raphael foidl

Raphael Foidl is a photographer and filmmaker based in Mainz, Germany. He sees himself first and foremost as a visual designer. Photography and film are the media he works with, but the starting point is always the task: the idea, the people, the context and what the work needs to communicate.

His approach has been shaped by street photography, skateboarding and work in NGO contexts. Street photography taught him to observe and react, while skateboarding shaped a willingness to understand conventions and break them when a different approach leads to a stronger result. NGO work made him more conscious of representation, trust and the responsibility that comes with telling other people’s stories.

Studying Time-Based Media (B.A.) connected these experiences and taught him to think beyond individual disciplines. Rather than being trained specifically as a photographer or filmmaker, he learned to approach visual communication as a design process. Considering ideas, identity, audiences and narrative before deciding on medium, technique and aesthetic direction.

This curiosity also shaped the way Raphael chose to learn on set. Rather than always taking the roles that would have led most directly towards becoming a photographer or cinematographer, he was often more interested in working with lighting, sets and other parts of the image-making process.

That experience helped him build a broader creative toolbox and continues to shape the way he works with a team today. He does not need to perform every role himself, but he wants to understand the possibilities, limitations and realities behind them well enough to communicate clearly, make deliberate choices and ask for things with an understanding of what they actually involve.

Photography and film compliment each other in his work. On hybrid productions, still and moving image can be developed from the same visual idea, whether executed by Raphael across both formats or together with another photographer, director or cinematographer.

For Raphael, style is a tool. His authorship lies in the attitude and decisions behind it. The visual approach can change with the subject and purpose of a project. What remains consistent is the attitude behind it: understanding people and context, choosing the means that serve the story best, and creating work that feels intentional, emotional and human.