Bildjournalismus

Hanover, early summer 1961. In an office at the Hannoversche Presse sits twenty-year-old Joachim Giesel, who has recently passed his journeyman’s examination as a photographer. A few months earlier, the newspaper had established a photo department, to which Giesel successfully applied on the recommendation of journalist Hans Rohrberg. For the talented young photographer and family man, this first permanent position meant more than just a secure and steady income. His entry into press photography also marks the beginning of a decades-long, successful, and varied career as a photojournalist. What Giesel immediately experiences after starting his employment on June 1 is the pressure to perform, which is due in no small part to his lack of professional experience. But with his unconventional, fresh style of photography, he dispels prejudices regarding his young age and quickly makes a name for himself among his experienced colleagues. To set himself apart from the competition, Giesel follows the motto “Everything different from everyone else,” which he still describes as the guiding principle of his work. He is often the first to arrive at the newsroom and the last to leave. If it’s necessary to ring strangers’ doorbells to get the best view of an event from inside their apartment, he doesn’t hesitate. He sees himself first and foremost as an observer. “I don’t want to intervene; I observe and let things happen,” he says, describing his photojournalistic practice. He does not judge the quality of a photograph according to the traditional evaluation scheme of “good” or “bad.” For him, there is only the “right” or the “wrong” image. The decisive factor is that it is authentic and achieves the intended effect. Soon, in addition to smaller assignments, he is assigned three to four reportages per week. The thematic range is broad, in keeping with the newspaper’s profile, and takes him to a wide variety of locations: From reports on local fire department operations or a camp for Protestant Girl Scouts to internationally significant events such as the Lengede mining disaster or the transfer of Benno Ohnesorg’s remains from the GDR to the Federal Republic. His skills are also highly valued by his employer. For example, on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Hanover, he is specially recalled from a training course in Hamburg to document the major event. For Giesel worked for five years as an employee of the Hannoversche Presse until he began a new chapter in his career in 1966 by going independent. As a freelance photographer, however, he remained true to the field of photojournalism and continued to work freelance for the press, including major publications such as stern and DER SPIEGEL.