The exception goes to those photographers that had some historical importance in the photography World, those that influence(d) me, those that I believe can move others like they moved me, humanitarian photographers, and that normally live in the "shadow" of the same old Features and references.
"The maximum, that is what has always interested me." This is a quote by Josef Koudelka.
He was born in 1938 in Moravia and began photographing with a 6 x 6 Bakelite camera.
He staged his first photographic exhibition in 1961. Changed to a Rolleiflex camera and in 1967 decided to give up his career in engineering for full-time work as a photographer.
Awarded several times, was known for his exceptional photographs, which required an enourmous amount of courage.
Nomad at heart, he wandered around Europe with his camera and little else. In 1987 Koudelka became a French citizen and his work received support and acknowledgment from his friend, "a" French photographer called Henri Cartier-Bresson.
His photography has emphasis on social and cultural rituals as well as death, and this allowed to evolve his ability to capture the presence of the human spirit amidst dark landscapes.
Koudelka resides in France and Prague.
