Thomas Hoepker
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hoepker (* 10. Juni 1936 in Munich
(Germany
)) is a German photographer and member of Magnum Photos
known for stylish color photo features. He also documented the 9/11 World Trade Center destruction.
, Germany
, where he was taught about understanding images and composition. While in school he continued to photograph and sell images to help finance his education. From 1960 to 1963 he worked as a photographer for Münchner Illustrierte and Kristall, reporting from around the world. Then in 1964 he began working as a photojournalist for Stern (magazine)
. In the 1970s he also worked as a cameraman for German TV, making documentary films. In 1976 he and his wife, journalist Eva Windmoeller, relocated to New York as correspondents for Stern. From 1978 to 1981 he was director of photography for American Geo
. From 1987 to 1989 Hoepker was based in Hamburg
, working as art director for Stern.
Magnum Photos
first began distributing Hoepker's photographs in 1964. Hoepker became a full member in 1989. He served as Magnum President from 2003 to 2006.
For much of his career Hoepker used Leica cameras. In the 1970s he began to also use Single-lens reflex camera
s alongside his Leica, using Leicas for wide angle shots and Nikon
or Canon cameras with zoom lenses. In 2002 he began using digital SLRs.
Today, Hoepker lives in New York with his second wife Christine Kruchen, with whom he produces TV documentaries.
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
)) is a German photographer and member of Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
known for stylish color photo features. He also documented the 9/11 World Trade Center destruction.
Career
Hoepker first began taking pictures when he was 16 and received an old 9x12 glass plate camera from his grandfather. He developed his prints in his family's kitchen and bathroom, and began to earn a little money by selling pictures to friends and classmates. Hoepker studied art history and archaeology from 1956 to 1956 at Goettingen, in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he was taught about understanding images and composition. While in school he continued to photograph and sell images to help finance his education. From 1960 to 1963 he worked as a photographer for Münchner Illustrierte and Kristall, reporting from around the world. Then in 1964 he began working as a photojournalist for Stern (magazine)
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
. In the 1970s he also worked as a cameraman for German TV, making documentary films. In 1976 he and his wife, journalist Eva Windmoeller, relocated to New York as correspondents for Stern. From 1978 to 1981 he was director of photography for American Geo
GEO (magazine)
GEO is a family of educational monthly magazines similar to the National Geographic magazine. It is known for its profound reports, which are accompanied by opulent pictures.The first edition appeared in Germany in 1976...
. From 1987 to 1989 Hoepker was based in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, working as art director for Stern.
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
first began distributing Hoepker's photographs in 1964. Hoepker became a full member in 1989. He served as Magnum President from 2003 to 2006.
For much of his career Hoepker used Leica cameras. In the 1970s he began to also use Single-lens reflex camera
Single-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
s alongside his Leica, using Leicas for wide angle shots and Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
or Canon cameras with zoom lenses. In 2002 he began using digital SLRs.
Today, Hoepker lives in New York with his second wife Christine Kruchen, with whom he produces TV documentaries.
Exhibitions
- 2006, Photographien 1955-2005, Photomuseum, Munich, Germany
- 1995, Retrospective, Claus Tebbe Gallery, CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany - 1994, The Maya Kunsthalle Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- 1985/87, Retrospective, 25 cities in Germany
- 1976, Rizzoli Gallery, New York and Rizzoli Gallery, Washington D.C., USA
- 1965, Kunst und Gewerbe Museum, Hamburg, Germany
Filmography
- 2005, Ice-cold Splendor
- 2003, Easter Island
- 2000, Robinson Crusoe Island
- 1998, Death in a Cornfield
- 1973, The Village Arabati
Awards
- Kulturpreis, Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Photographie, 1968
- first prize for Death in a Cornfield, a TV film on Guatemala, from the German ministry of foreign aid, 1999
External links
- http://www.slate.com/id/2149675/ Essay by Hoepker in Slate (magazine)Slate (magazine)Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
about one of his 9/11 photographs - http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/2853 Interview with Charlie RoseCharlie RoseCharles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
about photographing 9/11, recorded Oct. 31, 2001 - http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.Biography_VPage&AID=2K7O3R13ZFL3 Magnum Photos biography
- http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=2K1HZOWWHV0LZ&CT=Search&DT=Image Hoepker's portfolio at Magnum
- http://h30418.www3.hp.com/?fr_story=610e2915d0578f44a4403636b623ce174c48e60d&rf=sitemap Interview with HP