The Night Golf Collection

The Golf Collection project would not be possible without the combination of two very unique top-level talents – one in nighttime photography specifically, and the other in professional golf.

Andreas has been a professional photographer for most of his adult life. He’s taken thousands of photos throughout Hessen and all of Germany – particularly natural landmarks and scenery. Now, with his Stars fur eine nacht night photography project, Andi is now recognized as one of Kassel’s top photographers. His unique approach requires extraordinary planning and execution…all in complete darkness. In fact, even lunar cycles affect when these photo shoots take place.

Casey is a close friend of Andi’s since 2004. He married Marina Kind who grew up here in Kassel and whose family were once members at Wilhelmshöhe. Ever since, Casey has spent every summer with his family here in Germany.

As a Class A PGA Professional Golfer, Casey has traveled the world teaching and playing tournament golf. He’s played on the PGA Tour and also the Canadian PGA Tour. Casey’s published a golf instruction book, appeared on Golf Channel and in Golf Digest many times, and his instructional videos have reached over 1 million views. Casey often plays at Wilhelmshöhe in the summer with club members and team players.

So, Andreas provides the photography insight and technical planning while Casey brings golf knowledge and credibility to the final product. These two talents together are a rare combination indeed.

Whenever a group of people are stomping around in a natural environment in complete darkness, you’re bound to find some surprises.

For example, our project at Zugspitze involved a surprise rock avalanche that came too close for comfort. We could hear the rumbling rocks through the trees, but had no idea whether they were headed our way.

The experience of creating our night photograph of the 12th hole at Wilhelmshöhe was no exception. We found our own bit of danger in the wilderness out there.

If you notice in the photo, there is a large tree located behind the green that is brightly illuminated. To accomplish this effect, it required someone to venture deep into the forest with a special lamp.

Casey was this unlucky fellow.

Without knowing, as Casey was positioning himself in the trees, he must have disturbed a bee hive somehow. Maybe he stepped on it, but he angered some animals as they were sleeping peacefully.

In the end, we got the photograph as planned. The consequence was that Casey was stung just above his right eye. Days later, Casey’s eye was still swollen…ouch!

First of all, golf courses are beautiful. The terrain is wonderfully maintained and always designed to be appealing to the artistic eye. During the daytime, golf courses make wonderful photo subjects. Very few have tried to capture the charm of a golf hole in the middle of the night.

Second, golf courses are prized pieces of real estate. Golfers remember great times walking with friends and playing rounds of golf. They remember great shots or stories that were born in these places. With so many having emotional responses to any subject matter, there is perfect opportunity to create pieces of art that will be loved by many.

As I mentioned above, this project was born with a win-win in mind. We felt that golf course owners could benefit from a marketing and branding perspective – especially if night photos remain relatively exclusive in the area. Whether photos are printed for sale, placed in advertisements, or simply used to enhance public space in the clubhouse, there are many opportunities for showcasing.

Club members and guests have their own ideas about using these photos. With a wide variety of print options, framing, light framing, and otherwise, players can commemorate their favorite holes however they prefer. Perhaps as a tournament prize or a hole-in-one award, the project brings an opportunity to preserve wonderful memories on the golf course.

Lastly, golf is a passion of Casey’s in particular. He’s spent over 30 years playing golf at a world-class level. Golf courses as subject matter brings an opportunity to combine the sport he loves with the chance to spend some German summer nights with good friends outdoors.

Casey’s credibility in golf has earned the opportunity to speak with club owners and managers and secure new locations in the coming years. Each location will be a road trip with a team of helpers to new places in Germany…with many stories and fun times to come.

One would think that taking photos at night would simply require a few flashlights and an expensive camera. Not true. This is where Andreas’ incredible talent and experience in photography comes into play.

Each project begins with careful planning, including investigating topography maps, feature placement, and lunar calendars. Each photo requires a carefully selected set of elements – many of which one would never need to be considered during the daytime.

Is there any ambient light or light pollution from nearby cities? What is the cloud cover going to be like? Are there elements giving the photo depth and shape for composition? What is the focus of the photograph? Are there elements that cannot be seen in the dark which may interfere or ruin the photo? Where should lighting come from and what is the desired effect? Which lighting combinations work best (or worst) together? How will the photo be focused, which exposure settings, and how strong should the lighting be in different areas? Is there anything that is moving which will become blurry with long exposure times?

All of these questions are only the beginning. Every photo assignment brings new surprises and new ideas. For example, shooting Zugspitze from 7 km away is a very different project than highlighting a tree from close range.

All must be considered and accounted for…and even then we need a lot of luck with weather, team members and equipment to produce a great result. Many photos we have produced require multiple long evenings in the field to accomplish.

As of right now, the Stars fur eine nacht photos are made available through Andreas’ website. People can order prints or digital copies of each photo.

The golf collection has opened up new avenues for sharing and using these nighttime photos. Golf courses use them in advertisements and for displaying in their facilities.

Tournament directors order special prints to give away as tournament prizes or hole-in-one awards. Golf shop operators sell prints in the pro shop or give away post cards to green-fee paying customers.

Meanwhile, club members and guests order prints to take home with them – usually framed canvas prints but also beautifully presented light frames and more artistic presentations for their homes.

This project is still in its infancy. With many more golf courses scheduled next year, we’ll be interested to learn of new ideas and new ways that these unique photos can be used.