Thomas Hoepker, born in Munich in 1936, worked as a photographer for Münchener Illustrierte and Kristall and reported as a correspondent for stern from East Berlin and, from 1976, from New York. In 1989, Hoepker became the first German photographer to become a full member of the renowned international photography cooperative Magnum. In 1992 he became vice president of Magnum, and from 2003 to 2006 he was its president. In addition to photography, Thomas Hoepker also devoted himself to documentary film. His work has been presented in numerous exhibitions as well as published in several books.