Guenter Knop

I was born in Germany in 1954,

A Rainbow in Black and White
By Kristin Lloyd

Walking the streets of New York in search of his next model, Guenter Knop is met with a world of limitless variation. Coming from Germany, New York introduced me to skin shades Id never dreamt of , but as a photographer known for his classic black and white nudes, he prefers to see women of color in shades of gray. The thrill for me is not just black or white. It's all of the shades in between. A cross-section of his work reveals an unparalled array of real women combined to create a colorless rainbow.

Knop proves that beauty proliferates in a world without the imposed boundaries of color, but the diversity of his models is never a conscious choice. The selection process is natural. Whether her exterior happens to be Black, White or anything in between, the instinct to approach a woman to be photographed is triggered by her individual feminine presence.

Following the acceptance of an invitation to be photographed is a delicate dance of collaboration. As a result of using real women from a variety of cultures, Knop has cultivated an enviable skill for putting women at ease. These are not professional models and I have to t...