Introducing Salomon Ambassador: Pangea

Johannes Höhn, aka PANGEA, is a 36-year-old photographer and filmmaker hailing from Cologne, Germany who has a strong passion for photography and videography related to the outdoor, urban, sports and lifestyle worlds. Pangea has a keen eye for detail that keeps him on the lookout for new and unique perspectives, and his passion for capturing the raw beauty of the world which drives him to travel and explore different places. Pangea’s authenticity shows in his craft as he only pursues creative projects that align with his personal and professional goals. He believes that within authenticity lies the key to creating truly captivating and compelling images and videos.

SALOMON: Can you tell us a bit about your background?

PANGEA: I’m Johannes, a 38-year-old photographer and videographer based in Cologne, Germany. I grew up in Kaiserslautern, which is a small town in the Southwest of Germany. It is an area surrounded by beautiful forests and mid-range hills, which is why I grew up with a lot of „outdoor time“. I have studied sports here in Cologne but after my graduation in 2012 I immediately tried to make a living as a photographer, which had been my number one hobby until then. So all of my skills in filmmaking and taking photos are pretty much self-taught - thanks YouTube! :) At the beginning of my journey as a photographer I was more into city, sports and sneaker photography, but after a couple of years I found my second real passion in capturing landscapes and adventures. Nowadays I would say I feel most comfortable creating in both the outdoor and urban worlds.

S: What inspired you to pursue photography, and how did you develop your unique style?

P: Photography and videography have always been ways for me to document what I was passionate about. As a teenager I started to shoot skate videos of me and my friends, later on I picked up a photo camera to take photos of my sneaker collection. It has always been connected closely to what felt right for me, so I would say photography itself became a passion of mine in a very natural way. It never felt like something somebody forced me to do, but something I really wanted to do pursue from the inside. I think my style has always been influenced by other creatives and their work, be it musicians, directors of movies, or other photographers. When I see something that inspires me I always try to implement some bits of it into my own work and give it my own twist. I also try to think outside certain stereotypes of things "photographers wouldn’t do“ and try to tear down those walls and just do stuff that makes me feel good.

S: What role does nature play in your photography, and how do you capture its essence?

P: Nature has become the perfect second subject for me besides the urban surroundings I had always had a passion for. Photography brought me back into nature, as I was inspired by other photographers to go out and explore my local forests. Doing so, I experienced something more intense than anything before, witnessing the setting sun on top of a mountain after a very challenging and long ascend. Those feelings really hit different, especially if you’re not a world class climber or hiking person, the achievement of "making it up there“ is very rewarding. Besides that I really do find a lot of inspiration and peace in simply exploring my local forest during the morning hours and sunrise. The atmosphere is always magical and calms me down. Whenever I am out in nature to shoot, I try to capture something that goes beyond the perfect postcard shot, capturing several angles and aspects of what I witness. Sometimes I also put the camera down and don’t shoot at all, just enjoying the moment and the pure bliss that nature provides.

S: What is a memorable experience or adventure that your passion for photography has led you to?

P: I think in general it has led me to a lot of memorable moments that I shared with other photographers. Teaming up with like minded individuals to go on a hiking mission or a road trip to capture moments along the way is something I always find super inspiring and something that has created some of my most memorable moments in general. Without photography I would have never made these connections to other people or would have experienced these adventures.

S: Can you give us a behind-the-scenes look at your process for planning and executing a shoot?

P: This really depends on what I am shooting. Some ideas need to be developed at the desk, with a proper shot list that needs to be captured. Especially for video work this is pretty important. My favorite way to create though is setting up certain parameters and letting the magic unfold along the way. This means I try to take care of the surrounding aspects like the locations I want to visit, the timing of day and the crew that is involved. This opens up for a lot of flexibility, making me able to react to things that happen spontaneously. I always work with a very small setup and a small crew because I truly enjoy being completely free in moving around quickly. Having some shot ideas in mind is always an important ground to build upon, it provides some confidence knowing that you have a couple of scenes in already and the rest is just fun and creative experimenting.

S: Rumor has it you initially became a fan of Salomon because inline skating. Can you tell us more about this?

P: That is so true. :) At the age of 13 back in 1999 I got my first pair of Salomon Aggressive Skates - the infamous ST8. The Salomon skates really shaped and influenced my following teenage years, as skating was my main priority back then. I was looking up to all the international Salomon pro skaters and was heavily inspired by their skills. That’s when Salomon saved it's place in my heart as one of my favorite brands ever. It’s an incredible coincidence that our paths crossed more than twenty years later to work together. Some may call this destiny.

S: Lastly, what essential item is a must-have in your bag while travelling?

P: Very standard answer but I go with my smartphone. It is the most essential piece while traveling for sure. It provides music, knowledge, entertainment and orientation. No other travel piece holds this many benefits.