Photographer / Wine Town
Features, Portraits, Multimedia, Africa
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Life
Rainer Kwiotek, born and raised in the Rhineland, found his way to photography through detours. After training and working as an art blacksmith and then as an optician, he spent several years in Iceland and Namibia. Afterwards, he worked as a private detective, karate instructor, and taxi driver in Munich and later in Stuttgart.
For Zeitenspiegel, he was then able to contribute his diverse professional and international experience as a photojournalist and became a member of the agency after a short time. For many years, his pictures have been published in all major German magazines such as Star, Mirror and Focus, as well as in various foreign journals.
A focus of his work comprises reports for NGOs and social institutions. For over 20 years, he has been traveling to Ethiopia multiple times a year for the German aid organization „Menschen für Menschen“ alone.
His clients also include companies and organizations such as Aktion Mensch, Bilfinger, BMW, Brot für die Welt, Daimler, Diakonie Stetten, Missio, Reinhausen, Sparkasse, and Talanx AG.
Current Awards:
2025: Constructive World Award
2025: European Publishing Award for „Magazine Story of the Year“
2024: Memento Media Award
2024: German Prize for Political Photography and Caricature, in the category „Best Photo Series“
Projects
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampBallet of Dreams
Author Rike Uhlenkamp, photographer Rainer Kwiotek
Appeared in „Marie Claire“ Fall 2025In Peru, ballet is out of reach for many children. However, former dancer Maricarmen Silva teaches everyone—regardless of whether they are poor, physically disabled, or talented. Her ballet school offers community, hope, and sometimes even medals.
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampSolidary Potatoes
Author Rike Uhlenkamp, photographer Rainer Kwiotek
Published in „Atmo“ No. 3 in September 2025Fresh, fair organic vegetables without intermediaries. With this goal, a solidarity farm was founded 13 years ago, which has since grown to become Germany's largest.
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampOn your marks, get set, go!
Photographer Rainer Kwiotek, Author Rike Uhlenkamp
Published in „Nature“ 12/2023Ski touring is considered a sustainable alternative to the alpine circus. Instead of groomed slopes, lift facilities, or snow cannons, all that's needed is your own muscle power and some skiing skills. And yet, athletes should follow a few rules so that the fun of ski touring doesn't become a threat to nature and animals.
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampSow knowledge
Photographer Rainer Kwiotek, Author Rike Uhlenkamp
Published in the magazine section of the „Frankfurter Rundschau“ on June 4, 2022Malnutrition, import dependency, and scarce resources: In Malawi, women are taking matters into their own hands to solve these problems – with astonishingly simple methods.
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampNot to be seen and yet to be seen
Photographer Rainer Kwiotek, Author Rike Uhlenkamp
Published in the „Frankfurter Rundschau“ on May 29, 2021Sign language and braille books should not be a luxury. Says José Diquinssone, who fights for the inclusion of people with disabilities in Mozambique.
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Markus Wanzeck, Rainer Kwiotek, ReportageMagic Mountain
Author Markus Wanzeck, photographer Rainer Kwiotek
Published in „Nature“ 12/20Our author drives to Berchtesgaden with great anticipation. And finds herself in a fairytale alpine world where witches slumber, wondrous things happen, and a stone king reigns above it all.
For Publication »
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Portrait, Rainer Kwiotek, Rike UhlenkampBirds in Focus
Author Rike Uhlenkamp, Photographer Tormod Amundsen and Rainer Kwiotek
Published in „Nature“ 02/20The Arctic coastal region in northeastern Norway is a paradise for seabird watching. In Tormod Amundsen's observation huts, the spectacle can be enjoyed even in the iciest wind. With his designs, the architect also wants to contribute to nature conservation.
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampIn the Land of the Rhön
Author Rike Uhlenkamp, photographer Rainer Kwiotek
Published in „Nature“ 11/19Where Thuringia, Bavaria, and Hesse meet, a sea of gentle mountains rises: the Rhön. Once separated by the Iron Curtain, the region today invites nature lovers, adventurers, and animal enthusiasts alike. A visit to an underestimated low mountain range.
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampWild Coast
Photographer Rainer Kwiotek, Author Rike Uhlenkamp
Published in „Nature“ 07/19Where soldiers once patrolled, today the great grey shrike, water buffalo, and white-tailed eagle report for duty. They inhabit the wildly beautiful nature paradises along the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern coast—best visited by carriage or kayak.
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Rainer Kwiotek, Reportage, Rike UhlenkampFriesian Herb
Photographer Rainer Kwiotek, Author Rike Uhlenkamp
Published in „Nature“ 02/19
When it storms and rains, it becomes quiet on the North Frisian Islands. A winter visit to a world full of mud snails, whalers, and true sea yarns. -
Isabel Stettin, Rainer Kwiotek, ReportageOld hands stroke sick souls
Photographer Rainer Kwiotek, Author Isabel Stettin
Published in „MUT Magazine“ 2018In Zimbabwe, about 300 elderly women sit on „friendship benches“ in their villages and simply listen to people with mental illnesses.
With the wisdom they have acquired themselves over a long, arduous life, these „grandmothers“ try to alleviate the suffering of their patients. -
Rainer Kwiotek, ReportageThe horsepower is coming back
Photographer Rainer Kwiotek, Author: Patrick P. Bauer
Published in „Nature“, May 2018Tractors and combine harvesters consume diesel, compact soil, stink, and make noise. Farmers, loggers, and even vineyard owners are experimenting with an age-old alternative: horses. Is this more than just a nice experiment?