"I completed my master's degree part-time between 2020 and 2022 – and then started my own business in Wuppertal." Oliver von Eckern, master hairdresser. (Photo: © Power People)
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September 9, 2026
The photo shoots for the new Power People calendar took place for the 17th time, again at very different locations and with photographer Sabrina Wacker, who put the candidates in the best light.
They are also an essential part of the 17th edition of the Miss and Mister Crafts competition – the photo shoots for the new Power People calendar. For the fourth time, Sabrina Wacker packed her camera, batteries and memory cards and went on a photo tour with the Power-People team to very different locations to photograph the candidates for this year's calendar.
"Everyone is incredibly motivated and highly focused, whether they've been professionally photographed before or not," explains the photographer from Erkrath. She always approaches things with an open mind, without overthinking it. "I don't know the locations, I don't know what the light is like, and the weather isn't always what you might hope for," she says. There are also always new trades involved that she's unfamiliar with. "That's certainly a challenge, but I always find a way to work with them and incorporate elements that fit the shoot," says Sabrina Wacker.
The basic process is usually quite similar. The photographer explains what will happen in the first part. "In the second part, we'll be filming video footage; in the first, I'll be taking the photos," she says. Turning to Oliver von Eckern , a master hairdresser with his own salon in Wuppertal , where the shoot is taking place that July day, she adds: "I need you to capture a few classic situations: washing your hair, styling it, blow-drying it – and I'll just walk around you and take pictures."
The 33-year-old master hairdresser is right there with him. "It's a good thing I'm wearing dentures today," he jokes with a laugh when Sabrina Wacker asks for "a friendly face and a smile." The atmosphere during the photo shoots is always relaxed and easygoing. That's a good thing; with a bit of fun, everything goes much more smoothly.
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Operations management
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For Oliver von Eckern, it's actually not the first time he's been photographed and filmed. Nevertheless, he's nervous. "But I'm just going to go with the flow and look forward to everything that's about to happen," he says. On top of that, the 33-year-old simply feels at home in his profession. For him, it was clear even in kindergarten that he wanted to be a hairdresser.
"My aunt is also a hairdresser, so I got insights into the profession at an early age," he recalls. He completed his apprenticeship from 2010 to 2013 , then traveled extensively and pursued further training. " I then earned my master craftsman's certificate part-time from 2020 to 2022 – and then started my own business in Wuppertal in 2023," he says. The Wuppertal native learned about the Miss and Mister Crafts competition through his guild, where he also serves on the examination board. "And then I simply applied," he says.
Newly qualified vehicle painter Kora Riss is only visiting Düsseldorf ; she comes from Bergisch Gladbach. Her photoshoot is taking place at Thedens GmbH, where the Power People team also visited last year. "I was actually asked if I wanted to participate in the competition, I thought about it – and then spontaneously decided to go for it," reports the 22-year-old, who will soon be working in Leverkusen.
The young woman is by no means camera-shy, as she says with a laugh. "I'm also on the national team of painters – I've been photographed there too, and after that I wasn't intimidated by cameras anymore," she says. She thinks the Miss and Mister Crafts competition is a great way to promote skilled trades.
She "stumbled" into her trade, as she recalls with a smile between photo shoots. "I've always been interested in skilled trades, and even before graduating from high school, I sent out tons of applications in all sorts of different fields – including agricultural technology," says Kora Riss. But her love for cars has always been there, so she eventually "stuck" in her current line of work.
Through the national team coach, she then came into contact with Weiterstadt and Frankfurt, where she won her championship. And what is so special about her work for the 22-year-old? "Restoring the original beauty of a car is a wonderful moment. Just like the reaction of the customers when they get their car back, perhaps one that was originally destroyed in an accident – that's fantastic," she smiles.
Dankeschön!To the sponsors: IKK classic, Signal Iduna, Elten, BP, Fiat Professional
To the locations: Hercules Bakery, Düsseldorf; Training centers of the construction industry eV, Krefeld; Franz Bracht Crane Rental GmbH, Erwitte; Wiedemann wood manufactory, Hamm; Moll Metal Construction, Bonn; takeAseat – Joscha Eggert, Cologne; Thedens GmbH, Düsseldorf
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