Photographer Mario Dirks was born on the island of Norderney, Germany. His first experience with photography was using a simple pinhole camera at the age of 6, and he has been fascinated by photography ever since. In 1998, after years of self-study and participating in various photography training programs, he began working at the "Oldenburgische Staatstheater" (Oldenburg State Theatre). There he gained extensive experience working in the arts while assisting theatre photographer Andreas J. Etter. Mario's first photography exhibition took place on the island of Norderney, and in the German cities of Oldenburg, Bad Zwischenahn, and Oberhausen. He has been teaching workshops and seminars on… photography on his home island of Norderney since 2007. His workshops focus on a variety of topics, including portrait, landscape, architecture, and studio photography. In 2011, camera and lens manufacturer Sigma sent Mario on a 50-week trip around the world to photograph the most beautiful places on earth. In 2012 his images were displayed at photokina in Cologne and at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Mario has written articles for a number of photography magazines and is working on a book that will be published in late 2013.