VITA

Olaf Blecker, Berlin based photographer, was born in the small town of Wolfenbüttel, West Germany in 1971. His future path was fixed when he was introduced to a camera and dark room at age 17. He soon moved to Berlin to pursue his craft and ended up enrolling in the Lette-Verein photography school. Blecker quickly picked up the technical skills he needed, but opted not to work as an assistant to a more established artist. “I had to learn a lot of things myself,” he recalls, “but I believe this lack of ‘father figures’ helped me in the long run to find my own voice.” Twenty years later, trends have shifted many times over, yet Blecker remains one of the most respected photographers in the industry, photographing for publications like Time, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

“In 2003, my name was synonymous with a very specific, so-called ‘hyper-real’ aesthetic,” says Blecker, “but to thrive in this industry, and remain inspired as an artist, you can’t let yourself stagnate. My technique is always evolving, but my goal of forging a meaningful, human connection between the audience and the subject of a photograph remains consistent.”

In his quarter century as a professional photographer, Blecker has had the pleasure of having people of great interest stand in front of his camera. The likes of Angela Merkel, Samuel L. Jackson, Donald Trump, Philip Seymour Hoffman and the list goes on.

It was noted by F-Stop magazine, “People like how Blecker shoots skin, but perhaps that’s because of his constant search for what’s beneath it in his subjects.” In this interview with F-Stop, Blecker noted that for him it is „Menschenkenntnis“ (German: “the knowledge of human nature”) that is most critical to capturing a powerful image. For him what is important is how he communicates with his subjects, guiding them gently into genuine displays of emotion for his camera.

“I suppose when it comes to quality I feel very German at heart. When I say quality I don’t mean only technically but also that what makes and image unmissable. In my long-span within this industry I can say this is something that has not left me.

Celebrities & VIPs:

Samuel L. Jackson (Schauspieler), Christiane Paul (Schauspielerin), Katja Riemann (Schauspielerin), Benno Fürmann (Schauspieler), Jürgen Vogel (Schauspieler), Lily Cole (Model und Schauspielerin), Udo Jürgens (Sänger und Komponist), Tim Berners-Lee (Erfinder des Internets), Jenny Hval (Musikerin), Angela Merkel (Politikerin), Donald Trump (Politiker und Unternehmer), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Schauspieler), Laura Poitras (Filmemacherin), Reed Hastings (Unternehmer, CEO von Netflix), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Fußballer), Wim Wenders (Regisseur), Daniel Brühl (Schauspieler), Matthias Schweighöfer (Schauspieler), Heike Makatsch (Schauspielerin), Ivana Trump (ehemalige Ehefrau von Donald Trump), Ivanka Trump (Unternehmerin), Donald Trump Jr. (Geschäftsmann), Eric Trump (Geschäftsmann), Rosenstolz (Musikduo), Brian Cox (Schauspieler), Angelika Kirchschlager (Opernsängerin), Nicky Hayden (Rennfahrer), Cedric the Entertainer (Komiker und Schauspieler), Naddel (ehemalige Frau von Dieter Bohlen), Gregor Gysi (Politiker), Peaches (Sängerin), Freddie Highmore (Schauspieler), Ellen Allien (DJ und Musikproduzentin), Karat (Band), City (Band), Markus Majowski (Schauspieler), Jan Josef Liefers (Schauspieler), Heino Ferch (Schauspieler), Nadja Uhl (Schauspielerin), Mariano Rivera (Baseballspieler), Park Chan-wook (Regisseur), Rick Stevens (Künstler), Amar Khaled (TV Evangelist), Dianne Reeves (Jazzsängerin), Boys Choir of Harlem (Chor), Viktor & Rolf (Modedesigner), Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Chefkoch), Donatella Versace (Modedesignerin), Jim Cramer (TV-Moderator), Olafur Eliasson (Künstler), Christine Lagarde (Politikerin), Sahra Wagenknecht (Politikerin), Dietrich Mateschitz (Unternehmer, Red Bull), Boris Becker (Tennisspieler), Venus Williams (Tennisspielerin), Serena Williams (Tennisspielerin), Gerhard Schröder (Politiker), Peter Eigen (Gründer von Transparency International), Gesine Schwan (Politikwissenschaftlerin), Matthias Döpfner (CEO von Axel Springer), Yuval Noah Harari (Historiker und Autor), Björn Ulvaeus (Musiker, ABBA), Frank Thelen (Unternehmer), Christian Lindner (Politiker, FDP), Margrethe Vestager (EU-Kommissarin), 2raumwohnung (Musikduo), Luisa (Model, Germany’s Next Topmodel), Jermaine Jones (Fußballer), Mario Draghi (EZB-Präsident und Ministerpräsident von Italien), Michail Prochorow (Unternehmer), Michael Samwer (Unternehmer, Rocket Internet), Federico Marchetti (Unternehmer, Yoox Net-a-Porter), Jamie Oliver (Koch), Matthew Weiner (Schöpfer von Mad Men), Michael Johnson (Leichtathlet), Josef Ackermann (ehemaliger CEO der Deutschen Bank), Martina Navratilova (Tennisspielerin), Wladimir Klitschko (Boxer), Oliver Hirschbiegel (Regisseur), Marilyn Manson (Musiker), Zahi Hawass (ehemaliger Minister für Altertümer Ägyptens), Carrie Gracie (Journalistin, BBC), Sascha Lobo (Blogger und Autor), Jon Hamm (Schauspieler, Mad Men), Barbara Schöneberger (Moderatorin), Joschka Fischer (ehemaliger Außenminister), Anton Hofreiter (Politiker, Grüne).

CLIENTS:

apollo, basf, bauer verlag, blue airline, bmg, brussels airlines, bundesministerium der finanzen, commerzbank, court tv, degree, deutsche bahn, deutsche bank, deutsche post, deutsche telekom, dhl, dpd ea sports, emi, euro hypo, fiat, fisherman’s friends, fulda, g-data, gore-tex, handelsblatt, hans grohe, hornbach, hp sauce, ifaw, i-tv, krombacher, kfw bank, LG electronics, lloyds, lynx, msk, mercedes benz, microsoft, motormusic, mtv, sage pharma, cdu, apollo optik, nivea, nokia, norelco, nyquill, olympus, people magazine, philips, polydor, prevacid, pro 7, restoration hardware, reebok, sap, sat 1 schwarzkopf, sony, movies 24, sage, star alliance, stern, sunrise, t-mobil, universal music group, volkswagen, xbox, yahoo ect.

AGENCIES:

advico young & rubicam, aimaq rapp stolle, amalgamated / ny, bbh / uk, blood actvertising, bbdo, germany, concentrichx, colnaghi & manciani, italy, cosette, nc, ddb needham,, ddb new york, ddb london, fcb wilkens, goodby silverstein & partners / sf, gsw worldwide, usa, heimat , heye & partner, integrated communications, new jersey, usa, jung von matt, j. walter thompson, karmarama, uk, lgf / brussels,, leagas delaney, lowe / ny, m&c saatchi, uk mccann erickson,, mcgarry bowen / ny,  merkley newman harty / ny,  mortierbrigade / belgium,, ogilvy & mather, ny, publicis, ny, quiet storm, uk, scholz & friends / berlin, start ag, stöhr ddb, germany, thjnk, tbwa chiat day / ny, young & rubicam, wieden+kennedy etc.

EDITORIAL: 

vanity fair, time magazine,  new york times magazine, details, du, entertainment weekly, GQ, kid’s wear, max, new york magazine, sz-magazin, T, the new yorker, weltwoche, wired, zeit magazin, geo, stern and many more.