Carsten was born in Germany and has lived in Australia, Japan, Switzerland and England, where he is currently based. He studied photography, printmaking and painting in London. He has travelled extensively - to over 100 countries to date - and draws his inspiration from watching people live their daily lives. Substantial portions of both his photography and his painted works have an observational / street photography element. He has exhibited work in the UK, France and Germany and his photographs have appeared in publications in Europe, the Americas and Asia. He is also a writer. Short stories have appeared in the UK and the US. He is currently editing two completed novels and is working on a collection of short stories and a collection of travel writing.