Maren Preiß

I was born in a small town in a house with no books where reality was accepted for what it seemed to be. Until the age of 18, this egg was my world. I was determined to fight my way out of it. I took evening classes in Italian, took my A-levels and went to Florence where I got to know beauty, arts and the exhilarating feeling of self-efficacy.

For me, it was the beginning of a journey that via a detour of a commercial apprenticeship in a globally operating coffee company, a job at a local newspaper and a master’s degree in history and Italian literature finally led me to the profession(s) that until today connect me to my core values: photography and writing.

My written work has been published in newspapers and magazines, such as Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, Zeit Geschichte und mare. I was commissioned with multimedia assignments by non-profit organizations, and I was a mentor for a German freelance journalist.

As a self-taught visual storyteller I am regularly attending workshops and courses. Just to name a few of my teachers: Sebastián Liste, Uwe H. Martin and Roman Cuilla Martinez. In 2023, I had an exhibition in Hamburg about indigenous coffee farmers in Mexico, working for a German CSA.

In 2021, I founded terrafoto.org together with photographers Caterina Suzzi and Ellen Kok. In our first long-term project we focused on Community Supported Agriculture with the aim to excite people about a fundamental change towards consumer involved, sustainable organic agriculture.

I also work as a part-time proofreader at the weekly Die Zeit where I train my attention for detail. In my free time I love to go into the wild with my bike and my tent, opening myself fully to the world, with no more eggshells attached.