WHAT'S THE STORY? ...
Not many people I know are self-taught and also good at what they are doing. Christian Hedel is an exception and a standout in this regard. He is an engineer (!) by trade with a degree in ‘Media Technologies’ (whatever this means - I call BS on this one), and calling his beginnings as a professional humble is exaggerated flattery: We met in an ad agency two decades ago where he built banners and websites.
Things changed and got a little more interesting one day when he bought his first camera and started to take pictures of everything and everyone, everywhere he went. It was obvious to those around him that this was going to lead to somewhere eventually. If he wasn't shooting, he was editing, and immediately turned into one of those rare types of artists that are inseparable from their craft. A man had found his calling.
It did not take long before he started to develop his own voice as a photographer. I'm not quite sure how he did it, but show me a hundred pictures from as many photographers, and I'll find the one Christian Hedel piece amongst them. Just take a look at his live music photography, which I have two words for: 'distinctly unique'. Two of his pictures are hanging framed on my living room walls, only because so far he refused to give me a third and fourth one despite my repeatedly begging for them. Numerous music industry pubs that regularly publish his work such as Rolling Stone as well as some bands who regularly tap into Christian to capture their work and help develop their style and look seem to agree with me.
By now, Christian has branched out beyond photography and has turned himself into a real Swiss Army knife of content creation and production. In addition to photography he is a videographer, animation designer and editor, and his skills also included book design and publishing. He hasn’t forgotten how to build sites such as this one, either. Given the speed and scale at which technology is developing, I cannot wait to see what he will start next. He is one of those types who never stop evolving and building. His endeavors will without a doubt be remarkable and intriguing in the same way as his work has been thus far. I just hope that I will someday get those St. Vincent and Johnny Marr prints.*
Jan Lemke - a gifted friend who didn´t get any bribes to write this text and who said it would be childish to put the "Morning Glory" in the headline (New York - February 2023)
* done
BRANDS
ABSOLUT!
BMG
DFL DIGITAL SPORTS
GLOBAL CITIZEN
HAVANNA CLUB
KIA
MERCEDES BENZ
STADT KÖLN
STAEDTLER
TELEKOM
UEFA
VODAFONE
VOLKSWAGEN
MEDIA OUTLETS
11FREUNDE
AMAZON
DIFFUS
FESTIVALGUIDE
INTRO
MUSIKEXPRESS
MTV
PRO7
ROLLING STONE ARGENTINA
ROLLING STONE GERMANY
RTL
BANDS | FESTIVALS
C/O POP
HIGHFIELD
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KASALLA
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WATT EN SCHLICK
KÖLN - BERLIN - NEW YORK- WHEREVER