Holger Rüdel © Henrik Matzen
Holger Rüdel © Henrik Matzen

“Taking photographs is a way of life” (Henri Cartier-Bresson)

I am a curator of photography and have written a number of books and articles on the history of photography and on contemporary photography. And I have been taking photographs since I was 16 years of age.

Perhaps it was the film “Blow Up” by Michelangelo Antonioni which came out in 1966 that gave me the decisive impetus. I found it inspirational to see how the investigative possibilities of photography as a medium were sounded out in the film, as were the questions of reality and illusion, original and reproduction.

Professional experience and expert knowledge

While still a student at school and university, I witnessed a period of new departures from about 1970 and became a chronicler with my camera. This was partially on behalf of school and student magazines, and later as a freelancer for the magazine “Konkret” and other publications.

I studied history, history of art and photography in Hamburg – a strange combination of very diverse subjects at first sight, but excellent stock in trade for my work for many years in charge as head of the culture department of the city of Schleswig and as director of the city museum, the “Stadtmuseum”, which was able to make a name for itself at both national and international level by concentrating on photography exhibitions.

In these projects I collaborated with leading photographers, stock photo agencies, media companies and camera brands, including Sebastião Salgado, Robert Lebeck, Christian von Alvensleben, Steve McCurry, Jim Brandenburg, Ragnar Axelsson, Peter Rathmann, David Doubilet, Art Wolfe, Magnum Photos, Agentur Focus, National Geographic, GEO, Leica and Nikon.

 

Up until the present day I have conceptualized or been responsible for over 100 exhibitions, lectures and workshops. It is this professional experience and expert knowledge that I like to pass on in my blog which anyone can subscribe to free of charge. In addition, I am always pleased to help by proposing individual solutions to particular challenges concerning all aspects of photography.

I currently act as advisor to the Nord-Ostsee Sparkasse in Flensburg as curator of photography.

“Reality is in color, truth is in black and white” (Sebastião Salgado)

In addition to my activity as curator and author, I also work on my own photography projects, focusing on the fascination of wildlife photography and on reportage photography

Since 2014 I have been captivated by a different photographic genre: digital infrared photography in black and white. The black and white variant of digital infrared photography opens up new ways of seeing and visual worlds. When it is properly applied, photos emerge that have an irresistible analytical clarity – yet also images in the style of magical realism.

How did Sebastião Salgado once put it? “Reality is in color, truth is in black and white”.

I look forward to making some interesting new contacts!

Holger Rüdel DGPh
Mühlenweg 3 a
24884 Selk
Germany
Telephone: +49 4621 5493700
Telefax: +49 4621 200859
E-Mail: photo@holger-ruedel.de


Works by Holger Rüdel can be found in private and public collections, including: Stadt Schleswig, Stadtmuseum Schleswig, Sparkassenstiftung Schleswig-Holstein and Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.


See additional information about Holger Rüdel in Wikipedia.


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