CARS & LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY Apr 2010

Rainer W. Schlegelmilch began his career as a Formula 1 photographer at the Nürburgring in 1962, presenting his driver portraits for his final exam at the 'Bayerische Staatslehranstalt für Photographie'. 18 months later, he opened his photo design studio in Frankfurt. Rainer's passion for car photography led him to more than 500 Grand Prix events and steered him in the direction of commercial work for prestigious publications including Auto Revue, Auto Motor und Sport, Powerslide, ADAC, Sports Car Graphic, Car & Driver, Road & Track and Car Review and various others.

Shooting originally in black and white, from 1970 Rainer devoted himself to colour photography and his images began regularly appearing in calendars and books. International companies including Philip Morris, Mobil, Shell, Champion, Mercedes and BMW also used his work.

Rainer's passion for shooting motor sports continues and today he owns one of the largest archives on the sport with over 350,000 images. He has published numerous editorial books on Formula 1 and for brands including Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche. His clients like how he uses natural light extensively without the use of huge staging or digital enhancement. Amongst his regular clients are glossy magazines, book publishers and advertising agencies, as well as Formula 1 marketing departments from the likes of Tag Heuer, DHL, BMW and Red Bull. Rainer's iconic images can be seen in the enormous archive section of his website.