NORBERT BLANK
Photographer, videographer, filmmaker, visuell storytelling
specialized in:
outdoor - nature - people
sports - products - travel
fashion - business - automotive
story telling - multimedia - filmmaking
social responsibility - classic cars
Norbert Blank has taken the plunge successfully from a permanent employee as mechanical engineer into the independence more than twenty years ago:
In a for him totally new, highly competitive occupational field: Professional photography, film productions and worldwide guided kayak adventure trips.
His award-winning visual live shows, his fascinating images and spectacular reports - also from crisis areas of our world - tell us about unique moments, the people and the beauty of our planet.
He has still kept his fascination of the work as an engineer. Due to a lot of challenges and additional qualifications he could develop his personal competencies extensively:
As trainer and consultant, photo journalist, book author, kayak and kitesurf instructor, outdoor education teacher, sport enthusiast and in multimedia while setting up and managing his own business.
In this context worldwide, complex projects gave him the courage, the confidence and the experience to solve complicated problems with creative solutions and successfully complete with partners from different cultures.
my academic studies and trainings
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📸 Photographer and filmmaker
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🛶 Offers worldwide kayaking experiences
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🧭 Entrepreneur and sportsman
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💻 Graduate engineer in mechanical engineering (TU Munich)
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🎤 Bookauthor and storyteller
- 🧗🏼♂️⛷🏄♂🚴🏼🏊♀⛹🏽🏓🥋⛵ Certified kitesurf-, kayak- and sup-instructor (VDWS and BVKanu), adventure educator and outdoor trainer (Outward Bound Germany), high ropes course trainer (Faszinatour), scuba diver (Padi), outdoor professional, freeskier, sailing skipper and …
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... and father of the most wonderful daughter and sportsmodel. You will find Emilia here in some action- and sports-photos :-) https://www.instagram.com/emilia_moises/
more information about me and my work you will find on:
my most important jobs, photo shootings, awards, movies, adventures and events:
2023
South Africa: Fotoshooting for EXPED
Austria / Switzerland / France: Winter Fotoshooting for EXPED
Greece and Atlantic Ocean: Getting some sailing experience
Munich / Germany: Founding of the startup „Alaia-Kite-Boards“ with support of the Technical University Munich, the Makerspace and the town of Munich: www.alaia-boards.com
For climate protection and sustainability, we sold all our motorized vehicles (motorbike, car, expedition truck). From now on we are traveling with low emissions by sailing boat, public transport and bicycle. We now also offer our seakayak adventures from a sailboat to portect our earth and its people. We have also removed some of our longdistance whitewater kayak destinations and tours such as Chile, New Zealand and Dubai from the program - in order to minimize flights.
2022
Germany: Publication of the new book: "The world of kayak"
Greece: Finishing sailing license / scipper diploma for offshore yachting
Germany: Starting shaping and developing classic wooden Alaia-Kite-Boards
France: Freesking in La Grave
2021
Greece: We start with our first environmentally friendly and sustainable"Sailing & Seakayak" Kayak-Tour on Ionian Islands
Germany: Publication of the new edition of my book: "Kanu Bayern"
Switzerland: Design of the "CrestaClassics" cars website
Hamburg: Video journalism training at „Akademie für Publizistik“
Munich: Documentary film training at „Münchner Filmwerktsatt“
Finishing my "LinkedIn" account
Many Fotoshootings :-)
2020
Germany: working for NGO "CHILDREN for a better World e.V." in photography
France La Grave: freeski and expedition equipment photoshootings
Greece: sea kayak adventure
Switzerland: oldtimer car photo shootings
Europe: Corona lockdown with a lot of outdoor sports, slackline, mountainbike, sup, kitesurf and kayak training
2019
Germany: working for NGO "CHILDREN for a better World e.V." in photography
France La Grave: freeski and expedition equipment photo shootings
Germany: publication of the new book: "Rauszeit" - best 400 outdoor adventures all over the world
Greece: sea kayak adventure
Graduation: VDWS-YI Kite Management
Graduation: VDWS-TI Kite Supervising Instructor
2018
Germany: working for NGO "CHILDREN for a better World e.V." in photography
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
Nepal: whitewater kayak adventure
Croatia: fotoshooting "NAISH" Kiteboarding opinionleader "Emilia Moises"
Switzerland: celebrating Norbert Blank ten years brand ambassador of "EXPED"
Alps: backcountry freeski adventure "La Grave Sedrun Alagna Dolomits"
2017
Germany: working for NGO "CHILDREN for a better World e.V." in Photography
Brazil: kitesurf safari
USA Grand Canyon: 12 days whitewater kayak trip
Graduating VDWS-KI Kitesurf Instructor
Germany: Publication of the new book: "Wohnmobil Highlights der Welt"
Ecuador: photoshooting "AMAZONAS" hammoks
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
Greece: sea and whitewater kayak adventure
2016
Marocco: whitewater kayak adventure
Greece: sea and whitewater kayak adventure
Ecuador: photo shooting tropical kayak calendar
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2015
USA Grand Canyon: 12 days whitewater kayak trip
Kyrgyzstan: movie production ski adventure "Horse Powder"
Kyrgyzstan: photoshooting ski equipment and ski fashion
Greece: sea and whitewater kayak adventure
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2014
Southern Europe: three month exploring kajak and kitesurf spots
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2013
My company ecuador-kajak.com is expanding: we now offer worldwide kayaking destinations: https://www.global-kayak.com
Colombia: whitewater kayak adventure
Germany: Appointment as a instructor of the canoe instructors in the teaching and training team of "BVKanu" (formerly "VDKS")
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2012:
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2011
Himalaya India / Nepal: photoshooting "Exped" catalogue
Germany: our intercultural creative office moves to new location "Neues Atelier", D-Bamberg
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2010
Italy Selvaggio Blu: photoshooting "Exped" catalogue
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2009
Ecuador: photo shooting "Exped" catalogue in the Amazon rainforest
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
Germany: "Sparkasse Bamberg": photo shooting buisness report
Germany: my book "Kanu Bayern" turns up in 2. edition
2008
Germany: "Sparkasse Bamberg": photo shooting buisness report
Sweden: "Volkswagen Driving Experience" - "Ice drive" on frozen lakes with race legend "Hans-Joachim Stuck"
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2007
Turkey, Iran, Emirates, Oman, Saudiarabia, Jordan, Syria:
Outstanding photo reportage "Nine month through Arabia and Persia" in a historic truck
Germany: online publication of "Steiner Nature College" on a new website
2006
Russia, China, Mongolia, Tibet: "Volkswagen Driving Experience" Tour Wolfsburg Beijing Lhasa
Ecuador: managing sponsoring project "Steiner Nature College"
Ecuador: photoshooting nature and birdwatching "Steiner Binoculars"
All over Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
Germany: Modification of a historic Mercedes 1113B into a 4*4 expedition truck
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2005
Germany: Publication of my two new books: "Kanu Basic" and "Kanu Bayern"
Ecuador: photoshooting nature and birdwatching "Steiner Binoculars"
Ecuador: managing sponsoring project "Steiner Nature College"
Kyrgyzstan and Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2004
Ecuador: photo shooting nature and birdwatching "Steiner Binoculars"
Ecuador: managing sponsoring project "Steiner Nature College"
Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2003
Graduation in "Experiential education, outdoor trainer and adventure educator: "ZAB" at "Outward Bound",
Germany, Austria: Working as a freelance trainer and consultant (outdoor and indoor)
Germany: "National Geographic" Magazine: Kayaking Ecuador award in "50 best adventures worldwide"
Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
Ecuador: Yasuni Nationalpark: photo shooting for "Steiner Binoculars"
Marocco: all winter outdoor adventure with family and kids in northern africa
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2002
Greece: living a winter with family in Greece
"Festival Horizonte": startup of the new multi media travel festival
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2001
Dominican Republic: kayak and outdoor adventures, living a winter with family in the carribean
Germany: "Jacobs Maxwell": online publication of "Maxwell Outdoor Trip Collector"
Caribbean: whitewater kayak expedition "Hispaniola"
Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
2000
Ecuador: whitewater kayak expedition "Amazonas"
Germany, Austria: photoshootings for "Maxwell Outdoor Trip Collector"
Foundation of Ecuador-Kajak: Norbert Blank is owner, manager and headguide of the company
1999
Germany: Founding the intercultural creative office "Atelier Brennerstrasse" in Bamberg
Norbert Blank starts working as a freelancer in photo journalism: www.bilder-botschaften.de
Germany: photoshootings for and publication of my first book: "Fränkische i-Tüpfäla"
"El Mundo" Festival Austria: best adventure award for my live multimedia reportage "Ein Jahr-Drei Räder"
1998
Ghana: traveling in the heart of Afrika
1996 - 1998
Working as an engineer in the technical development of "Audi AG"
1996
Graduation "VDKS / BVKanu" whitewater kayak instructor
1995
Latin America: one year on a motorbike with sidecar crossing the continent:
From Mexiko to Fireland (Chile / Argentina)
1991 - 1994
Working as an engineer in the technical development of "Audi AG"
1990
Algeria: crossing sahara desert on a motorbike
1988
Yugoslawia Greece Turkey: two month on road with an classic BMW motorbike
1985 - 1991
"Mechanical engineering" studies at the "Technical University of Munich / TUM"
Graduation as "Diplom Ingenieur" in December 1991
since 1985
Europe Asia Latinamerica: lots of backpacking
1980
Starts whitewater kayaking
1968
Starts skiing
1965
born in Bamberg / Germany
