In addition to 16,000 professional soldiers and 8,000 civilian employees, the armed forces consist of an average of 6,000 conscripts and can mobilize up to 31,000 militia soldiers in the event of an emergency. One of these 61,000 members of the armed forces is Nick Rainer, who was a photographer for the Guard before going on tour with an internationally booked DJ. Now he is back in his old unit.
Mr. Rainer, how did you come to join the Guard?
I joined the guard in July 2017 as a basic conscript. After two months of basic training in Horn, I was given the opportunity to switch to public relations in Vienna. At that time, I mainly took photos for the Guard’s various publication channels, but also occasionally for other platforms of the Austrian Armed Forces. Immediately after my basic training, I was offered the opportunity to stay in public relations – I was in straight away.
So your main area is photography. Was this one of your passions even before you joined the Guard?
I bought my first camera about five years ago, while I was still at school. Just one year later, I started working as a photographer and mainly took pictures for clubs and restaurants. So I started my business while I was still at school.
You then also went on tour with an internationally renowned DJ (note: Timmy Trumpet). How did that come about?
In addition to my work in public relations for the Austrian Armed Forces, I have always accepted commissions through my own company. In August 2018, I decided that I wanted to work more through my own company. It just appealed to me to try it out. Clubs, restaurants, fashion brands and festivals were my main clients at the time. Through my contacts in the festival scene, I got to know Timmy Trumpet, whose team then asked me if I would like to be part of their Austrian tour. After the tour, they offered me the chance to join their team. One thing led to another and I ended up traveling internationally with them as a photographer for almost a year. When it slowly became apparent at the beginning of this year that it could be a difficult year for concerts, I quickly realized that there would probably not be another tour. But things were also looking increasingly bad for other jobs, as I had previously worked mainly in the restaurant and club scene. But you must have done your job with the Guard so well that you were immediately called back when the opportunity arose.
A few days after a phone call with my former boss, Major Markus Matzhold, the Guard’s public relations officer, I was back in my old job via a voluntary weapons exercise, which any militia soldier who wants to rejoin their unit can do. So since the end of March, I’ve been working in the Guard’s public relations department again.
“In my job, I’ve flown in helicopters, driven in tanks and often photographed heads of state in the Hofburg.”
What fascinates you about the armed forces from a photographic point of view?
Definitely the variety and diversity. In my service, I’ve flown in helicopters, driven tanks and photographed heads of state in the Hofburg on several occasions. I’ve even been allowed to travel to Oman with the Guard and take part in an international exercise in Hungary with the 5th Guard Company (KPE). No day is like the day before.
Click here to see the other portraits in our “One of 61,000” series.
