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Many happy returns!
Many happy returns!
Walter Vogel
October 18, 2022
His thematic repertoire is diverse, yet his style is unmistakable. With an unerring eye for different milieus and interpersonal sensitivities, Walter Vogel has left his mark on German photographic history, ever since the 1950s. Whether as a documentarian of the Ruhr district, a cosmopolitan travel photographer, a delighted circus-goer, a night-owl burlesque photographer, or a delighted espresso lover: you can always recognise the precise way in which he perceived his world. A classic photo reporter, his experienced eye for perfect composition has given rise to unforgettable motifs, with an imagery defined by authenticity, accuracy and, at times, a sublime sense of humour.
Vogel is one of the great German photographers of the analogue era. Though he discovered photography at a young age, he trained and then worked for many years as a mechanical engineer in the chemicals industry. While he was doing his apprenticeship, he carefully saved the money he earned and, in 1954, was able to purchase a Leica IIf. When he turned thirty, Vogel opted for a change in career: he began studying photography with Otto Steinert at the Folkwangschule in Essen. As soon as he qualified, he began to work freelance; advertising, fashion and magazine photography became important mainstays. With the production in 1980 of his first self-published book, For Sale, Vogel discovered a further talent – in addition to the pictures, he also wrote the accompanying texts. His publishing breakthrough came in 1993, with the book Espresso. This was a non-commissioned project, but his senses proved to be spot on – celebrating the subject long before it became an international trend.
So, let us raise our espresso cups and make a toast to the birthday child!
On the occasion of Vogel's birthday, the Leica Gallery Frankfurt is presenting the exhibition Walter Vogel: 7 Jahrzehnte Fotografie (7 decades of photography), until November 19.
A portfolio was dedicated to Walter Vogel in issue 8/2019 of the LFI magazine.
Ulrich RüterVogel is one of the great German photographers of the analogue era. Though he discovered photography at a young age, he trained and then worked for many years as a mechanical engineer in the chemicals industry. While he was doing his apprenticeship, he carefully saved the money he earned and, in 1954, was able to purchase a Leica IIf. When he turned thirty, Vogel opted for a change in career: he began studying photography with Otto Steinert at the Folkwangschule in Essen. As soon as he qualified, he began to work freelance; advertising, fashion and magazine photography became important mainstays. With the production in 1980 of his first self-published book, For Sale, Vogel discovered a further talent – in addition to the pictures, he also wrote the accompanying texts. His publishing breakthrough came in 1993, with the book Espresso. This was a non-commissioned project, but his senses proved to be spot on – celebrating the subject long before it became an international trend.
So, let us raise our espresso cups and make a toast to the birthday child!
On the occasion of Vogel's birthday, the Leica Gallery Frankfurt is presenting the exhibition Walter Vogel: 7 Jahrzehnte Fotografie (7 decades of photography), until November 19.
A portfolio was dedicated to Walter Vogel in issue 8/2019 of the LFI magazine.
Portrait picture: © Christin Schuster; all other images on this site: © Walter Vogel
Walter Vogel+-
...was born in Düsseldorf on October 18, 1932. After an apprenticeship as a machinist, he worked as a mechanical engineer. He studied Photography with Otto Steinert at the Folkwangschule from 1963 to 1968. After he graduated, he became a freelance photojournalist in Düsseldorf. In 1954, he acquired a Leica IIf, though an M2 was later to become his preferred reportage camera. A Leicaflex SL2, Leicaflex SL2 MOT and a Leica M5 further expanded his equipment. His work was first published in newspapers, as early as 1954; and, in 1964, he received a World Press Photo Award. His atelier was in Frankfurt from 1977 to 2002, after which he returned to Düsseldorf. Vogel gave most of his estate to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in 2016, where it is cared for by the bpk, Bildagentur für Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte (Picture Agency for Art, Culture and History). The photographer was honoured with the Leica Hall of Fame Award in 2019. More
