Gerd Ludwig

Gerd Ludwig (birth name Gerhard Erich Ludwig, born March 17, 1947, in Alsfeld, Hesse, Germany) is a German-American documentary photographer and photojournalist. Gerd Ludwig initially studied German literature, political science, and physical education at the University of Marburg, before leaving prematurely to travel in Scandinavia and North America, supporting himself with jobs as a bricklayer, sailor, and dishwasher. Upon his return to Germany, he studied photography with Professor Otto Steinert at the Folkwang Hochschule (Folkwang Academy, now Folkwang University of the Arts) in Essen, graduating with a degree in Photo Design from the University of Essen in 1974. He co-founded Visum, Germany's first photographer-owned photo agency in the same year. In 1978, he moved to Hamburg and began working for major international publications and advertising agencies.

He re-located to New York City in 1984. In the early 1990s, he signed on as a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine, focusing on environmental issues and the changes following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. His work in the region resulted in his exhibition and book, Broken Empire: After the Fall of the USSR, a ten-year retrospective published by National Geographic in 2001. His ongoing coverage of post-Soviet Russia has garnered his distinction as being the western world's foremost color photographer documenting the region.

Gerd Ludwig is a veteran of the renowned A Day in the Life book series created by David Elliot Cohen and Rick Smolan. His work has been shown in museums such as the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria; at festivals such as the Visa pour L'Image Perpignan; and galleries.

Major awards include the 2006 Lucie Award for International Photographer of the Year, the 2014 Dr. Erich Salomon Award (Dr. Erich Salomon Preis), dedicated to Erich Salomon, a lifetime achievement award for photojournalists given by the German Society for Photography (DGPh), and the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism in 2015.

Based in Los Angeles, California, Gerd Ludwig continues to photograph primarily for National Geographic Magazine while working on personal projects such as Sleeping Cars and bringing back into light work from his archive, such as early color portraiture of Joseph Beuys and Friedensreich Hundertwasser.