Profile of Thomas Hoepker

A brilliant German photographer who took some pictures of 9/11 and one of them now is well known all around the world. He took pictures for 40 years, but that one picture changed his whole career. He was quickly trying to get somewhere and that picture was just something that he decided to take, he didn’t think much of it and he definitely didn’t know that this picture is going to change his career and make him a famous photographer. He is also a member of Magnum photos and he is known for stylish colour photo features.

 

Thomas Hoepker was born in 10 June 1936 in Germany. He first became interested in photography when he was only 16 years old. He really enjoyed photography and he liked how you can freeze one moment and makes it a perfect memory. He developed his photos in bathroom or kitchen at home. He liked to take a lot of photos and with time it turned into his hobby and job. He got a little more money from his friends and classmates who decided to buy some of his pictures. By selling his pictures he started to earn more money to help finance his education. Time was passing and he got a lot of different jobs as a photographer and in some jobs he was able to travel around the world and take pictures in different countries and cities, he could see the entire world and show it to other people through pictures. Most of the pictures he tried to show them as they are, without editing them or changing them. Just showing people/readers what he can see. He liked to keep them as realistic as possible without changing any fact by changing picture. He didn’t want to make his pictures perfect by asking someone around to pose in his pictures or something similar, instead he liked to wait for that true moment when he can take a picture and show the world what he can see. He always liked to wait for that special moment or situation when picture should be taken and when that moment should just be captured in picture and memory.

When he is planning to take his photos he always tries to relax and just be patient to wait for that special moment or situation. Patience is one of the most important things for him because if he wouldn’t be that patient then he would not be able to wait for something to happen and he would miss out some things that he might capture if he waited. He wouldn’t be what he is now and wouldn’t have picture he has now, if he wouldn’t be patient enough to achieve it. He loves observing everything around before he takes a picture because that way he is able to know what is happening around and when is that perfect moment to take that picture. If he doesn’t like that picture he has captured, then most likely he is going to go back to where he were and take that picture again just to make sure that he likes it and that his readers will like it as well. This happens if he thinks that he is missing something in his picture, that special element, or if he thinks that there is something wrong that should be changed or it’s just not good enough.

Hoepker likes to use Leica or Canon cameras for his photos and he learned his skills by going to different museums and seeing real art which inspires him to do something as pretty as that or something as beautiful. Thomas also thinks that there are no rules in photography. When he takes his photos, he forgets all the rules of photography and he just does what he thinks is right. He sees the world around him changing and that is another inspiration for him. He takes pictures of everything that is important for him and he takes pictures of things that he thinks are worth taking picture of.