Jochen Kocur

I like sitting at my desk. But the way there usually leads somewhere out in the world.

For many years I have been flying with great pleasure, often far away on assignments around the world, as a captain in business aviation. I love communicating with people. Later, training and checking were added. And writing, which I never planned: it crept in quietly.

A colleague and I sent each other photos from our trips, not neatly captioned but with short, invented stories. One photo became a scene, and the scene became the next. Alex wrote the villain, and the villain always had the same name: "Dr. van Kluth". I had "Phoenix", who had his hands full trying to save everyone. Eventually the stories no longer fit into a message. Suddenly there was a manuscript. And from that came a book.

I like photography because it isn't about the perfect subject, but about the moment when you realize something is there. A place, a mood, someone about to step around the corner.

Home is Salzburg, with my best friend. She is my wife. When I am not flying, writing or photographing, I am drawn to sailing, hiking, sport. Outdoors, movement, a clear head.

I think I look at the world the way I learned to as a pilot: curious, eyes open, a little imagination, and the quiet certainty that behind almost every image a story is waiting.

Jochen Kocur
Salzburg, 2026