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About us

Welcome to “Small Beings — Big Responsibility”, an initiative launched by Jörn and Patrick.

Jörn Paessler and Patrick Gebhardt

The story of “Small Beings — Big Responsibility” begins with Jörn, who discovered his passion for macro photography due to the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic. From 2020 onwards, he slowly swapped his interest in architecture and vast landscapes for the unknown world right on his doorstep. In the process, Jörn developed a deep fascination for the tiny but impressive creatures that live right around us. A first realization: fascinating things are sometimes so close.

Jörn’s journey into macro photography was not just a technical challenge; it became an emotional experience. With his Sony 𝛂7R v in hand, Jörn soon wanted not only to capture the sharp details of insect eyes, but to create expressive compositions that would carry and convey a story. The reactions of friends and family to Jörn’s pictures were mixed and ranged from fascination (”Look at those filigree compound eyes; simply incredible!”) to reserved skepticism (”Oh no, not another one of those gross bugs”).

Difficulties in identifying the species quickly led Jörn to citizen science projects and other scientific resources. Reading Dave Goulson’s “Silent Earth” deepened Jörn’s understanding of the acute loss of biodiversity. Working with Patrick Gebhardt, the project “Small Beings — Big Responsibility” was born.

Jörn developed a process to turn a one-off encounter into a “sighting” and an image into a story. The core of his work, as you can see in more detail below, was divided into 3 main phases: the careful sighting and recording of the small creatures, the identification of the species using iNaturalist.org, and finally the publication of the discoveries, often using wikipedia.org as the source of information.

However, rather than creating an illustrated encyclopedia, Patrick’s mission is to give the little creatures an individual voice. In the collaboration, Patrick focuses on bringing the unknown or often overlooked into the spotlight through personal and touching narratives. Patrick believes that compassion and protection are only possible through understanding. Even if we don’t know exactly what goes on inside small creatures, we can assume that there is a consciousness and possibly even feelings.

With an impressive mix of artistic photography, touching stories, and sound scientific information, this initiative perfectly complements the beyond content portfolio. It emphasizes the need for healthy biodiversity and dedicated arthropod conservation — as a solid foundation for a world worth living in.

Jörn Paessler

A passionate environmentalist and gifted photographer. Jörn has discovered his love of macro photography in recent years and uses it to show the beauty and impact of small creatures. With his camera at the ready, he explores nature to catch the fascinating stories of its smallest inhabitants. It is Jörn’s mission to use visual and narrative content to raise awareness of environmental protection and inspire action. In addition to the “Little Beings” project, you can read, hear, and see a lot from Jörn through his work at beyond content, where, together with Patrick Niedermayer, he shares stories for a world worth living in.

Photo courtesy of Judith Ziegenthaler, Dresden – www.judithziegenthaler.de

Patrick Gebhardt

A copywriter and press consultant with a passion for climate activism. Patrick supports the project with words that emphasize the importance and beauty of the small beings that Jörn captures. Together they form a creative team that aims to achieve a positive change in environmental awareness through their work. With his work, Patrick wants to show what hidden, unsuspected, unknown worlds lie behind what we think we know.

Patrick Gebhardt

Steps from sighting to publication on small-beings.org

  1. 1. Sighting and photography

    Imaging

    After the trigger has been pressed

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  2. 2. Determination of the sighting

    Taxonomy

    Which animal species, family and genus is it?

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  3. 3. Publish sighting

    IT

    How to get a new sighting on small-beings.org

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