Institute of Photopsychology
The Institute of Photopsychology connects psychological research with photographic practice. It examines how photographs are created, perceived, used, and remembered – in everyday life, art, media, and professional photography.
The Institute aims to:
- To provide information on existing findings in photopsychology and interpret them for practical applications
- To make further psychological insights useful for photography
- To generate new knowledge for photopsychology through empirical research
Publications:
Articles in International Peer-Reviewed Journals
Feigl, J. (2026). Guided Tours in Photography Exhibitions as a Museum Education Format: Use, Perceived Effects, and Visitor Types. Journal of Museum Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/10598650.2026.2675786
Research Reports:
Feigl, J. (2025). Photography Exhibitions: Psychological Foundations and Empirical Findings.
Feigl, J. (2025). Guided Tours in Photography Exhibitions: Requirements and Effects on Perception and Memory.
Feigl, J. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and Photography: A Psychological Analysis.
Staff:
Dr. Joachim Feigl
- Education in Psychology (Diploma in Psychology, Univ.) and Social Work (Diploma in Social Pedagogy).
- PhD studies in Business Psychology and Adult Education, resulting in a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
- Training in ‚Systemic Coaching and Team Development‘ at the Institute for Systemic Counseling in Wiesloch.
- Many years of teaching assignments at universities.
- Management of a team of market and customer researchers in the automotive industry.
Founded the Institute of Photopsychology in 2022
- Appointed member to the German Society for Photography (DGPh) in 2024
- Coaching, consulting, and training in the field of photo psychology: https://www.fotopsychologie-coaching.de
- Photographic projects with book publications and exhibitions both domestically and internationally: https://www.jfeigl.de
Thematic contributions for podcast episodes:
- Prof. Dr. Gerhard Reese: Environmental Psychology (FPL73 and 74)
- Prof. Dr. Matthias Hoenen: Empathy (FPL56 and 57)
- Prof. Dr. Kathrin Thiel: Social Engagement (FPL46 and 47)
- Prof. Dr. Sven Barnow: Mindfulness (FPL33)
- Prof. Dr. Johannes Keller: Flow (Podcast FPL31)
- Prof. Dr. Timo Lorenz: Happiness (FPL30)
- Prof. Dr. Martina Zschocke: Travel Photography (Podcast FPL16)
- Dr. Ronja Demel: Photography and the Big Five Personality Traits (Podcast FPL14)
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Glöckner: Intuition and Photography (Podcast FPL12 and 13)
- Prof. Dr. Tobias Breiner: Proportions/Golden Ratio in Psychology and Photography (Podcast FPL11)
- Prof. Dr. Georg Franzen: Unconscious and Archetypes in Photography (Podcast FPL8 and 9)
- Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Joachim Funke: Creativity in Psychology and Photography (Podcast FPL7)
- Prof. Dr. Tobias Breiner: Color Psychology and Photography (Podcast FPL5)
- Prof. Dr. Rudolf Forsthofer: Intercultural Psychology and Photography (Podcast FPL3)
- Dr. Ronja Demel: Personality and Portrait (Podcast FPL1)