Stefan Wermuth

Stefan Wermuth

Based
London, United Kingdom
Born
Sumiswald, Switzerland
Status
Photographer
“My biggest lesson has been to be patient. It’s not always easy, but sometimes taking a step back is the best way to move forward.”

Beat

I cover news, sport, politics, entertainment and features.

One Shot

. LONDON, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth
Petrica Iancu, a 20-year-old desktop support technician who has lived in London for more than a year, poses for a picture in Balham, London.
“I don’t have a single favourite image. This picture is part of a series I did about Londoners and stands for all of the cosmopolitan people who live and work every day in this great city.”

Profile

One of my first memories of photography is the sound of the slide projector when we watched our family holiday pictures at home on a silver screen.

Before I became a photojournalist I started to learn photography when I was 16 years old and did a four-year apprenticeship as an advertising photographer at a studio in Bern. I’m still not done learning - it carries on every day.

My first assignment for Reuters was covering a news conference at the Federal Palace in Bern. I was very excited to be there and to see it all happening. I was even more excited when I saw the first picture I had published with my name in a newspaper.

The London riots and the Paralympics were the two assignments that left the biggest marks on me. The London riots affected me because it was frightening to see how easily a city can get out of control and how people can act as a crowd. The Paralympics also made a big impression because it was very impressive to see the true meaning of: “The most important thing is not to win but to take part.”

To be honest, when I take a picture I don’t have any particular audience in mind. I am too busy taking the actual image!

My biggest lesson has been to be patient. It’s not always easy, but sometimes taking a step back is the best way to move forward.

I have great respect for my wife. Her support gives me lots of energy to do the best job in the world.