First studied book illustration and graphic design, and excelled in photography in his exams. Thanks to a photo spread for a winery on the Rhine, he caught the attention of the Die Zeit magazine. Stern soon joined the ranks, and photographic illustrations with staged scenes opened up the way to advertising. The next decades were defined by long campaigns, which he produced all over the world. With cars and people, he went on to work for advertising agencies in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, the USA and China, making trips to a total of 29 countries. He also created his own work on each trip.
