How a Book Cover Image is Created – Interview With Photographer Florian Kolbe

How is a cover image for a book or outdoor magazine actually created? Photographer Florian Kolbe talked about this in an interview about his cover shot for our new book. We also touched upon his approach to mountain photography.

In the interview, you will find out why the “better picture” did not make it onto the cover.

Mountain Moments: First of all, congratulations on your picture making its way to the cover of our German Alpine Hiking Book. How does it feel to see your own photo on a cover?

Florian Kolbe: It’s a cool and nice feeling that I certainly won’t have every day. I’m pleased that my picture was so well received by the community and made it onto the cover.

MM: How did your cover image come about? Were you there once or did more planning go into the photo? Why don’t you take us on a hike to the Tegernseer Hütte.

Florian: The picture was taken on a morning in early October. Planning didn’t really go into the photo itself, more into the hike.

I have been to the Tegernseer Hütte many times and therefore know the photographically interesting angles. The picture as it appears on the cover is a classic spot for sunrise.

The weather looked good for this Sunday morning. So I packed my photo backpack the night before and hiked to the hut in the dark. It was worth it ;)

Why did the “worse picture” make it onto the cover

Florian had sent us another image for this spot first – actually the nicer, “better” image: A bit more clouds, a bit more dramatic light – a more harmonious image. The color contrasts are higher here, the sky more exciting, the color gradient more harmonious, and the colors generally a bit more appealing.

However, in working with magazines and print articles with graphic elements, the “best” image is not always the most appropriate. In this case, and for our style at Mountain Moments – and to keep it consistent – a lighter upper part of the image is generally more advantageous.

Also, the title font is relatively powerful. So we have decided on the actual “worse image”. It simply looks much better in combination with the graphic elements.

If you measure with a ruler, you will notice that almost half of the image on the book cover is “sky”. There is relatively little happening here – which is exactly what we were looking for in our case – so the title font stands out clearly without having to change anything in the image.

The cover image we chose had both: a nice colorful sky, but was also more even and bright throughout. Some would say, more “boring”. The “better picture” has, as it’s often seen in landscape photography, about 1/3 only sky and still exciting clouds or color gradient.

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MM: The popular technical question: How did you ultimately take the picture from a technical point of view?

Florian: The picture was taken with my Nikon Z6 and the Nikon Z 24-70 f/4 lens. Since I used to shoot with Fuji and with a 23mm lens, I am very used to a focal length of 35mm (Note: The Z6 is a camera with a full-frame sensor – the focal length is about 24mm with the sensor of the Fuji camera I used).

Moreover, I like this focal length very much. So I took the picture with a 34mm focal length with an aperture f/4. I personally like a rather soft look and therefore often shoot with an open aperture or wide open aperture.

MM: You live in Bavaria and therefore have the “home advantage” and know the mountains well. But everyone has to start somewhere. What would you advise people for such a hike to create a good picture?

Florian: Good research is essential for a good picture. With a quick search on Google you can already find a lot of info about the tour and the photo spot. Instagram can also be helpful.

Since I’m often out at sunrise, I also often look at the weather forecast and in which direction the sun will rise. If you’re lucky, there’s also a webcam nearby. This gives a good estimate of conditions at certain times of the day and year. But a little luck is always involved.

MM: Tegernseer Hütte is a fairly well-known photo spot. Many travel to the well-known “Insta-hotspots” and take the famous Insta-shot there. How much do you focus on Instagram?

Florian: I’ve done it myself often enough and have driven to “Insta-hotspots” such as the Eibsee, Geroldsee, the Alpe di Siusi, or the Saxer Gap.

In my case, the photographic interest was more in the foreground, but I often had the post on Instagram in the back of my mind. That was about 2-3 years ago and since then I grew on Instagram. This increases the interest in the hotspots.

They are also simply beautiful places. Only, unfortunately, many people do not perceive that they are in nature or even in alpine terrain. I think it is up to each individual to awaken this awareness and point out appropriate rules or dangers. The ascent to the Tegernseer Hütte is quite demanding in my eyes and in part there are passages that require surefootedness, depending on the route. At Geroldsee, for example, the meadows around the huts are protected by the Hegezeit and should not be entered between April and the end of September. I also learned about this some time ago. It is up to me to point out such things to the people.

Meanwhile, I have detached myself from the goal of making an Insta-shot. I just want to discover new places and capture beautiful moods. If I like the photos and I was lucky with the conditions, I also like to share them on Instagram.

MM: What do mountains and photography mean to you?

Florian: Freedom, relaxation, and satisfaction. Most of the time I’m out and about well before sunrise. The feeling of experiencing the first rays of sunshine on a cold morning at the summit is simply incomparable. It makes you forget every effort of the ascent and the tiredness. This peace in nature and in the mountains gives me a lot of strength.

MM: What was your most impressive mountain adventure and why was it so special, what did you take away from it?

Florian: It was in Switzerland at the Seealpsee and the Saxer Lücke. My companion and I hiked from the lake up to the Saxer Lücke after sunrise. I was quite inexperienced and untrained at that time, yet we managed to overcome the demanding thousand meters of altitude. That was my first long mountain tour and incredibly strenuous – but at the same time very rewarding.

MM: Your pictures are often clicked on Instagram. What is important to you in your photography and what do you want to express with your pictures?

Florian: I just want to capture and share small or big moments with my pictures, no matter if it’s a spectacular sunrise, a peak rising above the fog, or an overwhelmingly starry sky. I want my images to be real and show the moment. I edit my images to show the moment that I saw. I almost never manipulate anything in Photoshop and if I do I communicate it directly. Lately, I add a few thoughts that I associate with the images in the caption, as well.

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