Port of Hamburg, Portraits of people and big ships

Joerg Otto Meier

Portaits
of people
and
big ships

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This book has been out of print since 1989.

A stroll through the port
of Hamburg

Joerg Otto Meier portrays dock and harbour workers, pilots, captains and the chairmen of boards of directors, real ‘characters’ and prominent personalities. They and many others tell their stories, in their own language, candidly and directly. The stories and the many photographs of ships and harbour scenes in this book provide the reader with a realistic and amusing insight into the world of the port of Hamburg.

Editorial
Joerg Otto Meier's photographs were nearly three years in the making: August 1988 to February 1990 and March 1995 to June 1996. They afford a very personal, almost microscopic view of the development of the still bustling heart of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg – the port. He chose his subjects entirely subjectively – the photos are the result of spontaneous meetings and the research of a strolling photographer with an unquenchable curiosity about the stories which surround the "port and its people". 55 of the 77 portraits are to be found in this book.
The conversations on which the accompanying texts were based were unrehearsed. They were recorded live and the edited version was approved by those concerned. The photographer relied on his aesthetic judgement and on the technology of a Hasselblad 500 C/M; negative size: 55 x 55 mm; focal lengths: 80, 150 and 250 mm; film speed: ISO 400/27°.
The port book was published in November 1996 by Dölling und Galitz; Edition 5000; 300 pages; paperback; 26 x26 cm; 100 black-and-white photographs in duotone; portmap, special encyclopedia for idioms, terms and ships.

Author's foreword
This book is not only a portrait of the port of Hamburg and its people, ships, quays and docks, it is also a mirror image of the way we all feel, think and act: in all sorts of different ways, but nevertheless united in our search for recognition and a bit of happiness.

My thanks to all those
who allowed me to portray them!
JOM, July 1996

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