Hi there,

My name is Sebastian Bahr and I am a documentary photographer who works exclusively with analog medium format, currently based in Hamburg, Germany.
Other than that, my passions also include books, cooking, vinyl records, point-and-click video games and, of course, my wife.

For many years, I have been inspired by the pop culture-rich environment of the American West and Midwest — from “Little House on the Prairie” over “A River Runs Through It” to “There Will Be Blood” and “Fargo.” If you grew up in the 80s or 90s and absorbed films and television from the 70s to the early 2000s, you can't go wrong in the western half of the USA.
Everything seems familiar.
Everything seems iconic.
So a few years ago, I decided to fly to the States for the first time, which had such a profound impact on me and my photography that it became a recurring event.

However, the idea behind my work is not to evoke feelings of nostalgia. My mission is to document the countryside — to give viewers an understanding of how the people who work there, primarily in agriculture, open-pit mining, and the oil business, live their daily lives. Where they live, which roads they drive along, and what they see when they look out of their (car) windows. That what is exotic and exciting for us is also reality for these people. Not always as romantically charged as we perceive it to be when we look at it. And that this life, this everyday life, shapes a person differently than life in an American or even European metropolis.

I have now spent a lot of time in over 11 states and have driven over 10,000 miles (almost 16,000 kilometers) across the country.

Also I have met countless people who were all interested and helpful, which has given me an even deeper connection to their country and culture.
The next trips are already being planned.

I want to create more understanding for one another. My wish is that people in Western society, which is increasingly divided, think more about each other before making hasty judgments.

love
Sebastian