WHERE GEOSCIENCE MEETS ART
Meet Dr. Christian Klepp
Have you ever met a deeply passionate landscape photographer and unconventional geoscientist?
I am both, plus an avid adventurer from Hamburg, Germany.
My 20 years of professional experience in Earth System and Climate Research and my 26 years of dedicated landscape photography
merge into an exciting geoscientific journey across our planet. I bring the unique beauty of our home planet vividly and intuitively back into our awareness
and show how Earth functions and perpetually changes and evolves through the eons of time. To awaken respect and arouse
curiosity for our home planet and to protect the diversity of our planet
is nearest and dearest to my heart and defines me and my way of life.
I cordially invite you to accompany me on this journey to the most
impressive places on earth
and to explore with me the fascinating
geological formations that have created these awe-inspiring landscapes.
Biography
My enthusiasm for our planet already arose early during my childhood hikes
with my parents in the Austrian Alps. It was there that I discovered the
pristine beauty of glaciated mountains reflected in crystal clear mountain
lakes surrounded by lush green forests. Later I began to explore the complex
geology of the Alps and collect the astoundingly diverse rocks. I was
repeatedly confronted with severe thunderstorms, torrential rain, mudslides
and scary rockfalls. Deeply fascinated I wanted to understand the processes
that cause these natural phenomena. Endowed with unbridled curiosity and determination, my deep-rooted
love for nature led me to study meteorology and geology to learn how our planet functions.
I enthusiastically recall two freezing cold winter months during which I worked on the frozen Arctic Ocean between Greenland and the North Pole on board a research icebreaker. Exploring the icy silence of this sublime landscape and feeling the humility of being surrounded by hungry polar bears were absolutely exhilarating. On top of this came my respect for the incomprehensible age of rocks and their formation. But back then I had no way to share my feelings in these wild places with those not fortunate enough to be there with me. It was right there in the Arctic when it dawned on me that I had to learn how to “write with light”.
Since then it has been my passionate aim to capture and share these intimate moments of nature's beauty. At the same time I want to bring the geological past of the landscapes to life. This provides me with limitless energy to constantly improve my self-taught photographic horizon and to inspire enthusiasm for the uniqueness of our planet through my photographs and stories.
My camera is the extension of my eyes to depict my very personal perception of nature into unique images captured in ways unseen before. Evoking deep emotions in the viewer by sharing a fleeting moment of magical light is truly a wonderful gift. No less fascinating is the disparity in perception of the picture. While the viewer sees a rather romantic perspective, as a photographer I experience the adventure up close. The patience and dedication for many repeat visits to a location until the light is perfect, strenuous hikes with heavy equipment, exposure to rain, wind and cold, the sleep deprivation, feelings of fear and joy as well as overcoming obstacles that get in your way tell a unique story behind every image. It is precisely these adventures and challenges that make capturing these rare magical moments of perfect light so intoxicating, euphoric and rewarding.
Who is not captivated and awestruck by the vastness and beauty of the Milky Way? The sight of a nocturnal landscape under the bright shining arch of the Milky Way enchants me every time anew. My mobile astronomical star tracking device compensates the rotation of the earth and allows me to capture point-shaped stars with very long exposure times and without any notable image noise. With this technology, even very faint stars that are not visible to the naked eye are easily recorded by the camera's sensor to conjure up breathtaking stellar displays.
My award-winning photographs can be seen in galleries of international exhibitions, photo award galleries, book articles, online and print magazines as well as in my book Where Geoscience Meets Art.
I enthusiastically recall two freezing cold winter months during which I worked on the frozen Arctic Ocean between Greenland and the North Pole on board a research icebreaker. Exploring the icy silence of this sublime landscape and feeling the humility of being surrounded by hungry polar bears were absolutely exhilarating. On top of this came my respect for the incomprehensible age of rocks and their formation. But back then I had no way to share my feelings in these wild places with those not fortunate enough to be there with me. It was right there in the Arctic when it dawned on me that I had to learn how to “write with light”.
Since then it has been my passionate aim to capture and share these intimate moments of nature's beauty. At the same time I want to bring the geological past of the landscapes to life. This provides me with limitless energy to constantly improve my self-taught photographic horizon and to inspire enthusiasm for the uniqueness of our planet through my photographs and stories.
My camera is the extension of my eyes to depict my very personal perception of nature into unique images captured in ways unseen before. Evoking deep emotions in the viewer by sharing a fleeting moment of magical light is truly a wonderful gift. No less fascinating is the disparity in perception of the picture. While the viewer sees a rather romantic perspective, as a photographer I experience the adventure up close. The patience and dedication for many repeat visits to a location until the light is perfect, strenuous hikes with heavy equipment, exposure to rain, wind and cold, the sleep deprivation, feelings of fear and joy as well as overcoming obstacles that get in your way tell a unique story behind every image. It is precisely these adventures and challenges that make capturing these rare magical moments of perfect light so intoxicating, euphoric and rewarding.
Who is not captivated and awestruck by the vastness and beauty of the Milky Way? The sight of a nocturnal landscape under the bright shining arch of the Milky Way enchants me every time anew. My mobile astronomical star tracking device compensates the rotation of the earth and allows me to capture point-shaped stars with very long exposure times and without any notable image noise. With this technology, even very faint stars that are not visible to the naked eye are easily recorded by the camera's sensor to conjure up breathtaking stellar displays.
My award-winning photographs can be seen in galleries of international exhibitions, photo award galleries, book articles, online and print magazines as well as in my book Where Geoscience Meets Art.
Artist's Statement
Geoscience blended with photography holds the key to deciphering and sharing the majestic stories
written in stone. On a human time span of about a century we occasionally hear about earthquakes,
tsunamis, landslides and volcanic eruptions. But when looking at the geological time span of
millions of years, which we can no longer grasp, these sporadic events become enormous rock
cycles that act both horizontally and vertically in the earth system. They not only move the
continents restlessly across the earth’s surface, but also act so that entire ocean basins fall
in and out of existence. The heat generated in the earth's interior drives these processes.
Remarkably, all these deep-time processes are written in the rocks that lie at our feet and
form the diversity of the landscapes we see today. Picking up a rock and reading its eventful
geological past can lead to deep respect and awe. That’s why deciphering the geological history
of a landscape is one of the most fascinating adventures of our time.
I would like to share these stories with you.
As a climate scientist I work in the field of satellite remote sensing and onboard research vessels on the global oceans. I don't see countries, borders or territories either from space or on the oceans. All I see is a vulnerable planet that is home to us all. I also bear witness to the consequences of the rapid, mainly human-driven, climate change and the ever faster destruction of the remaining ecosystems and landscapes. I really cannot over-emphasize just how urgently we need to develop respect for our planet and contribute to its preservation.
Although it’s literally five minutes to midnight, our chance is to rethink. The key is to develop an appreciation for the beauty and uniqueness of our planet and to evolve interest in how our planet works. Don't we all want to protect what we love?
Let us love our unique planet and protect its beauty and diversity for generations to come!
I would like to share these stories with you.
As a climate scientist I work in the field of satellite remote sensing and onboard research vessels on the global oceans. I don't see countries, borders or territories either from space or on the oceans. All I see is a vulnerable planet that is home to us all. I also bear witness to the consequences of the rapid, mainly human-driven, climate change and the ever faster destruction of the remaining ecosystems and landscapes. I really cannot over-emphasize just how urgently we need to develop respect for our planet and contribute to its preservation.
Although it’s literally five minutes to midnight, our chance is to rethink. The key is to develop an appreciation for the beauty and uniqueness of our planet and to evolve interest in how our planet works. Don't we all want to protect what we love?
Let us love our unique planet and protect its beauty and diversity for generations to come!
AWARDS
2020 I Trierenberg Super Circuit Award I Arctic Gate I Austria
2013 I Global Arctic Award I PSA Nature and FIAP Nature Medals I Russia
2012 I María Luisa Memorial Award I Top-Down Perspective Winner I Portugal
2012 I Glanzlichter Award I Magnificent Wilderness and Mountains of the World I Germany
2011 I María Luisa Memorial Award I Mountain Landscape and Natural Landscape Diploma I Portugal
2011 I Al Thani Award I Masters of Photography Winner I Qatar
2011 I Trierenberg Super Circuit Award I PSA-Gold Medal Best of Show I Austria
2011 I Trierenberg Super Circuit Award I Gold Medal of ExcellenceI Austria
2011 I Trierenberg Super Circuit Award I VÖAV Bronze Medal I Austria
2011 I Glanzlichter Award I Coastlines and Magnificent Wilderness Winner I Germany
2010 I European Geosciences Union Award I Science Photo Contest I Austria
EXHIBITIONS
2020 I Solo Photo Exhibition with 23 images I Hamburg, Germany
2018 I Greenbelt Art Center I USA
2017 I Russian Art Center I Russia
2016 I Russian Art Center I Russia
2013 I Russian Art Center I Russia
2010 I World EXPO 2010 I China
EVENTS
2020 I Vernissage of the Solo Photo Exhibition with 23 images I Hamburg, Germany
2019 I Seasurfer Concert Support with Landscape Photography Stage Projections I Germany
2019 I Seasurfer Concert Support with Landscape Photography Stage Projections I Portugal
2019 I Seasurfer Concert Support with Landscape Photography Stage Projections I Germany
2018 I Live TV Interview and Lightyears Film at NDR Mein Nachmittag I Germany
2018 I TV Lightyears Film at NDR DAS! I Germany
2018 I TV Interview and OceanRAIN Film at NDR DAS! I Germany
PUBLICATIONS
2020 I Band Shooting with Seasurfer for their third album Zombies I Germany
2020 I Interview with the radio and TV station NDR about the photo exhibition I Hamburg, Germany
2020 I Book contribution Quintessence 2000-2020, Trierenberg Super Circuit I Austria
2020 I Album Cover Shooting for the Band Seasurfer I Germany
2018 I Video Footage and Band Shooting with Seasurfer I USA
2018 I Nature Scientific Data Publication on OceanRAIN I United Kingdom
2018 I Lightyears Photography Book I Germany
2017 I World Data Center for Climate OceanRAIN Dataset I Germany
2017 I Welt Newspaper Article I Germany
2017 I Hamburger Abendblatt Newspaper Article I Germany
2017 I Extraordinary Vision Magazine I New Zealand
2017 I Seasurfer Album Cover Artwork I USA
2017 I Extraordinary Vision Magazine Article I New Zealand
2016 I Geonova Geoscience Article I Norway
2014 I Salt Magazine I Netherlands
2014 I National Geographic Book Stunning Photographs I USA
2013 I Junior Magazine I Germany
2013 I Billa Kids Sticker Book I Austria
2013 I Globetrotter Article I Germany
2013 I Photography Week Magazine I USA
2012 I Natur Photo Magazine I Germany
2012 I Fotocommunity Magazine Article I Germany
2011 I Max Planck Institute Strategic Plan I Germany
2011 I Stern View Spotlight Article I Germany
2010 I Max Planck Institute Website Department Images I Germany
PHOTO TOURS
2018 I Kellerwald I Germany
2018 I Colorado Plateau I USA
2018 I Rocky Mountains I USA
2017 I Karijini I Australia
2016 I Rocky Mountains I USA
2016 I Nambung, Kalbarri and Shark Bay I Australia
2015 I Swiss Alps I Switzerland
2015 I Colorado Plateau I USA
2014 I Cascade Range and Pacific Coastline I USA
2014 I Alps I Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria and Germany
2014 I Iceland Winter Expedition I Iceland
2013 I South Island of New Zealand I New Zealand
2013 I Winter Rocky Mountains I USA
2011 I Swiss Alps I Switzerland
2011 I French and Swiss Alps I France and Switzerland
2011 I Iceland Winter Expedition I Iceland
2010 I Iceland Midsummer I Iceland
2009 I Canadian and American Rocky Mountains I Canada and USA
2009 I Leonid Meteor Shower I Cypress
2008 I Northwestern America I USA
2007 I Swiss Alps I Switzerland
2006 I Great Barrier Reef I Australia
2006 I Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range I USA
2006 I Total Solar Eclipse I Turkey
2005 I Southwest America I USA
2005 I North Atlantic Winter Expedition I North Atlantic and Norway
2004 I Swiss Alps I Switzerland
2003 I Gran Canaria Canary Islands I Spain
2003 I West Coast of Norway I Norway
2002 I Fuerteventura Canary Islands I Spain
2002 I Swiss Alps I Switzerland
2002 I North and South Island of New Zealand I New Zealand
2001 I Lanzarote Canary Islands I Spain
2001 I Arizona and Utah I USA
2000 I Winter Austrian Alps I Austria
1999 I Tenerife Canary Islands I Spain
1998 I American and Canadian Rocky Mountains I USA and Canada
1998 I Austrian Alps I Austria
1997 I Austrian Alps I Austria
1997 I Comet Hale-Bopp I Germany
1996 I North Cascades I USA
1996 I Comet Hyakutake I Germany
1994 I Austrian Alps I Austria
1993 I Icebreaker Polarstern Winter Expedition to the North Pole I Arctic, Norway, Russia
Copyright © 2019 and Web Design Dr. Christian Klepp, Lightyears Photography
