Thomas Hoepker stands in the tradition of photojournalism. He is a photojournalist through and through and even calls himself a “contract photographer” or “image maker”. He won his first prize for photography at the age of 14; in 2003, aged 57, he was made President of Magnum. In-between, his life revolved around photojournalism.
At the end of the 1960s, Thomas Hoepker did regular work for year books and journals including renowned magazines like stern and GEO. His work has taken him all over the world. “Time was always more important to me than being paid, because I wanted to familiarize myself with the topic. You have to know a lot, then you see things in a different light.” Press photographers today no longer have this luxury; the transiency of the Internet has taken away their publishing platform. Thomas Hoepker, on the other hand, often had several weeks to take photos for a story. As a result, the pictures he created had a perceptiveness and poetry that are characteristic of the imagery he uses. A recurring theme in his work is his interest in people and social issues; with his “concerned photography”, he has helped to shape a photographic genre that represents humanity and embraces the concerns of the underprivileged.
Something that is present in all of Thomas Hoepker’s pictures is his propensity to formal perfection. He is accomplished at merging two core elements of photography – frame and content. “My photography is all about waiting in the background until everything fits into place and the picture comes together.” He never manipulates his pictures: “I am a reporter, I take photos of reality.” But Thomas Hoepker, who has ventured into war zones and slums and has experienced misery and squalor at first hand, never shows the harshness of this reality. “You don’t take a photo of a dying child,” is how he sums up his principles. His camera has always shielded him from the suffering in the world. “Plenty of excellent pictures have already been taken of basic life situations – birth, love, mourning, death. There is a growing danger that we have already experienced and captured many situations too often.” Is there any value left in taking pictures then? “The world has been photographed too much. But there are always new realities and new topics.”
At the end of the 1960s, Thomas Hoepker did regular work for year books and journals including renowned magazines like stern and GEO. His work has taken him all over the world. “Time was always more important to me than being paid, because I wanted to familiarize myself with the topic. You have to know a lot, then you see things in a different light.” Press photographers today no longer have this luxury; the transiency of the Internet has taken away their publishing platform. Thomas Hoepker, on the other hand, often had several weeks to take photos for a story. As a result, the pictures he created had a perceptiveness and poetry that are characteristic of the imagery he uses. A recurring theme in his work is his interest in people and social issues; with his “concerned photography”, he has helped to shape a photographic genre that represents humanity and embraces the concerns of the underprivileged.
Something that is present in all of Thomas Hoepker’s pictures is his propensity to formal perfection. He is accomplished at merging two core elements of photography – frame and content. “My photography is all about waiting in the background until everything fits into place and the picture comes together.” He never manipulates his pictures: “I am a reporter, I take photos of reality.” But Thomas Hoepker, who has ventured into war zones and slums and has experienced misery and squalor at first hand, never shows the harshness of this reality. “You don’t take a photo of a dying child,” is how he sums up his principles. His camera has always shielded him from the suffering in the world. “Plenty of excellent pictures have already been taken of basic life situations – birth, love, mourning, death. There is a growing danger that we have already experienced and captured many situations too often.” Is there any value left in taking pictures then? “The world has been photographed too much. But there are always new realities and new topics.”
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Artworks by Thomas Hoepker
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A member and former president of Magnum Photos, Thomas Hoepker has defined German photojournalism like few others. In this video, he discusses his new book "Wanderlust," his travels around the word and some of his most famous photographs.
Thomas Hoepker was honored with the Leica Hall of Fame Award on September 16 at "LEICA - DAS WESENTLICHE" during photokina 2014.
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Thomas Hoepker studied art history and archeology, then worked as a photographer for Münchner Illustrierte and Kristall between 1960 and 1963, reporting from all over the world. He joined Stern magazine as a photo-reporter in 1964.
Magnum began to distribute Hoepker‘s archive photographs in 1964. He worked as a cameraman and producer of documentary films for German television in 1972, and from 1974 collaborated with his wife, the journalist Eva Windmoeller, first in East Germany and then in New York, where they moved to work as correspondents for Stern in 1976. From 1978 to 1981 Hoepker was director of photography for the American edition of Geo.
Hoepker worked as art director for Stern in Hamburg between 1987 and 1989, when he became a full member of Magnum. Specializing in reportage and stylish color features, he received the prestigious Kulturpreis of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie in 1968. Among many other awards for his work, he received one in 1999 from the German Ministry of Foreign Aid for Death in a Cornfield, a TV film on Guatemala. Today, Hoepker lives in New York. He shoots and produces TV documentaries together with his second wife Christine Kruchen.
He was president of Magnum Photos from 2003 to 2006. A retrospective exhibition, showing 230 images from fifty years of work, toured Germany and other parts of Europe in 2007.
Magnum began to distribute Hoepker‘s archive photographs in 1964. He worked as a cameraman and producer of documentary films for German television in 1972, and from 1974 collaborated with his wife, the journalist Eva Windmoeller, first in East Germany and then in New York, where they moved to work as correspondents for Stern in 1976. From 1978 to 1981 Hoepker was director of photography for the American edition of Geo.
Hoepker worked as art director for Stern in Hamburg between 1987 and 1989, when he became a full member of Magnum. Specializing in reportage and stylish color features, he received the prestigious Kulturpreis of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie in 1968. Among many other awards for his work, he received one in 1999 from the German Ministry of Foreign Aid for Death in a Cornfield, a TV film on Guatemala. Today, Hoepker lives in New York. He shoots and produces TV documentaries together with his second wife Christine Kruchen.
He was president of Magnum Photos from 2003 to 2006. A retrospective exhibition, showing 230 images from fifty years of work, toured Germany and other parts of Europe in 2007.
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EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
2022 - Dear memories, solo exhibition, Bildhalle (CH)
2022 - The way it was, solo exhibition, Bildhalle (NL)
2022 - Ocean, group exhibition, Bildhalle (NL)
2021 - Masterworks, CAMERA WORK (DE)
2020 - Something to make you smile!, group exhibition, Atlas Gallery (UK)
2018 - How does BLUE make you feel?, group exhibition, Arte Fundamental (USA)
2017 - Ali The Greatest, Atlas Gallery (UK)
2015 - Muhammad Ali, the fearless, solo exhibition, Galeria de Babel (BR)
AWARDS (SELECTION)
2014 - Leica Hall of Fame
1976 - World Press Photo Award for Art and Entertainment
1967 - Word Press Photo Award for General News
2022 - Dear memories, solo exhibition, Bildhalle (CH)
2022 - The way it was, solo exhibition, Bildhalle (NL)
2022 - Ocean, group exhibition, Bildhalle (NL)
2021 - Masterworks, CAMERA WORK (DE)
2020 - Something to make you smile!, group exhibition, Atlas Gallery (UK)
2018 - How does BLUE make you feel?, group exhibition, Arte Fundamental (USA)
2017 - Ali The Greatest, Atlas Gallery (UK)
2015 - Muhammad Ali, the fearless, solo exhibition, Galeria de Babel (BR)
AWARDS (SELECTION)
2014 - Leica Hall of Fame
1976 - World Press Photo Award for Art and Entertainment
1967 - Word Press Photo Award for General News
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