Here you will find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and answers related to this website about the travel photo book The Unknown Spain, by Kurt Hielscher.
What is the “Hielscher Photo Project”?
The Hielscher Photo Project and this hobby website are a private and 100% non-commercial attempt to keep the memory of Kurt Hielscher and his travel-photos alive. The photographs are easily accessible by a map of Spain and a powerful search engine. Every photograph has its own landing page, which allows discussions about a specific photo with a commenting feature.
Why do some photos do not have a map location and some have a wrong map location?
Because we’re not finished yet. About 280 of the 304 photos of this book have been gelocated. If you know the location of a photo which does not have a map location yet, please send your location information as a Google Maps location link to this e-mail address:
contact@large-format-photography.org
If you know a better map location of a photo than the current one, please do not hesitate to send your information to the same e-mail address. Thank you!
Why did you create the “Hielscher Photo Project” and this website?
There were several good reasons to do so:
- Excellent photographs that should not be forgotten: Kurt Hielscher said, “As witnesses to a sinking world, my photographs will continue to talk even long after I am silenced.” Nevertheless, his important photography heritage is almost forgotten. This website aims to keep his extraordinary photography work alive.
- Learning purposes: Kurt Hielscher was a master of light in the composition of travel photography. His photos are a good study to improve photography capabilities and strategies.
- Satisfy your historic interest: Kurt Hielscher documented beautiful places in Spain by walking the whole country. See how those places looked more than 100 years ago and discover things that no longer exist, that look completely different and that look almost exactly the same after all that time. For many photographs you can compare them to current Google StreetView shots. Zoom in, then drag the “StreetView Icon” onto the map. Sometimes this works even within buildings, e.g. here: Córdoba Mosque: View of the High Altar.
- Your contribution is appreciated: Every photo has its own landing page, where you can leave your comments. Or, send us your recent photos of the places Hielscher shot a hundred years ago and let’s see how they compare!
How do I send an recent photo of a place that was photographed by Kurt Hielscher a hundred years ago?
Please send your photo to this e-mail address:
contact@large-format-photography.org
In the near future, we will provide an easy upload form on this page.
What the heck are ICA cameras?
Click here or on the ICA catalog picture to enlarge the catalog page
The Internationale Camera Actiengesellschaft (ICA) was founded in 1909 by the merger of four camera factories, Hüttig AG (formerly Richard Hüttig & Sohn) and Emil Wünsche AG from Dresden, the camera factory Dr. Krügener Frankfurt/Main and the Palmos Camerabau of Carl Zeiss Jena. It was located in Dresden/Germany and the registered trademark was a pentagram, which was taken over in slightly modified form from Hüttig AG. ICA Dresden merged with Zeiss Ikon in autumn 1926.
How do ICA Ideal and Zeiss Ikon Ideal cameras work?
If you are not put off by the annoying bone man in this video, you will get a good understanding of the capabilities of the large format camera Zeisss Ikon Ideal from minute 1:20 here:
Where can I get competent information about Large Format Photography?
You can find the informative LFPP / Large Format Photography Podcast by Simon Forster here:
How do I get more information about the tool workflow for generating this website?
In the distant future, I will probably publish the tool workflow for creating this website. An efficient tool workflow is the key factor in enabling such a website with an acceptable effort.
In the meantime, contact me at contact@large-format-photography.org
Kindest regards,
The Hielscher Photo Project