Born on October 31, 1939 in Lindau, Koelbl first studied fashion in Munich. She discovered and taught herself photography in the mid seventies. Most of her work is made up of long-term projects of her own choice. Her first exhibition, Frauen in Deutschland (Women in Germany) was held at the Goethe Institute in Ankara in 1979. She was published in Stern early on, and in the following years appeared in all important magazines. She worked in the 35mm field with Leica cameras, and in medium format also with a Hasselblad. Some of her projects evolved into documentary films, such as Spuren der Macht. Die Verwandlung durch das Amt (Traces of Power. Transformation through the Agency. 1999) and Die Meute. Macht und Ohnmacht der Medien (The Pack. The Power and Impotence of the Media. 2001), in addition to video installations such as Wille, Macht und Wandel (Will, Power and Change. 2005), Goldmund (2005) and Haare (Hair. 2007). Koelbl has received a number of awards including the Leica Medal of Excellence (1987), the Dr. Erich Salomon Award of the DGPh (2001), the Federal Cross of Merit (2009) and the Bavarian Order of Merit (2013). The photographer lives and works in Neuried near Munich.
