Paul Helmut Drechsler

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paul Helmut Drechsler known as, Helmut Drechsler (* 18th September 1916 in Colditz , Saxony , † 4. February 1960 in Fort Archambault Chad ), was a German wildlife photographer and videographer. In his books, films, and calendars, he primarily specialized in animal photography of extinct and migrating species.

Life

Even before the Second World War , Drechsler, still 15, was active as a writer. Significant stages in his development were traineeships in publishing houses, mainly color picture publishers. On the first day of World War II, Drechsler was an artilleryman and wounded three times during the course of the war. After returning home from captivity, he founded the Colditzer publishing house in 1945, in which his first book in color, Kleine Welt am Wegesrand , appeared in 1948 .

From 1946 Drechsler made long excursions in pond landscapes near and far, nature reserves, alluvial forests, breeding grounds for eagle owls, then in 1956 to the Camargue (Rhone Delta), the forgotten land on the edge of Europe and a dream destination for all ornithologists. The result was always a book, often a color film up to 1957. Drechsler's Uhudämmerung was named best popular science book in 1952 and sold to France, England, Holland, Switzerland and the USA. According to his own account, Drechsler allowed over two million listeners to participate in his expeditions in his full-length, captivating slide presentations, which he always commented on himself. Hans Schomburgk , a well-known animal filmmaker and Africa explorer from the very beginning, said about Drechsler: “Finally a new generation that we old people have to be proud of”.

Drechsler first attended the teachers' seminar in Annaberg-Buchholz , was otherwise self-taught, but had Heinrich Dathe and Gottfried Mauersberger as professional advisers and friends.

Drechslers not only took photos, but also wrote his observations of nature for the books himself. He initially referred to his books, the layout of which was also his work, as “color picture books”, for example his first book Kleine Welt am Wegesrand and his second pond summer . This term he retained even when his through forests and meadows ... at. Drechsler had the layout of his books protected. His books often had multiple editions.

Drechsler not only described the animals he observed and their habitats. Much of his text was devoted to describing the cameras and the techniques with which he could take photos. This is especially true along woods and meadows ... . In this book he describes in detail how he used a fully automatic 35mm robot type camera to photograph red kites . He was able to take pictures with an electromagnetic remote release and a 150-meter-long cable because the camera opened itself up again via a spring mechanism and was ready for the next photo. He usually named the cameras and lenses used, but also the film material, in the imprint of the books.

In many slide shows he brought the nature of Europe closer to a broad audience. He also dared to make full-length sound films. In 1947, he founded the Institute for Animal Photography in his hometown Colditz. Its main task, writes Drechsler, "should first be to document the dying, displaced or migrating animals of our homeland with all the means of modern recording technology in color images or films and to bring the nature conservation idea back to the broadest circles through publications, photo and film presentations . “That can also be used as Drechsler's credo.

In 1957 Drechsler began an expedition to Africa, first to prepare South West Africa, then South Africa; both goals were canceled for political reasons. Finally the trip went to Equatorial Africa. The last bivouac before the journey home was on February 4, 1960 in Fort Archambault, Sarh , on the steep bank of the Chari.

On the night of February 3rd to 4th, 1960, Drechsler fell down the steep bank of the Chari and died the next morning as a result of the double fracture of the base of his skull. The version of Drechsler's death, as described by Karl Behrend, is not confirmed by the attending physician in his medical report in Fort Archambault. The nature photographer and author Harald Lange is considered one of his most important students .

Publications

  • Small world by the wayside. A color picture book of the little beauties of our homeland . FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1948. Foreword by Willy Ramme
  • Pond summer. Twenty weeks in Risch and Rohr in the reed hideout . Neumann Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1949.
  • The white lug cranes . Neumann Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1950.
  • Eagle owl dawn. With a camera and electronic flash to the last German eagle owl nests . Neumann-Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1951.
  • Through the woods through the meadows ... With the super electron flash in the realm of the Red Kite . Neumann-Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1952.
  • Reinecke from the fir . Neumann Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1953.
  • Wild swans over Uhlenhorst . Neumann Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1954.
  • with Wolfgang Makatsch : Birds of our homeland. 1955.
  • Wonderful world of wild birds . Urania-Verlag, Leipzig, Jena and Berlin 1957.
  • Gypsies, bulls and flamingos . Urania-Verlag, Leipzig, Jena and Berlin 1957.
  • with Karl Heinz Moll: animal photography . 1963.
  • Gretel Drechsler and Wolfgang Polte (eds.): Pirsch with camera and pen . 2 volumes, Urania-Verlag, Leipzig, Jena and Berlin 1965. Volume 1: Foreword and scientific appendix by Gottfried Mauersberger; Volume 2: Foreword by Heinrich Dathe, scientific appendix by Joachim Haensel

Filmography

  • 1953: Reinecke from the Tann
  • 1954: Homeland's wilderness trails
  • 1956: gypsies, bulls and flamingos
  • 1958: At the lake the osprey

literature

  • Karl Behrend: Africa trip with Helmut Drechsler . VEB Brockhaus; Edition: 2nd edition, 21st - 40th thousand (1961)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Portrait of Helmut Drechselr at Colditz.info , accessed on April 17, 2020
  2. ↑ Helmut Drechsler: The cranes from the white lug. Neumann Verlag GmbH Radebeul / Berlin 1951
  3. ↑ Helmut Drechsler: Small world on the wayside , 3rd edition, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1952, p. 4 (sample register Grimma No. 227)
  4. ↑ Through the woods through the meadows ... With the super electron flash in the realm of the Red Kite . Neumann-Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1952, p. 81
  5. ↑ Through the woods through the meadows ... With the super electron flash in the realm of the Red Kite . Neumann-Verlag, Radebeul and Berlin 1952, p. 96
  6. ^ Karl Behrend: Africa trip with Helmut Drechsler . Brockhaus Verlag Leipzig 1961
personal data
SURNAME Wood turner, Paul Helmut
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German wildlife photographer and filmmaker
DATE OF BIRTH September 18, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Colditz , Saxony
DATE OF DEATH 4th February 1960
Place of death Fort Archambault Chad