Georg Gerster
Encyclopedia
George Gerster is a Swiss journalist and a pioneer aerial photographer
.
Born in Winterthur
, in 1950 Gerster earned a doctorate at the University of Zurich
in Germanistik. Through 1956 he worked as an editor for the inhabitants of Zurich's "World Week". Since then he has been active as a freelance journalist with an emphasis on science reporting and flight photography.
In this photographic field of activity he did substantial pioneer work in the 1950s and 1960s, respected not only for the technology and quality of his flight pictures, but above all for the universality and internationality of the topics.
Gerster's early photographic reportage and picture volumes detailed landscapes of North Africa. In the sixties he documented places of archaeological interest in over 100 countries on all continents. In addition, he took breath-taking pictures of mountains and deserts, coasts and lakes, agrarian and industrial landscapes.
George Gerster was honored in 1976 with the Prix Nadar
. His photos have been shown in single and group exhibitions in Europe, Japan and the USA. He was represented by the Rapho
photo agency.
Gerster emphasizes, on the one hand, the beauty of the landscape; on the other hand he points out the endangerment to nature caused by excessive use, erosion, technology and mechanization. The fact that he does not only want to make "beautiful pictures" shows in his expert and precisely investigated captions and book texts.
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or...
.
Born in Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
, in 1950 Gerster earned a doctorate at the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
in Germanistik. Through 1956 he worked as an editor for the inhabitants of Zurich's "World Week". Since then he has been active as a freelance journalist with an emphasis on science reporting and flight photography.
In this photographic field of activity he did substantial pioneer work in the 1950s and 1960s, respected not only for the technology and quality of his flight pictures, but above all for the universality and internationality of the topics.
Gerster's early photographic reportage and picture volumes detailed landscapes of North Africa. In the sixties he documented places of archaeological interest in over 100 countries on all continents. In addition, he took breath-taking pictures of mountains and deserts, coasts and lakes, agrarian and industrial landscapes.
George Gerster was honored in 1976 with the Prix Nadar
Prix Nadar
The Prix Nadar is an annual prize awarded for a photography book edited in France. The prize was created in 1955 and is awarded by a jury of photojournalists and publishing experts....
. His photos have been shown in single and group exhibitions in Europe, Japan and the USA. He was represented by the Rapho
Rapho (agency)
The Rapho agency was founded in Paris in 1933 by Charles Rado , a Hungarian immigrant. Rapho, an acronym formed from Rado-Photo, is one of the oldest press agencies specializing in humanist photography...
photo agency.
Gerster emphasizes, on the one hand, the beauty of the landscape; on the other hand he points out the endangerment to nature caused by excessive use, erosion, technology and mechanization. The fact that he does not only want to make "beautiful pictures" shows in his expert and precisely investigated captions and book texts.
Publications
- Der Mensche auf seiner Erde
- Flights of discovery: The Earth from Above, Paddington Press Ltd. (1978)
- The Past from Above: Aerial Photographs of Archaeological Sites. Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2005. Pp. 416; ills. 516. ISBN 0-89236-817-9
- Paradise Lost: Persia from Above, Phaidon, 2009 (photos made between 1976 and 1978)
External links
Iran: A bird's eye view (National Museum of Antiquities the Netherlands Exhibition)- Official website, English version
- Johnny Wilson, 2006. Review of The Past from Above British Museum Exhibition. Accessed July 15, 2010.