SIYU personal

Vögeli (born in 1973) is actually a hairdresser. However, since 2013, after completing additional training, he has been working as a freelance photographer in Lenzburg. What makes his profession special is that he combines photography with his many years of experience as a hairdresser in his salon, “Coiffeur & Galerie.”

Pascal specializes in portrait photography and translating fairy tales into images. He writes about this special passion: “When I think back to my childhood, I remember the time when my mother read fairy tales to me. Even then, I sensed how powerful images can be when they transport us to other worlds.” Today, he sees it as his calling to bring this magic to life in his pictures.

In “Coiffeur & Galerie,” he combines his two passions. Pascal's sense of aesthetics is also reflected there. This is quickly apparent in the stylishly furnished salon and his passion for portrait photography. The walls are adorned with his own photographic works, giving the salon the ambience of an art gallery. Pictures by other photographers and artists are also on display. 

How did you find your way to portrait photography alongside your hairdressing career? As a hairdresser, I learned early on to see and shape faces and forms. This passion for aesthetics made me curious about how I could also capture faces with a camera. That's how I found my way to photography and portrait photography.

Today, you combine “hair” with exhibitions? For me, “hair” and portraits belong together – both tell a story. I had the idea when I saw that my salon could also be a space for art, where beauty is displayed in many forms. The walls are decorated by artists from all over the world and give the space an almost meditative atmosphere – a place where art and beauty meet. Artists can exhibit their pictures with us for three months on favorable terms, especially those who cannot afford a large gallery exhibition. That's important to me. In this way, we create a win-win situation in which art and inspiration can flow freely. 

You work with fairy tales and translate dream worlds into photographs. Why does this appeal to people? Fairy tales touch something deep within us – they lead us into our inner worlds. I believe that when people look at my pictures, they feel this connection to their own imagination and to dreams they may have long forgotten.

Where and how do your fairy tale pictures come about? They are created in the studio and in nature. Each work consists of over 100 individual photos, which I merge into a single, magical image. I also create 3D images in Cinema 4D, which I later insert into my compositions and refine with painterly accents in the final touches. On average, around 300 hours of work go into such an image – a process that for me is also a journey into the depths of my own imagination.

Is there a market for this type of photography? Yes, I find that many people have precisely this longing for the fantastic and the fairy-tale. My work is for those who are looking not only for art, but also for inspiration for their own soul.

You specialize in portrait photography. What makes portraits interesting for you? For me, every face is a universe full of stories. Those moments when a person lets go of everything in a millisecond are particularly magical—free of thought patterns, completely present and authentic. Capturing these brief moments is like a little magic for me.

What does your camera mean to you? My camera is a tool for me to make magic visible. It helps me capture emotions and stories that would otherwise remain invisible. I used to think I absolutely needed the best technology – today I realize that it's not the camera, but the eye behind it. Only when I create large images, with an edge length of over 150 cm, is technical precision important to me. This allows me to capture all the details in print and gives me more leeway in Photoshop.

Why did you join SIYU? What are your expectations? I want to exchange ideas with other creative people and grow. Since we are emigrating to the US this year and I will be commuting between countries in the future, I believe that the association, with its excellent reputation, can also help me there – as a bridge between cultures and as a place to create something new together.