ABOUT

Guenter Knop is a photographer known for his signature black and white nudes of real women. He began his pursuit of a career in photography in the late 1970s, leaving his agricultural studies at the Christian-Albrecht University to work with fashion photographer Charlotte March in Hamburg, Germany.

Knop’s work soon caught the eye of Henry Wolf, influential Art Director for Esquire and Harper's Bazaar magazines in New York. Together they worked on trend-setting TV, print and fashion advertising for major clients. Knop became increasingly focused on his passion for creating black and white nudes, developing a style that would become his trademark and eventually opening a studio of his own in New York.

His subjects are a variety of real women who he hand-picks from the streets of New York. Believing that the success of the finished product depends on the special connection forged between model and photographer, he approaches each shoot as a collaborative process that centers on building a rapport with each new subject.

Many of Knop’s photographs have a vintage feel and combine dramatic lighting with custom set designs inspired by Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco design. His distinctive style results from the continuous refinement of lighting and its relationship to architectural elements and the human form. Often, the shape and movements of the model create abstractions in which the body is transformed into a sculpture or a design element in the picture.

His work has been featured internationally in a variety of magazines, books, group and solo exhibitions. In 2005 he released his book Guenter Knop on Women. In 2008 he was named one of the world's 50 best nude photographers by German Playboy.