Timeline

1939

Primary school and secondary school

1952–1954

Apprenticeship and employee as a textile clerk in the clothing industry

1954–1955

Studies as a textile clerk at a textile college

1955–1960

Clerk in a clothing factory, ascent to sales and publicity leader, first contact with fashion photographers, from 1958 first fashion shootings of the firm's collections, photo knowledge taken from specialized literature and experience in practice.

1961

First fashion shootings as a self-employed photographer with nonsensical equipment (LINHOF Technika 9x12), studies of film development taken from books and operating instructions.

1962

Rented an approx. 120sqm. large shed and personally rebuilt it into a relatively primitive studio with a small b/w lab and office. Improvement of the technical photo equipment without using own finances but rather through a loan by a friend in the photo industry. First experiments with multiple exposures. Employed a laboratory assistant and secretary. The base of future success was surely that as an autodidact, I developed a photographic style due to not paying attention to the rules taught in colleges for photography.

1963

Published own fashion-PR magazine “Repraesentanten der Mode” („Representatives of Fashion“) to introduce artist's own name and style into the fashion trade. Text, graphics and print supervision by “learning and doing”. Swift increase in customers, first foreign travels for the journal. Extension of the studio. Considerable improvement of equipment. The shed became too small, purchase of a detached house for the laboratories and offices. Increased the size of the laboratory teams, many more travels among other things for the journal.

1968

Founded own publishing house for fashion “Modepresse Mender” (Fashion press Mender) and published a special edition of a bi-annually appearing fashion magazine “MODE ‘68 German Fashion” (later “Fashion Magazine) with over 200 pages of content and highest printing quality. Employed an editor, advertising manager and commissioned of one of the best German art directors for the graphic design.

1970

Moved with laboratory and team of the fashion magazine into a new bigger studio that was designed and furnished following artist's own plans, with newest photo technology and laboratory equipment. Thus the artist's creative ideas could be realized regardless of spatial or technical restrictions. Drop in clients due to extreme overload as a photographer and business manager of own publishing house.

1971

Closed publishing house due to high staff costs and failure of the sales management. Continued with the photo studio and the laboratory by taking out personal bonds. Reactivated client base and attempted a come-back as a self-employed photographer. The come-back is successful, many old and new clients book again. Creativity, ability to concentrate, a wealth of ideas and the joy of travelling catch up with the old standards due to the drop of burden through the publishing house. In a very short amount of time, the diary is once again filled up.

1973

Appointment into the DGPh (German Society for Photography)

1980

First experiments with in those days quite primitive video technique as measure of style for the fashion photography with a borrowed video camera and a SONY U-Matic recorder. Realization that this technology becomes a brand new challenge for the future of image information. Founded the company “TV-ONE Studio GmbH” and made the first modest investments in own technology. Shot and cut fashion videos in U-Matic format for some of the artist's fashion clients without having any big success. Attempted to train in new unknown technology by reading specialized literature, again “learning by doing”.

1981–1982

Take up of credits and negotiations with leasing companies to build up and finance a professional television studio, reconstruct the photo studio and send a circular to all clients advising them about the end of my occupation as a photographer, which led to indignation and protests, as well as to offers to double the daily salary. Sold all photo and laboratory equipment to prevent relapse.

2005

“Back to the roots”: viewing and sorting of existing vintage prints, slides and an extensive negative archive. The fanatic preference for architecture and computer animation (for the artist, the continuation of photography with other measures) grew into the idea for an own virtual art gallery after 25 years. No sooner said than done, with the newest animation software and additional work stations, emerging from 10 months work is a DVD and the homepage for the VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Since 1982: Production and post-production of programs, commercials, corporate video and computer animation (since 1989 with the first fully digital edit-suite in Germany, the third worldwide). Lectures and press releases about the new design possibilities through computer animation and digital technology. Many prestigious awards at industrial film competitions for films and computer animations. This success is based on the experience and the comprehension of light and image design as a photographer.