my own business

                                             





I want to have , be my own boss.



In the future I would like to open many stores and one of them that is of sishas and video game

And then I would create my own clothing brand Samadi, an international clothing brand to make it known all over the world

And above all when I have the experience of carrying a single business I will open more and above all I have been told that to be a good boss you have to worry a lot about your workers.

And the first place I want to open to go experience is to open a local sishas.

MARIO STIEHL

https://www.mariostiehl.com/


How did you get started in the world of professional cycling photography?

I started in 1994. I come from East Germany, and when I was a kid back then, all we had was the Race of Peace. And I remember that we left the school and stopped on the side of the roads to encourage the cyclists. That was my first encounter with cycling. Then I started to follow the Tour de France and the Spring Classics on television whenever we have the broadcast.

So photography was not your first love, was it professional cycling itself?

Yes, definitely. In 1991 I became interested in sports and sports statistics. One of my first goals was to write a book about cycling statistics because there was nothing available in Germany (Oriental).

So, I would go to Strasbourg, France, to look for some materials. The idea was to create my own book in German on sports statistics. When immersing myself in the project, I realized that what I really wanted and needed was ... Photos


Mario at the center with his colleagues Scott Mitchell (GBR) and James Starts (USA).


So I got in touch with some of the best cyclist photographers in Germany at that time. When I asked them about the cost of their photos, I could not believe how expensive it was! So I decided to dedicate myself to cycling photography. It had not been my passion before. By the way, I never finished that book because I fell in love with photography.

Do you remember Graham Watson? The grandfather of cyclist photography. He retired two years ago. When I started, I took a look at her books because I liked her style, and since then I've been admiring her as an influence. Five years ago, I spent a season with him, and it was a revelation for me.

Could you have a summary of your day during a race?

First of all, it really depends on the stage and the time of travel around it. In some large laps it can be very long. I usually wake up between 6 and 7 in the morning. The next thing is to shower and have breakfast. Then I usually have to be at the site two or three hours before the exit to create all the data for that day's stage.

Then, an hour before the signing ceremony, I must be there to take pictures of the athletic directors, the cyclists and all the people surrounding the race. The next is the race in the passage of four to six hours, riding a motorcycle about 80% of the time.


© Mario Stiehl


Then comes the podium ceremony and all the other things, which takes place around the media. After the podium ceremony, I go to the press center for two or three hours to send the images to my clients. By the way, I'm not the last one left in these events. It's always Tim De Waele, another professional photographer like me (from Belgium), who stays longer!

After that, I go back to my hotel where I have to send the photos because the clients are the most important thing. I paid for the whole season and I want to have the material as soon as possible. Then I talk to my driver to organize the next day.



I finish at midnight or sometimes even at 2 in the morning. As I said, sometimes we have very long transfers, especially at the beginning or end of the season, when we travel in the dark because it is too early or too late.

It's not an easy job….

How is a typical year?

This is a complicated question…. The thing is that my company is growing more and more, so now I work with partners. But the bottom line is that I'm out of the house about 260 days a year. I start in mid-January and work until October.


Mario Stiehl

In low season, I am at home. I like ice hockey and basketball because I really need a break from cycling. Of course, it could be an opportunity to get bored with cycling.

Of the great laps, which one do you like the most?

I prefer the Giro. It is the most beautiful, and many people will say the same. The country and culture are incredible. It is not complicated to cover it. Sometimes the stages are hard, however, it is more relaxed than the Tour de France.

The Tour de France is the hardest. It's the biggest cycling race, everyone knows it. But for me, it's a circus ... Too many people, too many journalists. As I said, it's not complicated to cover the race, but when it's your passion, then it's not very fun.


© Mario Stiehl
Also, after the terrorist attacks in France, it has not been very special in the last three years. Security measures are everywhere, and it's stressful. And you get tired of it. You have to travel before and after the stages, long transfers. Just a lot of stress.

And out of the big laps?

Many years ago, he had said the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Swiss Tour. These races are really nice and not so stressful