I wait for light.Aerials · timelapse · workshops
Workshops
Small groups · booked through the operator
Guilin14 – 20 Sep 2026 · China
Karst peaks in monsoon light, cormorant fishermen, the Longji terraces. Drone-led, with Aerial Media.
Not my first season on the Li — I know which mornings the mist sits and which ones it doesn't
Madeira31 Oct – 7 Nov 2026 · Portugal
Cloud seas at Arieiro, black basalt at Seixal, laurel forest in fog. Photo and video, with Bruno Ázera.
I've produced timelapse and aerials on Madeira for television — the locations here are worked, not googled
Lofoten · Aurora Week 120 – 27 Feb 2027 · Norway
Aurora hunting from Hattvika Lodge — week one. Henningsvær, Reine, Hamnøy, Sakrisøy, out before sunrise and out again at night.
Four winters running — every group has seen the lights, on more than one night
Lofoten · Aurora Week 228 Feb – 7 Mar 2027 · Norway
Aurora hunting from Hattvika Lodge. Henningsvær, Reine, Hamnøy, Sakrisøy — out before sunrise, out again at night.
Four winters running — every group has seen the lights, on more than one night
Faroe Islands19 – 26 June 2027 · Faroe Islands
Sørvágsvatn, Gásadalur, Kalsoy — sea cliffs, sideways weather and light that changes every ten minutes.
Shot here since 2020 — I know which cliffs are worth the walk in which wind
AzoresDates to be announced · Portugal
Volcanic peaks, crater lakes, Atlantic cliffs — with Bruno Ázera, who lives there.
Bruno lives on the islands — which morning we drive where is his call, not a fixed itinerary
These tours run with me. The operator named above pays me for that, organises and sells the trip, holds the contract with you, takes the booking and payment and is responsible for travel, accommodation and insurance. What exactly I contribute is arranged with the operator and differs from trip to trip. I am not a tour operator or a travel agent, I take no bookings or payments, and no contract comes into being through this website. Dates, prices and services shown here are taken from the operators' own listings for orientation and can change at any time — what the operator states on their page applies.
In planning
When a new trip firms up, I write to this list first. Just tell me where you'd like to come along.
Confirmation email first. Every mail has an unsubscribe link.
Afterwards
From past groupsThe tour with Nomadict and Ronald was simply perfect. It mattered not if the weather cooperated — learning and beautiful compositions abounded. Ronald and Alejandro were consummate professionals, keeping the tour lively and fun while running smoothly in the background. They shared their wealth of knowledge on composition, shot planning, editing and publishing strategy — all super insightful. The group they curated will remain lifelong photography friends, for which I am so grateful. My only regret is that I didn't book both weeks!
I am so glad I signed up for a photography workshop with Ronald Söthje and Nomadict; it was a valuable learning experience and a supportive environment to grow in as a photographer. I appreciated learning alongside other talented photographers and getting to visit stunning locations every day. Ronald and Alejandro's expertise and willingness to help each participant learn was invaluable, and I look forward to taking a workshop from them again in the future!
Thank you so much to both Ronald and Alex for such an awesome trip — all the hard work and effort you put in was greatly appreciated! I have come away with takeaways from the both of you which I hope will go on to improve my photography journey.
Exploring Lofoten with Ronald and Alejandro is an unforgettable experience. It was a week of laughter, learning and feeling contented with a group of likeminded people. We covered a lot of ground over the week — from Moskenes up to Henningsvær, while learning drone skills and photography expertise. We shot during the day and through the night, getting breathtaking shots in the snow, at sunrise and of course with the aurora borealis. I feel like I made friends that will last a lifetime and learned skills that will help me in my career. I could not recommend it enough!
Ronald and Alejandro led our group of eight through Lofoten with impeccable timing, guiding us to the most breathtaking locations under optimal conditions. Their expertise extended far beyond aurora photography — they provided deep insights into drone operation, advanced camera techniques, video editing and time-lapse creation. Their patience and dedication ensured that each participant, regardless of skill level, received thoughtful guidance tailored to their needs. With an extraordinary ability to simplify complex concepts and a keen eye for composition, they transformed every moment into an opportunity for learning and creativity.
The workshop was great! I learned a lot, especially about flying a drone. I never really flew a drone before, and after the workshop I could start and land it in my hands. The places we visited were really photogenic, and Ronald and Alejandro have shown us how to capture them. I will definitely do a workshop with them again!
Ronald's skills at northern lights tracking remind me of watching a tornado chaser in action. With one hand on his aurora apps and the other on his cloud tracker, he consistently guided us to the best spots to photograph those elusive lights.
The Lofoten winter workshop was my first trip to Norway. Alejandro and Ronald were the guides, with eight participants from different countries and cultures. Sharing information and experience across the group made for quick bonding and a sense of family. The effort put into very different subjects — mountains, lakes, structures, fields and each other — gave plenty of opportunity to work on your own area of interest. I went in with no expectations and left with a rewarding encounter with other people and with the wonders of the world.
Visiting Lofoten in Norway was something I had looked forward to for years. Touring the area with Ronald and Alejandro was the perfect way to see the sights without having to plan everything yourself. They were always available for questions or to assist in any way they could, which was appreciated by the entire group. I have taken several photo tours over the years, and I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys incredible sights and the company of like-minded photographers.
Ronald's knowledge of the island meant we travelled straight to the most stunning parts, always mindful of weather and light. I had been before, but this trip was an entirely different level. I wouldn't hesitate to do it all again.
From start to finish, Ronald helped me capture some of the most amazing pictures I have ever taken — and he was a phenomenal guide. Extremely knowledgeable about the best spots. I'm already looking at signing up for future trips.
On tour
What the week looks likeEight tripods in a row, all pointed at the same thing — nobody learns anything that way. We stay with a place until we find a view of it that isn't on the postcard. Learning to see is the point, and the craft is part of it: not which button does what, but how the settings hang together — until they stop costing you attention and the picture gets it instead.
Who this is for. Ambitious beginners upwards. If you have just started but you're serious about it, you'll keep up — the first two days will get you comfortable on manual. If you already work professionally and came for one particular thing, say so on the first evening and we'll build your week around it. What doesn't work is booking this as a sightseeing trip with a camera in the bag.
Note. Weather beats us sometimes, and a permit granted to a film production is not the same as one for a group of ten — so a few of the images here were made under conditions we won't have on the tour. I'd rather say that in advance than sell you a guarantee.
- Before lightOut before sunrise most days. The plan is made the night before from the forecast — and changed on the spot when the sky says otherwise.
- In the fieldReading the place first. Where will the light be in forty minutes? Which side of the ridge holds the fog? What is the tide doing? Then exposure, filters, long exposure and drone work where it's allowed — on your camera, standing next to you, not as a lecture. Everyone finds their own position. Your picture shouldn't look like mine.
- Middle of the day, indoorsThe hours when the light is no good are the hours we spend on the pictures. Culling, Lightroom and Resolve, my look taken apart step by step. Plus time with just the two of us on your own frames — including the honest answer about what isn't working yet.
- Out again for sunsetSecond location, different angle, everything from the morning applied while it's still fresh.
- After darkWhere the night has a subject of its own — northern lights, stars, a coast under moonlight — the day doesn't end at dinner. The forecast decides, not the schedule.
- Food and sleepBoth happen. Neither is the priority.
Stills
Selected framesFilms
Timelapse · 8K · licensing on requestServices
Photo · film · broadcast · licensing
Earthworm Foundation
International Stories
Photography · film · aerials
Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
Nonstop — Slow TV
Production
Xiaomi
Mobile Stories
Photography · videography
Xiaomi · Mercedes-Benz · Siemens · Deutsche Post · Hamburg Airport · ARD · ZDF · MDR · Fraunhofer-Institut · TU Dresden
Photography
The same look you see here, shot to your brief. Landscape and travel, corporate and location work — delivered graded, in the formats your team actually needs.
Film & aerials
Timelapse and aerials, and DOP work on documentary and commercial shoots — single camera or full crew. The work runs from smartphone manufacturers to federal courts, with the occasional feature film or television series along the way.
Licensing
An archive built over twenty years, in up to 8K HDR — auroras, cloud seas, Milky Way, coastlines. Tell me the shot and I will tell you within a day whether it already exists. If it does not, let us talk about how to make it happen.
Training & engineering
I still move entire broadcasters onto new formats: UHD, HDR, IP, file-based workflows. I plan, specify and commission studios, playout and virtual sets. More than 150 camera and broadcast seminars across Germany, Austria and Switzerland so far, with more to come. This isn’t a former life — it runs alongside everything else.
Own equipment, own repairs
Everything is shot on my own equipment — from one body and a drone for a two-day job to a full cinema setup with gimbal and lighting. No rental chain, no waiting on availability.
And because I built broadcast systems before I made pictures, I open the housing myself. A gimbal that quits at minus eighteen, a drone down in the rocks, a codec nobody on set can read: that's a repair, not a lost shooting day. It's the dullest reason to hire me and probably the best one.
About
Leipzig · thirty years with images
This year makes thirty years of working with images. It started on the engineering side of television — studios, playout, virtual sets, the machines behind the picture — and I still think that way: work out how a thing is built, then use it properly. Somewhere along the line I walked ten kilometres at minus eighteen for a single frame, and never really came back.
Since then I've shot timelapse and aerials for whoever needed them — smartphone launches, federal courts, industry, broadcasters, the occasional feature film. I train camera crews and broadcast engineers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and work as a director of photography on documentary and commercial jobs.
Film productions run through 3motion, our production company — large productions, film sets, films. Everything else is booked directly with me.
The rest of the year goes into my own productions: the locations the workshops later run in, and the timelapse and aerial archive I license from. A van, and a partner who photographs and assists on the same shoots. The same places, year after year, until the light is right — Iceland, Norway, Patagonia, China, the Dolomites. Around 1.4 million people follow that work on Instagram, which still surprises me.
The workshops are the part I like most. A few people, real conditions, no staged sunrise — and the honest version of how the images get made, including the mornings that produce nothing.
Talk to me directly
Briefing, rough budget and timing in the first mail saves us both a round. Commissions, licensing, training and engineering are booked directly with me — the photo trips run through the operators named on each page.
You'll hear it first
When there's news about an upcoming trip, I write here first. A few times a year, not a few times a week.
Confirmation email first. Every mail has an unsubscribe link.