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Mediterranean Fragments - Figments from the Real World:

Italy in Transition more…

Gorges -
Mountain streams in the alps more…

Bohemia - Relics and Departure:

Springtime in Czech more…

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Calabria:

Land of the Phaeakans more…

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„A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Dr. Kai-Uwe Nielsen, M.A.

Photographer & Art Historian

Tel. +49-(0)89-34 97 88

Mob. +49-(0)172-8545110

Email: dr.nielsen@web.de

Commercial work
Tearsheets at a glance

Foreword

By Kai-Uwe Nielsen

Commercial work - Tearsheets at a glance

At the beginning there was just the idea of making pictures. My start in this business was a little bit retarded. Somehow was the first attempt during the national service in the German Bundeswehr. It was a welcomed challenge to work as a photographer in the special army forces and I remember my bumping heart when the Minister of Defence with his guests was standing in front of my camera and I had to shoot him! The first photograph published as a cover photo in big edition was a firing salut cannon for a Royal Navy Ship during the Kiel Week.

That time was followed by the studies of history of art and archeology. These image sciences give me the tools or software and I benefit from them up to now in analyzing a timebound photograph just as an adversiting or publicity campaign. The understanding of an image and the comprehension over a concept between an Art Director and a photographer is a big part of both their success. During the university studies I always made some money with portraits of young photomodels for their setcards, retrospect a finger exercise, but the real startup came with MONDI Fashion Group. They invited me for a fashion show and asked for runway pictures. This was like a dooropener to the fashion industries and I am fond of beautiful memories of that time not really long ago. The ephemeral charakter of a fashion show with the combination of light, music and elegant and fantastic styled models did not allow any time delay during the shooting, one had to be as fast as the dress helpers backstage. It was a sort of „Gesamtkunstwerk“ a work of art with a lot of facets and persons involved. The illstrious guests, joining the afterparty played an important role in this event. Since I am curious in interesting people to shoot, I found here a wide field. I could confabulate about these inspiring encounters since people photography is a great field of my activity.

To have an upcoming Nobel Laureate in front of the camera or an German chancellor or the CEO of a multinational industrial company means to be fast, sensitive and audacious. Discretion and confidence is one part and the other is the balancing act of not breaking the spell on the portrayed person. Marketing and PR have a right to expect the stage-managed and glorified pictures for a good appearance. But sometimes one gets the full creative freedom to do it on your own. These moments are precious and should be used well.

Sometime ago a friend of mine, a gifted stillife photographer, told me that he loves his business because on Monday morning a packshot of a washing machine is much more easier done than the portrait of an unrested and hung-over model. But I told him there should be no problem if he starts later in the morning with his portraits. Only few persons enjoy standing in front of the camera and the respect for this sensitivity is mandatory for a photographer.

The scientific documentation is also an exciting chapter in photography. The exact reproduction of pieces of art or the visualization of chemical tests mean the experimentation with different sorts of light and photo-equipement for an appealing result. Baroque art and architecture have become with my photography for the CORPUS DER BAROCKEN DECKENMALEREI (Corpus of Baroque Ceiling Paintings) main focus of interest for more than a decade. The skills deriving from this scientific photography help to promote my architecture photography. With the eye of an art historian it is much more easier to find the right frame and the right modeling light for a great architecture shot.

I must emphasize, that without the confidence of my clients in my photographic skills I could not have made these images. Therefore, many thanks to them all!!!

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