to share a little anecdote or story at the end? Feel free to tell us whatever comes to mind!
Whenever I'm out and about and see a Pickmotion display in a shop, I simply HAVE to go and look through the cards and magnets. I'm even happier when I discover my own designs. I even recently found my cards and magnets in a small souvenir shop on the island of Amrum and that made me really proud. THANK YOU PICKMOTION! Here's to the next 10 years! Keep up the good work!
ZG-1535-DE, B-0180, B-0137
We are very happy to have already designed so many magical products with Maria for you! You can always see all of her motifs on the back of our products if you follow her Instagram name @maryloo_berlin Don't forget to follow her on Instagram to discover many more beautiful snapshots of her!
