Thomas Hoepker Profile

     

One of the internationally best known photographers time will ever see. Well known for his controversial pictures of the 9/11 attack that left millions speechless. His name is Thomas Hoepker, seasonal photographer from Germany. 

The photo, above, is of the 9/11 attack taken by Hoepker in 2001 put published 2005 roughly. As you ca see, the people are very relaxed and enjoying the nice weather however the catastrophic bombing in the background should make the people worried or shocked not chilled. The image was printed in a book 5 years after the attack, I think this was because Hoepker saw offence in his own image.

Eleven years later this image has become on the the most controversial images of the 9/11 bombing. This Magnum Journalist had no idea how much hassle would come from his photo. The image was very insulting to the Americans in the photo as a source says "We were captured at a moment of shock" meaning Hoepker hadn't shown the true moment, he had captured people in shock. Many photographers believe in capturing a precise moment that explains so much without using words however Hoepker portrays a different message than what actually happened. Should he have posted the image? I think he should have because the image doesn't show the typical 9/11 scene you would expect. Hoepker couldn't get near the building so he had to make do with what he had, even if it isn't what people expected. On the other hand Hoepker did capture a false version of reality. Although the moment happened, Hoepker forced one side of the image so the audience was forced to only see the negative side of the image.

According to Hoepker past on Wikipedia, he received a 9 X 12 glass plate camera from his grandfather when he was 16 years old. This is when he first got started as a photographer, he developed the pictured in his bath and kitchen and sold them to friends and classmates. He studied art history archaeology for a year in Germany where he picked up an understanding of images and composition. He continued to sell his pictures to earn money for his education. He worked as a photographer for 3 years in the early 60's for Stern magazine. Magnum started distributing Hoepker's photos in 1964 and in 89 he became a member and was president of magnum from 2003-06.

Below are some Exhibitions throughout Hoepker's life.

Exhibitions
2006       Photographien 1955-2005 - Photomuseum, Munich, Germany
1995       Retrospective - Claus Tebbe Gallery, Cologne, Germany
1994       The Maya - Kunsthalle Cologne, Cologne, Germany
1985/87  Retrospective, 25 cities in Germany
1976       Rizzoli Gallery, New York and Rizzoli Gallery, Washington D.C., USA
1965       Kunst und Gewerbe Museum, Hamburg, Germany.   

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.Biography_VPage&AID=2K7O3R13ZFL3 

Thomas Hoepker- Self Portrait

Analysis of the image

The picture is of the 9/11 attack. The photographer, Thomas Hoepker, capture an image that was to prove highly controversial.  Hoepker banned the image up until 5 years after the 9/11 attack because of the response he thought he might get. I think he may have seen an offence in the image.

            The image was controversial because the people look relaxed and enjoying the weather. The colors are vibrant and fresh however not one single person is looking at the destructive chaos behind them. In 2006 when the image was revealed, “Walter Sipser, identifying himself as the guy in shades at the right of the picture, said he and his girlfriend, apparently sunbathing on a wall, were in fact "in a profound state of shock and disbelief". Hoepker, they both complained, had photographed them without permission in a way that misrepresented their feelings and behavior ” Said the Guardian with a quote from Sipser.

            The Guardian said “As an image of a cataclysmic historical moment it captures something that is true of all historical moments: life does not stop dead because a battle or an act of terror is happening nearby.”  Life did have to carry on and people did have to go back to their normal routines despite what had happened. The picture had shown a frozen part of time, you can’t tell what had happened before or after so should we really judge the people? This quote is a great example of explaining that the picture has two sets of emotions. The first being the bright colors  relaxed people, dark shadows from the blazing heat of the sun followed by smoke and destruction. Two very different emotions in one picture.

            In every photograph a story can be told by sub-titles, heading or any type of text however seeing a picture on its own opens up the meaning. The people in the picture may be in shock or they may not care, without a sub-title or some type of text we see the picture how we interpret it. For example; when I first saw the picture I thought the people didn't care about the huge demolition going on behind them. Once I had done some research I found out that the people were in shock, potentially stunned, but because of the sun was out and the way they were sitting I interpreted it in a completely different way to the actual moment. Again because there was no text to inform us of the actual situation as we don’t know what happened before or after the image was taken.