This year Gerd Ludwig returns to Zingst, Germany, for the Horizonte photo festival. A considerable segment of this year’s festival is Gerd Ludwig’s exhibition, “The Long Shadow of Chernobyl/Der lange Schatten von Tschernobyl”. Spanning nearly two decades of his work covering the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the photographs explore the human and environmental impact of the disaster 25 years later. Jürgen Trittin, former Federal Minister for the Environment in Germany, and now Chairman of the German Green Party, will be the patron for Gerd’s show. This exhibition of 50 prints takes place at the Marinekomplex in Zingst, Germany, from May 28 through June 16, 2011.

As part of the Zingst Horizonte festival, Gerd Ludwig also teaches a 4-day workshop from May 30 through June 2,”Mensch und Landschaft” (People and Landscapes) and will participate in presentations and panel discussions.

For more information about the workshop, go to: http://www.horizonte-zingst.de/workshops

For more information about the exhibitoin, go to: http://www.nationalgeographic.de/foto

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, the exhibit The Long Shadow of Chernobyl with 30 large prints by Gerd Ludwig opened at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Headquarters in London on April 14, 2011.

The EBRD is in charge of collecting the finances for the Chernobyl cleanup and the construction of the New Safe Confinement, totaling $2.2 billion. Due to the current $850 Million funding gap, the EBRD was eager to exhibit Gerd Ludwig’s emotional photographs and confront an audience of ambassadors and bankers from countries that pledged to contribute to the cleanup, to the reality on the ground.

The BBC aired a story about the exhibit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13125498

In the April issue of National Geographic Magazine USA (and some of the foreign language editions) Gerd Ludwig and writer Cathy Newman take an in-depth look at Crimea, a diamond shaped peninsula suspended from the south coast of Ukraine. Warm, lovely, lush, with a voluptuously curved coast, it was a jewel of Russia until Soviet leader Khrushchev transferred it to Ukraine in 1954. But mentally and emotionally, it still identifies with Russia.

As Gerd Ludwig’s photographs reveal, the beautiful peninsula may be a tourists’ haven, but struggles with a dual political identity and is home to both the small Ukrainian and the mighty Russian Black Sea Fleet.

For more information go to: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/crimea/ludwig-photography

In December, 2010, Gerd Ludwig started a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign to help generate interest and raise money for his return trip to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. With funding from 435 donors and sponsors from around the world, the project was a resounding success, raising enough funds to allow Gerd to return to the Exclusion Zone for nearly three weeks.

Gerd Ludwig travels to the Zone in March to update his coverage, with exhibitions and new media applications on the horizon.

Visit the Kickstarter Page here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gerdludwig/the-long-shadow-of-chernobyl

Visit the Project Website here: http://www.longshadowofchernobyl.com

Visit the Facebook Page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-Shadow-of-Chernobyl/172201382820069

Samy’s Camera has been Gerd Ludwig’s camera store of choice ever since he moved to Los Angeles. A compelling feature on the camera store’s website is a series of exhibition reviews and interviews by photographer Anthony Friedkin. An in-depth interview conducted with Gerd Ludwig about his photography and his commitment to his body of work in Chernobyl is published on the eve of Gerd’s departure to revisit the failed nuclear reactor and the Exclusion zone around it.

For more information: http://www.samys.com/index/page/static/subpage/ludwig_friedkin

CPN Magazine is a high-quality, coffee table-type publication that profiles some of the most influential figures in photography. It is a stage to tell the stories behind the pictures, including how they are technically created, and as well as giving enough space to let the images speak for themselves. The magazine is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, and is free to all European Canon Professional Services (CPS) members with a current account.

In issue 6, Gerd Ludwig explores the complex issues shaping Russian society. The 10-page story encompasses photographs from over a decade.

For more information: http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/yourspace/magazine.do

The Australian PhotoJournalist is an annual journal published by the Griffith University, Queensland College of Art. Seeking to challenge the prevailing orthodoxy in photography, it showcases the works of significant photographers, writers, and academics, who confront the tired notions inherent in our medium.

52 years after the signing of the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child, millions of children around the globe continue to live in a state of constant emergency. Their rights forgotten, their futures pre-written, their protection and their safety in a dignified childhood are but a distant dream.

Silent Screams, the 2011 edition of Australian PhotoJournalist, is dedicated to them. Collectively, the children’s stories are the silent screams on the pages of the magazine.

Gerd Ludwig is one of the 20 photographers who were asked to contribute their work. His story centers on the damage and suffering children endured through pollution in the Former Soviet Union.

For more information and to purchase Silent Screams: http://cdp.edu.au/cdp/photojournalist

To commemorate the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster 25 years after the accident, Gerd Ludwig plans to return to the reactor and the areas around it to investigate the state of contamination to the land; to report on the progress of its cleanup; and to examine the health consequences in the fallout regions. As traditional media outlets struggle financially, the funding for these long-term projects must now come from outside sources. Using the website Kickstarter, this fundraising campaign will help to generate interest in the project, and allow the public to financially support this important story.

The resulting coverage will be shown in exhibitions, and distributed via self-publishing and new media applications. The first exhibit will open in May 2011 at the Horizonte Photo Festival in Germany where Jürgen Trittin, former Federal Minister for the Environment in Germany, and now Chairman of the German Green Party, has agreed to be the patron for the exhibition, “DER LANGE SCHATTEN VON TSCHERNOBYL/The Long Shadow of Chernobyl” and will help to bring a focus of environmental awareness to the event.

Visit the Kickstarter Page here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gerdludwig/the-long-shadow-of-chernobyl

Visit the Project Website here: http://www.longshadowofchernobyl.com

Visit the Facebook Page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-Shadow-of-Chernobyl/172201382820069

The View Project is an extraordinary book and traveling exhibition of works by 70 international photographers, including such masters as Douglas Kirkland, Jay Maisel, and Jerry Uelsmann. In 2009, famed photographer Joyce Tenneson, the founder of the project, asked colleagues to send one photograph each of special places “that speak to our heart in an unforgettable manner.” The result is a powerful and memorable book published by Blurb, and is traveling across the country as an exhibition. As Michael Culver, the director and curator of the Naples Museum of Art writes in his introduction, The View Project is an “investigation of not only vision, but of the nature of the creative act.”

Gerd Ludwig chose his photograph of the view through an icy window of the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
For more information about The View Project: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1679017

Color Magazine’s January 2011 issue features a cover story on Gerd Ludwig. Written by fellow photographer Mark Edward Harris, the 10-page story explores Gerd Ludwig’s personal connection with Russia as a child, and how this connection influences his photographs of the former Soviet Union. The story includes a bredth of images published in National Geographic; from his first story in the region, “A Broken Empire” to his work marking the 20th aniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, to last years publication of “Moscow Never Sleeps.”
For more information about Color Magzine: http://www.color-mag.com

Capturing quality images at extremely high ISOs is one of digital technology’s latest and most important advances – and its impact is nowhere more visible than in photojournalism and documentary photography. in In his seminar, Digital Vision in Low Light, Gerd Ludwig discusses the many advantages of digital technology at the PDN PhotoPlus Expo in New York City. Sponsored by Canon USA, the 3-hour seminar takes place at the Jacob Javits Convention Center from 8:45am to 11:45am on Saturday, October 30th. Gerd will also speak at the Canon booth from 3:15-4:00pm on Thursday, October 28th.

Gerd also joins a panel discussion hosted by The Institute for Digital Media Arts entitled, “Ethics of Photography in the Digital Age.” Moderated by Bobbi Lane, and including photographers John Ficara, Robert Meyer and other special guests, the panel discusses the ethical challenges and debates brought on by the advent of digital technology. The panel discussion takes place after his workshop on Saturday, October 30th, from 1:15pm to 3:15pm.

PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo is the most important event in the photo industry. Designed for professionals and advanced amateurs in the photographic and imaging industries, PDN PhotoPlus Expo showcases the latest advances in photography. Attendees are able to explore exhibits and attend a wide variety of photography and imaging seminars.

For more information about the PhotoPlus Expo: http://www.photoplusexpo.com

The Independent Magazine in the UK publishes ‘Welcome to China, Italy,” Gerd Ludwig’s story on the Chinese fashion laborers working in Prato, Italy

To read the article, http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/welcome-to-china-italy-photographer-gerd-ludwig-tours-a-very-industrious-community-2086594.html
To view the Institute for Artists Management blog post, http://blog.instituteartistmanagement.com/posts/2010/09/institute-gerd-ludwig-independent.html

The photo festival Horizonte in Zingst, Germany presents Gerd Ludwig’s show “Peace on Earth or Earth to Pieces” at the Photokina convention in Cologne, Germany. The exhibition of 16 large-format prints explores the magical beauty and quiet dignity of nature both preserved and when exploited by mankind. With irritating beauty, these destroyed landscapes provoke introspection to one’s own relationship with our earth. Also featured as part of the Horizonte photo festival presentation, is an excerpt from an interview shot by foto.tv, a German-based online video company.

Photokina is the world’s biggest trade fair for the photographic and imaging industries. It is held every 2 years in Cologne, Germany and features over 1,500 suppliers from more than 40 countries and attracts over 150,000 visitors from more than 150 countries. The fair is accompanied by several exhibits on the fairgrounds and in the city itself. This year’s Photokina takes place September 21 – 26.

For more information about Photokina: http://www.photokina-cologne.com

As a result of Gerd Ludwig’s lecture presentation during the 1. Alsfelder Kulturage (see news item below) Streifzug magazine publishes a cover story on Gerd Ludwig’s life and career as a documentary photographer in it’s August 2010 edition. Streifzug magazine is a monthly supplement of the Hessian newspaper Giessener-Allgemeine, publishing interviews and stories about culture, sports, and trends. The 5-page article and interview concentrates on Gerd’s work in the former Soviet Union, including the Chernobyl zone, and explores how his Hessian roots influence his work as the only German photographer in the core team at National Geographic USA.

Read the article at: http://www.giessener-allgemeine.de/media/streifzug/2010_07/

PDN’s Photo Annual 2010 honors Gerd Ludwig for best Photojournalism/Documentary for his feature on the Russian Orthodox Church. The feature, published as “Soul of Russia” in National Geographic’s April 2009 issue, explores the reemergence of the Russian Orthodox Church after being driven underground by Soviet rule for nearly 80 years.

View the Winner’s Gallery at: http://www.pdngallery.com/contests/photoannual/2010/

Ranging from talks by scientists, artists and historians, to the staging of musicals and the display of art exhibits, the 1.Alsfelder Kulturtage festival in Alsfeld, Germany presents a wide palette of cultural affairs. As part of the event, Gerd Ludwig returns to his birthplace to give a lecture presentation, titled “Die Seele berühren” (Touching the Soul). The lecture, moderated by Axel Pries, takes place in the Kino-Center Alsfeld on June 6, 2010 at 4pm. The event is preceded by Gerd Ludwig and Prof. Peter Gruss, President of Germany’s Max Planck Society, signing the Golden Book of the town in the presence of Alsfeld’s Mayor Ralf Becker.

For more information, please visit: http://www.alsfelder-kulturtage.de

Merely three years after its inception, the Horizonte photo festival in Zingst, Germany has already become a major player in the German field of photography. A focal point of this year’s festival is Gerd Ludwig’s exhibition of landscapes, “Peace on Earth or Earth to Pieces”. The exhibition underlines the magical beauty and quiet dignity of nature, but includes images of destroyed landscapes, which appear irritatingly attractive, to provoke introspection. This exhibition of 16 large format prints takes place at the Galerie Villa Ruh in Zingst, Germany, from May 29 through August 29, 2010. As part of the Zingst Horizonte festival, Gerd Ludwig also teaches a 3-day workshop,”‘Mensch und Landschaft” (People and Landscapes) and holds a lecture-presentation titled “Die Seele berühren” (Touching the Soul). Gerd will also participate in several panel discussions throughout the festival week.

For more information, please visit http://www.horizonte-zingst.de

Gerd Ludwig’s focus on the socio-economic changes following the dissolution of the Soviet Bloc in 1991 resulted in his book and exhibit, Broken Empire: After the Fall of the USSR, a ten-year retrospective published by National Geographic in December of 2001.

Looking back at this first decade of warp-speed Russian economic transformation, marked by glittering opportunity, poignant suffering, bold aspirations and brutal exploitation, the Museum in Schleswig, Germany shows Gerd’s exhibit Russland – Eine Weltmacht im Wandel.

April 16. to June 20, 2010. Stadtmuseum Schleswig, Friedrichstraße 9-11, 24837 Schleswig, Germany.

The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is dedicated to the advancement of visual journalism, its creation, practice, training, editing and distribution, in all news media and works to promote its role as a vital public service.

NPPA’s Nebraska chapter is holding its annual 2010 seminar in Omaha, Nebraska. On Sunday, April 11 at 9:30 A.M. Gerd Ludwig is giving a lecture presentation at the Hixson-Lied building. The lecture is sponsored by Canon USA.

For more information: http://nebraskanewsphotographers.com/