Markus Albertz

Markus Albertz hails from a small town at the fringe of the Ruhr Valley, the largest urban area in Germany.  Growing up in this diverse setting meant adapting to a range of environments profoundly altered by coal mines, heavy industry, and cultural melting pots of all sorts.  Albertz learned basic darkroom techniques in a 10th-grade black and white photography class and he has been largely self-taught ever since.  In pursuit of a science degree, he came to the United States in 1999 and ultimately immigrated.  With relocation to the US and exposure to exhibitions of some of the great American photographers, he soon re-discovered his fascination with photography and honed his vision and darkroom skills.  His research allowed him to spend summers in the spectacularly remote area of the Central Sierra Nevada in California and so he was inspired to interpret and document these landscapes.  Soon he started applying his eye to all manner of subjects from the spectacular to the mundane, from still life to fresh images of the human figure.  Living in Eastern Canada for five years provided strikingly new visual impressions to explore and capture.  Albertz currently resides in Texas with his family and continues to explore the world around him locally as well as overseas.