Dr. Christian Klepp is a geoscientist and climate researcher from Hamburg. He is also an award-winning landscape photographer, best-selling author and passionate lecturer on how our planet works and how to mitigate the human-induced climate change.

Christian Klepp studied meteorology and geology at University of Hamburg and received his doctorate in geosciences. He worked at University of Hamburg, including as a docent, and at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg. In 25 years of work in international climate research and Earth system research, he was intensively involved with questions of how the Earth functions as a system of its individual components and how it perpetually changes during the eons since its formation. He has also been photographing the Earth’s pristine landscapes for 30 years.

This knowledge, coupled with his deep love for the planet and his thirst for adventure, led to the final fusion of his profession with landscape photography in 2019. Since then, Christian has been dedicated to reintroducing people to the beauty and uniqueness of Earth, to bring the idea of sustainability to people’s hearts, and to draw attention to our responsibility in caring for the planet. His award-winning photographs can be seen in international exhibitions, are part of his talks on the Earth system, climate and climate change, and are featured in his best-selling book Wunderwerk Earth-How Our Planet Works.

Artist’s Statement

Christian Klepp overlooking Harpers Corner geology in Dinosaur National Monument

“Nature is home to me. The wilder and more pristine it is, the more comfortable I feel. This love and unbridled curiosity for our planet has driven me ever since. I have studied the Earth and literally exposed myself to nature with my body and soul. As a geoscientist I was privileged to spend two winter months at the North Pole at -42°C. This time had an enormous impact on me and changed my view of the world once and forever. I was nearly struck by lightning, was allowed to witness a total solar eclipse and heard the bang of an exploding meteorite. I have encountered polar bears, mountain lions, and grizzly bears on my hikes, faced them eye to eye, and felt the mutual respect down to my core. I have become one with nature and listened to the stories of the rocks. They are the memory of the Earth and preservers of the perpetual change of our planet.”

“I am fascinated and enchanted with the view of the Milky Way star arc above a landscape at night ever again. With my mobile astronomical star tracking system, I compensate Earth’s rotation, which allows me to photograph pinpoint stars with exposure times of several minutes. This technique enables me to record even faint stars invisible to the naked eye, resulting in breathtaking star images of the highest quality.”

“The eventful journey of our planet, its formation and development, and the finely tuned interconnection of its constituent parts culminates for us in the snapshot of Earth we know today. However, from Earth’s perspective this snapshot is shorter than a blink of an eye. Earth does not need us humans at all, instead we are highly dependent on an intact Earth. What we therefore need to save and protect are the ecosystems with their plethora of species, for they are our own fragile basis of life. The necessary change of perspective is to understand that we do not exist detached from Earth. We are the Earth! We live on an oasis in space, which is why the well-being of our Earth should be our highest priority. Doing something for the benefit of the planet should fill us with happiness and pride. Therefore, I would like to encourage, seed energy and create a new understanding of values for our planet. Only when we understand how our planet works, how finely orchestrated its components interact and depend on each other, we will feel empathy for our planet. For me, this is the key to success for a sustainable approach with the planet.”

signature - christian klepp
Christian Klepp outdoor with his camera

Awards

2021
Geo Art Competition Award
Switzerland
2021
Siena Creative Photo Award
Italy
2021
Trierenberg Super Circuit Award
Austria
2020
Trierenberg Super Circuit Award
Arctic Gate
Austria
2013
Global Arctic Award
PSA Nature and FIAP Nature Medals
Russia
2012
María Luisa Memorial Award
Top-Down Perspective Winner
Portugal
2012
Glanzlichter Award
Magnificent Wilderness and Mountains of the World
Germany
2011
María Luisa Memorial Award
Mountain Landscape and Natural Landscape Diploma
Portugal
2011
Al Thani Award
Masters of Photography Winner
Qatar
2011
Trierenberg Super Circuit Award
PSA-Gold Medal Best of Show
Austria
2011
Trierenberg Super Circuit Award
Gold Medal of Excellence
Austria
2011
Trierenberg Super Circuit Award
VÖAV Bronze Medal
Austria
2011
Glanzlichter Award
Coastlines and Magnificent Wilderness Winner
Germany
2010
European Geosciences Union Award
Science Photo Contest
Austria

Exhibitions

2022
Solo Photo Exhibition with 20 images
Hamburg, Germany
2020
Solo Photo Exhibition with 23 images
Hamburg, Germany
2018
Greenbelt Art Center
USA
2017
Russian Art Center
Russia
2016
Russian Art Center
Russia
2013
Russian Art Center
Russia
2010
World EXPO 2010
China

Events

2022
Discovery Days Speaker Festival
Flims, Switzerland
2022
El Mundo Speaker Festival
Judenburg, Austria
2020
Vernissage of the Solo Photo Exhibition with 23 images
Hamburg, Germany
2019
Seasurfer Concert Support with Landscape Photography Stage Projections
Germany
2019
Seasurfer Concert Support with Landscape Photography Stage Projections
Portugal
2019
Seasurfer Concert Support with Landscape Photography Stage Projections
Germany
2018
Live TV Interview and Lightyears Film at NDR Mein Nachmittag
Germany
2018
TV Lightyears Film at NDR DAS!
Germany
2018
TV Interview and OceanRAIN Film at NDR DAS!
Germany

Publications

2022
Book Wunderwerk Earth at Edel Books
Germany
2020
Band Shooting with Seasurfer for their third album Zombies
Germany
2020
Interview with the radio and TV station NDR about the photo exhibition
Hamburg, Germany
2020
Book contribution Quintessence 2000-2020, Trierenberg Super Circuit
Austria
2020
Album Cover Shooting for the Band Seasurfer
Germany
2018
Video Footage and Band Shooting with Seasurfer
USA
2018
Nature Scientific Data Publication on OceanRAIN
United Kingdom
2018
Lightyears Photography Coffee-Table-Book
Germany
2017
World Data Center for Climate OceanRAIN Dataset
Germany
2017
Welt Newspaper Article
Germany
2017
Hamburger Abendblatt Newspaper Article
Germany
2017
Extraordinary Vision Magazine
New Zealand
2017
Seasurfer Album Cover Artwork
USA
2017
Extraordinary Vision Magazine Article
New Zealand
2016
Geonova Geoscience Article
Norway
2014
Salt Magazine
Netherlands
2014
National Geographic Book Stunning Photographs
USA
2013
Junior Magazine
Germany
2013
Globetrotter Article
Germany
2013
Photography Week Magazine
USA
2012
Natur Photo Magazine
Germany
2012
Fotocommunity Magazine Article
Germany
2011
Max Planck Institute Strategic Plan
Germany
2011
Stern View Spotlight Article
Germany
2010
Max Planck Institute Website Department Images
Germany