About Thomas
German street photographer Thomas Hackenberg was born in 1963 and lives in the city of Braunschweig. With first strong influences going back to the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson and German photojournalist Thomas Hoepker, he is devoted to the idea of candid, unstaged street photography in the public realm. His work has been featured in periodicals and on various digital platforms and hubs and has also received awards in international street photo festivals and competitions.
Artist Statement
“For me, a good street photo must be made candidly, captivate me at first glance and make me want to take that second look. It must raise more questions than provide answers. I like photos that tell a story in a single image, and I particularly like quirky pictures and visual puns in everyday life. When I am out on the streets, I like chasing for the offbeat, on a quest to find some extravaganza in the ordinary, some fun element, some beautifully layered scene, some fleeting moment. Any interesting scene that hits my eye, observed images from the great theatre of street life that might only exist for a split second and then it’s gone forever. Triggered by a colour, a human gesture, an interplay of foreground and background. I love these special moments, so rare and so elusive, when all things fall into place and a good picture emerges. It’s the pleasure and anticipation of making a good street picture that drives me. The flow when I am completely in the moment and fully open and susceptible to life on the street. After all, it’s all about curiosity. It’s all about finding out what life has in store for me on any given day – I’m eager to see what’s around the next corner.”
Features & Publications
2024 Featured as a virtual guest of the Italian 2024 ProgresFestival with my Beautiful People series.
2024 Zine BRAUNSCHWEIG published with David Solomons’ BUMP BOOKS series.
2024 Article in local newspaper ‘Braunschweiger Zeitung‘ on my street photography and the zine published with Bump Books.
2023 Featured by STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS FOUNDATION.
2023 “Music as a source of inspiration in street photography“: My story on Beautiful People featured by Storydrops.
2023 Guest and featured photographer on Phil Meiners’ Walk & Talk Episode 2 video cast. Brings to you an interview on my photographic roots, details on my mode of working, and future plans. Includes live video footage from the streets of Braunschweig. German, automatically created subtitles available via YouTube settings.
2022 Contributor to ProgressiveE-zine #35 on GERMANY by Progressive Street, an international art gallery, agency, and small independent publishing house. Writer and photographer of featured story “A Blue-and-yellow Love Affair” on German football team Eintracht Braunschweig. Also to be seen on this website here.
2022 Featured interview as one of the 10 finalists in the 2022 Exibart street photography contest. Senior juror was Steve McCurry.
2022 Featured guest photographer in Portuguese “Magazine Reportagem” by Rui Miguel Cunha.
2022 My story Searching for My Very Own Rue Mouffetard featured by international street “gang” Progressive Street.
2022 My story Searching for My Very Own Rue Mouffetard published in Bob Patterson’s US Street Photography Magazine (one free download/month for non-subscribers).
2022 Podcast with Bob Patterson’s US Street Photography Magazine.
2021 Featured photographer in the book “URBAN unveils the City and its Secrets – Vol. 07“.
2021 Featured photographer and interview – the pictorial list.
2021 New York City Street Photo Collective. Featured guest photographer in ONLY IN NEW YORK CITY blog.
2021 Featured as one of the ten Best Modern Photographers of February 2021, ALL ABOUT PHOTO.COM.
2021 ALL ABOUT PHOTO MAGAZINE #15 “STREETS”. “Candid street humor” series featured on four double spreads (pages 36-43).
2021 Featured photographer by ALL ABOUT PHOTO.COM.
2021 Featured with all other All About Photo winners in “Die Kunst des perfekten Moments” (The art of the right moment) in German ZEIT online magazine.
2020 Weekly UP Photographers interview by invitation of Melissa O’Shaughnessy.
2020 “What I Like in a Photo: a Selection of the Winners and Finalists from the Miami Street Photography Festival.” By Julie Hrudová, founder of StreetRepeat.
2020 “Candid street humor” series featured by EYESHOT STREET PHOTOGRAPHY.
2020 Featured photographer by STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS FOUNDATION.
2019 BRAUNSCHWEIGER ZEITUNG featuring my street photography in an online article: “Foto-Pointen von der Straße – aus Braunschweig oder New York”.
2018 My story about blind Leonie featured by lensculture. See the entire story and all photos on this website.
2015 Book project “111 Orte im Braunschweiger Land, die man gesehen haben muss” (111 places in the Greater Braunschweig area that you should not miss). Contribution of 60 photos.
2015 Photos documenting the activities of Braunschweig’s population demonstrating against local ‘Bragida’ group (local branch of Pegida group) published in Braunschweiger Zeitung in the course of 2015. Many pictures on this website.
Group Exhibitions
2024 ITALIAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2024. Rome, Italy. Group exhibition of all SERIES contest finalists with ‘Postcards from Braunschweig’ series.
2023 Group exhibition “Fathers in Everyday Scenes” at Kulturpalast Dresden, Germany.
2023 TEHRAN STREET PHOTO Festival 2023, Iran. Group exhibition of all Street Photography Awards Finalists of the Street Photographers Foundation. On display with my “Beautiful People” series.
2023 3rd GERMAN STREET PHOTO FESTIVAL, Hamburg. Curated group show of German street photographers.
2023 SAN REMO STREET PHOTO Festival 2023, San Remo, Italy. Group exhibition of all finalists.
2023 BRUSSELS STREET PHOTOGRAPHY Festival 2023, Brussels, Belgium. Group exhibition of all finalists at “Marquis” venue.
2023 THE CYPRUS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY “THE WALL” project and city projections, 7th Edition. Paphos, Cyprus.
2022 EYESHOT OPEN CALL 2022. Group exhibition of all finalists at Galleria del Cembalo. Rome, Italy.
2022 STREET PHOTOGRAPHY INVITATIONAL SHOW. Group street photography show together with Alexandra Avlonitis, Charlotte Stone, Dimitri Mellos, Hazel Hankin, Ilya Niko, Jill Maguire, Mathias Wasik, Melissa O’Shaughnessy, Nina Welch-Kling, Orestes Gonzales, Paul Kessel, Reuben Radding, Russ Rowland, Sofia Sebastian, Sonia Goydenko, Suzanne Stein, Tim Miller.
Curated by Paul Kessel and Orestes Gonzales. Culture Lab LIC at the Plaxall Gallery 5-25, 46th Avenue, Queens, New York.
2022 PISA STREET PHOTOGRAPHY INTERNATIONAL Festival 2022, Italy. Group exhibition of all finalists.
2022 LUXEMBOURG STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL. Open Wall group exhibition.
2021 ISTANBUL STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL, Turkey. Exhibited in a group show with all nominated finalist pictures.
2021 GOTHENBURG STREET PHOTO FESTIVAL, Sweden. Exhibited in a group show with all nominated finalist pictures.
2021 GERMAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHERS’ meeting in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. “Guerilla-type” exhibition on a tunnel wall by the Main river. Passers-by were invited to take along a picture for free.
2021 MIAMI STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2020. Part of the exhibition of all nominated finalist pictures exhibited in Milan, Italy (during “Street Photo Milano” collaborative event).
2021 FUJIFILM MOMENT STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2020. 3rd prize winner and part of the exhibition. Center for the Promotion of Culture “Gaude Mater”, Częstochowa, Poland.
2020 MIAMI STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2020. Part of the exhibition of all nominated finalist pictures. Street projections in Miami, USA.
2017 HEIMATLIEBE, Braunschweig, Germany. Part of exhibition of all nominated finalist pictures by local ALLIANZ FÜR DIE REGION.
Awards
2024 Finalist with ‘Postcards from Braunschweig’ series, STREET PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES contest, ITALIAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2024. Rome, Italy.
2023 Finalist, Street Photographers Foundation, Street Photography Awards 2023, Series category with “Beautiful People”.
2023 Finalist, San Remo Street Photo Festival, Single shots category.
2023 Finalist, Street Photographers Foundation Awards, 2023 Edition, Single Image category.
2023 Finalist, Brussels Street Photography Festival 2023. Singles Photo category.
2022 Double winner, THE CYPRUS PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY “THE WALL” project and city projections, 7th Edition. Paphos, Cyprus.
2022 Honorable Mentions, PARIS INTERNATIONAL STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2022. Paris, France.
2022 Finalist and Honorable Mention by Magnum photographer Emin Özmen, Eyeshot Open Call 2022. Single Image category.
2022 Finalist, Pisa Street Photography International Festival 2022. Single Photo category.
2022 Finalist, Single Photo category of the 2022 Exibart Street Contest.
2022 Double Finalist, Open Wall exhibition at Luxembourg Street Photography Festival.
2021 Grand Winner & Gold Medalist in the “SPORT, DANCE & EVENTS” SINGLE category,
PARIS INTERNATIONAL STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2021. Paris, France.
2nd Prize Winner & Silver Medalist in the “URBAN CULTURE” SINGLE category,
PARIS INTERNATIONAL STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2021. Paris, France.
Honorable Mentions in various categories, PARIS INTERNATIONAL STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2021. Paris, France.
2021 Finalist, ISTANBUL STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2021. Istanbul, Turkey.
2021 Finalist, LensCulture STREET Photography Awards 2021.
2021 Editors’ Choice, TDM Awards 2021 of The Decisive Moments Magazine.
2021 Finalist, GOTHENBURG STREET PHOTO FESTIVAL. Gothenburg, Sweden, 2021.
2021 Finalist, URBAN PHOTO AWARDS 2021. Italy.
2021 Finalist, SINGLE PHOTOS, ITALIAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2021. Rome, Italy.
2021 Merit Award, ALL ABOUT PHOTO.COM, AAP MAGAZINE #15.
2020 Finalist, SINGLES CATEGORY, MIAMI STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2020. Miami, USA.
2020 3rd Prize Winner, FUJIFILM MOMENT STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2020. Częstochowa, Poland.
2020 Finalist, SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH CONTEST, LONDON STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2020. London, UK.
2020 Finalist, SIENA INTERNATIONAL PHOTO AWARDS 2020. Siena, Italy.
2017 Finalist, “Streets of San Francisco” category, STREETFOTO SAN FRANCISCO 2017. San Francisco, USA.
2017 Finalist, HEIMATLIEBE (see page 7) photo competition by local ALLIANZ FÜR DIE REGION. Braunschweig, Germany.
Award Winners
Finalist, Street Photographers Foundation Awards, 2023 Edition
Finalist, Brussels Street Photography Festival 2023.
Finalist and Honorable Mention by Magnum photographer Emin Özmen, Eyeshot Open Call 2022.
Finalist, Pisa Street Photography International Festival 2022.
Finalist, Single Photo category of the 2022 Exibart Street Contest
Grand Winner & Gold Medalist in the “SPORT, DANCE & EVENTS” SINGLE category,
PARIS INTERNATIONAL STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2021.
Finalist, ISTANBUL STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2021.
Finalist, LensCulture STREET Photography Awards 2021.
Editors’ Choice, TDM Awards 2021 of The Decisive Moments Magazine.
Finalist, URBAN PHOTO AWARDS 2021. Italy.
Finalist, SINGLE PHOTOS, ITALIAN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2021.
Finalist, MIAMI STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2020.
3rd Prize Winner, FUJIFILM MOMENT STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2020. Częstochowa, Poland.
Finalist, LONDON STREET PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2020. London, UK.
Finalist, San Remo Street Photo Festival, 2023.
Honorable Mention, PARIS INTERNATIONAL STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2021.
Finalist, GOTHENBURG STREET PHOTO FESTIVAL. Gothenburg, Sweden, 2021.
Honorable Mention, PARIS INTERNATIONAL STREET PHOTO AWARDS 2021.
Winner and part of the projections in the Cyprus Photographic Society's "The Wall" project, 7th Edition 2022.
Merit Award, ALL ABOUT PHOTO.COM, AAP MAGAZINE #15, 2021.
Finalist, SIENA INTERNATIONAL PHOTO AWARDS, 2020.
