Three questions with Leo Schindzielorz
All about his passion for photography
Kai Müller's Scandinavian photos
The artist Kai Müller has had a remarkable career. From working as an emergency doctor in war-torn areas to serving as a polar guide in the Arctic and Antarctic. Excited to learn more about this extraordinary career, we asked Kai Müller for an interview.
How it all began
As an emergency doctor, Kai Müller travelled a lot and worked abroad – his daily life was dominated by stress and frenzy. Photography was a good way to just focus on the here and now. "After I'd spent four and half years working exclusively in war and crisis zones, I set a personal limit for myself and decided that for the sake of my own wellbeing I no longer wanted to work in environments like that. I emigrated to Norway, sought out a totally new occupation and started working as a tourist guide." After nine years of professional training to become a polar tour guide, Kai Müller has now been working for some time as an expedition leader for various types of polar expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Extraordinary moments
"I see polar bears as a species that symbolises impressive size and strength, but sadly that's no longer the whole story. These animals are fighting a hard fight every day to survive despite dwindling ice and sources of food. Conflicts occur with residents in the far north because animals on the hunt for easy sources of food are moving closer to settlements. Once again, humans are the factor putting animals in a situation that usually turns out deadly for them." Kai Müller takes photos of polar bears to highlight that these fantastic animals are in their natural habitat and that the real "illegal" visitors are the human residents.
Kai's favourite photo
"I can't say because too many photos have really personal stories behind them." He tells us about the puffins in a snowstorm that he saw when he got back to his hotel – with beaming faces and really happy with the photos that were taken. "I also remember the orca family that we met on the way to the Antarctic and who seemed to be acting as our welcome party for a while."
