If you move your fingers over a world map and stop at any land mass, the chances are that Thomas Hoepker has already been there to take pictures.
The photographer, who was born in Munich in 1936, is one of the most distinguished German photojournalists and documentary filmmakers. As a result
of more than 50 years in the field, he’s amassed an immense body of work which he compiled in an impressive retrospective exhibition.
Hoepker distinguishes himself from many of his colleagues in that he does not confront the viewers with "loud pictures" and sensational photos,
but insists on the authenticity and testimonial character of his medium. He has always maintained a careful and humane attitude in the language
of his pictures and has always considered himself as a contract photographer: "I am not an artist. I am an image maker" (Thomas Hoepker, 1964).
His social commitment and humanistically oriented world view are reflected in his pictures, which covered many double-page spreads of magazines
such as "Kristall" at the time. Thomas Hoepker captured moments that have been engraved in the public's memory, such as pictures of the
September 11 events or the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, of whom Hoepker took pictures on behalf of the German "Stern" magazine.
Magazines constituted both the beginning and time of prosperity of Hoepker's career as a photojournalist. At the age of 14, he already took
pictures in 9x12 format with his plate camera and repeatedly participated in the German photo competition "Jugend photographiert".
In 1960, he started his professional career as a photo-reporter for the "Münchener Illustrierte", where he primarily took photos
of celebrities from sports and politics, for example, Konrad Adenauer, Franz Josef Strauß and Helmut Schmidt.
From 1961 to 1964, he worked for the "Kristall" magazine in Hamburg, where he produced more than 50 reportages. His trips to many parts of the
world include the Amazon river, Ethiopia, Rio de Janeiro, Switzerland, France, Hungary, Egypt, Israel, Brazil and the United States.
At a time when travelling to other continents was the privilege of a minority and when a comprehensive medium such as television or the
Internet was still to be invented, these coverages constituted the window to the world. In these reportages, Hoepker also covered "hard"
facts according to his motto of using the camera as a mask and protective filter and with the distance of the view through the lens.
In 1975, his report about the famine in the Ethiopian province of Wollo initiated one of the biggest relief campaigns in Germany.
From 1964 to 1969 Hoepker worked for the "Stern" magazine, which was the dream job of every ambitious photojournalist in the 1960s.
Being one of the most important photographers, he shaped the magazine's visual appearance. After that, he mainly produced socially
oriented reports with jobs in Bali, Togo, Rhodesia, India and once again in the United States, where he once again accompanied
the exceptional sportsman Muhammad Ali. The "Stern" magazine published his work on up to 10 double-page spreads.
When Hoepker decided to move to New York in 1976, the objects of his work could often be found in the local art scene. He portrayed
personalities like Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein. After a brief interlude as Director of Photography at the American edition of
"Geo" magazine, he moved back to Hamburg to work as art director for "Stern" magazine from 1986 to 1989.
Since 1989, he has worked as a freelance photographer in New York and has been a member of the most renowned photographic cooperative
MAGNUM. Thomas Hoepker was president of MAGNUM from 2003 to 2007. In addition to his work as a photographer, he also writes, shoots and
produces TV documentaries together with his wife Christine. He utilizes the opportunities provided by the moving picture to capture
moments that would not be possible in static images.
One of the core principles of the photojournalist is to never alter his photographs. The documentary genuineness of the pictures –
their testimonial character – has top priority. This credo must be protected in the digital age – although it might seem difficult.
The retrospective exhibition of his 50 years in photography witnesses that it is still possible to enhance the analogue work of such
a renowned chronicler as Thomas Hoepker with the aid of digital technology.
In this context, selecting 200 photographs from thousands of negatives and colour slides is only one of the challenges. The task to
appreciate the value of these works in superior print quality is another one.
The publication of his book "Thomas Hoepker - Photographien 1955 - 2005" resulted in an unexpectedly high demand from art collectors.
"Suddenly I found myself in the art world, something I had never intended," said Hoepker. On the other hand, photographers regain
control again through advanced print technologies: "As a student I developed and printed my black-and-white shots in the darkroom,
but when I started shooting colour the magazines did all the printing." The highly developed pigment ink technology enables photographers
like Thomas Hoepker to go back to their roots and make copies at home.
"To achieve an excellent black-and-white print is more difficult than printing a colour print. I think the new pigment printers really have
reached a point where they are rivalling the old darkroom prints," states Hoepker.
Printing on the HP Designjet Z3200, which Hoepker now uses to print the entire range of photos for his retrospective exhibition, enables
prints in exhibition quality and opens a totally new source of revenue.
Properties such as a wide range of paper types, precise calibration, automatic creation of paper profiles, 12-colour print systems and a
lightfastness of up to 200 years provide a sound basis for Hoepker's photographs. With his work and photo coverages, Hoepker engraved himself
in people's memories like no other photographer. An achievement that only a few photographers of the 20th century were able to attain.
