Dedicated to my loving wife Lila

Günther Komnick was born into a cultured family of artists in East Prussia in 1929. This gives one an understanding of the influences that fashioned Günther’s future path throughout his life as an artist, lithographer, photographer and even an accomplished musician.
    Günther’s life experiences have been unimaginably harsh at times, and yet in a true stoic fashion he has risen to each challenge throughout his life unerringly and seized the moment victoriously. He has received many accolades along the way, amongst them a Lifetime Associate’s award from the prestigious Royal Photographic Society, giving testimony to his unfaltering determination and courage.
    He first arrived in South Africa in the mid-1950s and finally moved his roots to Cape Town where he has remained ever since. There began his infatuation with the life and many characters in the surrounding streets and his lifelong love affair with exploring the world through his camera lenses.
    In the relatively short time that I have known Günther I never cease to be amazed by his prolific and enduring energy to get things done now. It is as if there is no tomorrow, no time to waste. As soon as an idea crystallises in his forever searching mind he sets the wheels in motion. Usually that means a destination is chosen, the travel arrangements are started immediately, and bags packed, cameras at the ready, Günther and Lila, his loving partner, are on their way to some distant and foreign land to capture its essence through the eyes of the Master.
    Unlike many of us and our limited travelling experiences their reality has been to cover all four corners of the earth. An enviable achievement all on its own, were it not topped by the publication of a beautiful photographic book filled with impressions from each country they’ve explored. There is a collection of thirty books to date with one more about to go to print. An enviable fulfilment for one lifetime one might imagine, but it is for sure that Günther is already planning his next chapter.
    Günther Komnick’s unstoppable and insatiable drive throughout his life will remain an indelible legacy for many more years to come and will continue to be a catalyst to those with any doubts that the impossible is forever possible. Thank you, my friend, for sharing your dreams and being such an impressionable inspiration to us all.