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| photography

Joerg Alexander Reichardt

As a photographer, I strive to open the eye to the diversity of photographic vision and to create a connection between the subject and the viewer that resembles like an alchemical process that turns oneself and one’s experiences into the image. I am convinced that the interest in a motif depends on the perspective and way of looking at it, and can be increased through attentive viewing. Through the act of viewing, I as a photographer can transform a mundane object into a metaphor or symbol for something meaningful.

I love to roam the city with my camera, without a set destination, to align and become one with the things that surround me. My intention is to tell a story and uncover a mystery that will surprise and delight me. It’s not just a record of an event, a place, or a theme, but it feels more like I’m sitting in the front row of the world theater.

I try to rid myself of any bias by focusing entirely on my breathing and using the process of focusing to allow the essence of my subject or the scenery to flow into the image completely unimpeded. The photographic frame becomes a charged space that creates its own context. Therefore, every photograph I take contains a secret, and I become the bearer of the secret, the accomplice.

The formal qualities of the image are the key to the viewing experience, because an image is not only what it shows, but also the ensemble of colors, the texture of things, the rhythm of the lines, the contrasts, and the patina or lack thereof. All of these things are beautiful, each in their own right, regardless of what they are about. The camera is seen as an instrument to show things, but it obscures just as much. In the fragment, in the simplification, in the silhouette, there is a multitude of open feelings and questions.

In this sense, I see photography as a kind of theater, where I serve as the director and the photograph as the stage. The figures that move in my photographs are the characters in the story I want to tell. And just like in a play, my photographs trigger questions and create a desire for revelation and exploration. That’s why I never take a picture of something that doesn’t excite me, and I put my whole heart and soul into the work I do. Because photography for me is not a job, but a real connection, almost like a faith or a religion, where I give a piece of my soul every time.

Joerg Reichardt has established himself as a renowned freelance photographer starting working in the early 80s with a career spanning now over four decades. He has a diverse background, having studied art in Switzerland and worked on various theater and film productions before focusing on fashion photography. He has lived and worked in several cities, including Berlin, Paris, Milan, and New York, before settling back in Berlin in 2000.

Reichardt’s current work mainly focuses on Havana, where he has found inspiration in the city’s rich culture and history. Despite being confronted with the poverty and hardship faced by many of its residents, he has been able to see beyond the picturesque scenes and capture the essence of the city in his work. He is not a documentary photographer, but rather a wandering poet who expresses himself through his images, capturing the unknown, the presence, and the absence.

A selection of his clients includes international brands, institutions and agencies: Nikon, Absolut Vodka, Deutsche Bahn, Bank Austria, Raiffeisen Bank, Commerzbank, Sparkasse, Deutsche Grammophon, Puma, Adidas, Joop!, Toni Gard, Mondo Uomo, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Komische Oper Berlin, Residenztheater München, Schaubühne Berlin, Berliner Philharmonie, Publicis Paris, TBWA Paris, Jung von Matt and Ogilvy&Mather.

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