Stephan was born in Duisburg, Germany. At the age of seven, he was allowed to use his father's AGFA Isolette 6x6 camera for the first time. And from then on, he virtually never put the camera down. A passion was awakened.
 
After graduating from high school he started academical studies in Duisburg, Cologne and Düsseldorf and underwent an apprenticeship in Split-Screen Presentations and in Commercial Photography. In 1983, he founded a studio for commercial photography in Düsseldorf and worked for 33 years for well-known agencies and clients including Nikon, Canon, Guinness, Kilkenny, Veltins, Schwarz Pharma, Hein Gericke and Polo.

In 2016, he relocated to Scotland. Today he lives and works in the Isle of Harris, part of the Outer Hebrides. He says: "As a commercial photographer, I staged things professionally, manipulated light and played with contrasts, backgrounds and decoration. In order to realize advertising-effective statements, I even used so-called "object retouching" before taking the picture - until at some point I had the feeling I was constantly lying. Today I take situations as they present themselves to me."
 
The landscape of the Outer Hebrides is fascinating and attracts photographers from all over the world. Stephan's landscape photography of the Hebrides, however, is different. It stands as a stunning statement in an age of climate change. When the eye has deciphered the colours and shapes and surmises details, abuse and destruction reveal themselves.