Photographer & Contributor Jutta Stadach

Jutta Stadach was born in a little village in the Eifel region (Germany) , close to the old vineyards of the beautiful river Mosel, not far from the Rhein. She received her first camera as a very young girl, a gift from her father. It was a tiny plastic box, which could take real photos. Later, as a teenager, she bought her first single-lens reflex camera and built a photo laboratory in the bathroom of her parents’ home.

She got educated as a management assistant. Together with her both brothers she took over the company of their father, trading and repairing agricultural engines. But in the early 1980s she went to Hamburg to work with the famous German press photographer Günther Zint. Together with Günter Zint, Inge Kramer, Marily Stroux, Gaby Schmidt and Hinrich Schultze, Jutta founded “ Panfoto”, a press photography agency focused on social, political and environment themes, located in the famous Hamburg harbor and red-light district of St.Pauli.

The team at Panfoto participated in the young German antinuclear movement, and worked for magazines like “Stern”, “Spiegel”, newspapers like “TAZ”, “Morgenpost”, the well-known German investigative journalist Günther Wallraff, and Panfoto produced many of their own books and photo journalistic projects.

Jutta’s managed the company, worked in the photo lab, and above all loved taking photos, including her notable coverage of Heinz Oestmann, a fisherman and environment activist whom she accompanied on a stormy fishing trip deep into the North Sea, to document the ongoing destruction of the sea life caused by pollution from chemical industries.

Far away from any landscape and comfort, on an old fishing boat together with two men sparing with words, only horizon and the crest of the high waves, the smell of fish and sea, the sounds of  storm  and sea birds,  sleeping in a narrow bunk in the rhythm of haul and overhaul of the fishing net  … moments of deep peace and bliss to Jutta.

At the beginning of the 1990s Jutta decided to became occupational therapist, helping people suffering from mental and behavioral disorders, a profession she continued until retirement. Back in 1974, Jutta`s parents bought a place in Hospitalet de l’ Infant (Spain) for holidays vacations and for their retirement. This is how Jutta came to know the region of Tarragona. For the past  25 years, Jutta and her husband Michael Weimann have spent considerable time learning about the area. They enjoy discovering places far from the tourist sites, from the ports to the Muntanyes de Prades, from the Ebro Delta to Mequinenza… and especially the Montsant and Priorat, with their exceptional wines and fascinating histories.

During this time they have accompanied and observed the development and rise  of these areas from a depopulated region in the past, to areas bustling with new vigor and economic activities, vibrantly alive in the present day, creative people who today are forming a new future  with a great love for their landscape and the fruits of it, full of love and optimism … despite, or even in contrast to the current economic crisis

As a photographer and contributor to our project, Jutta Stadach participates in our annual efforts, from pruning to harvesting, to continuing her photographic work, always seeking a more personal viewpoint. With Jutta’s collaboration, we are thrilled and confident to enjoy great communication with the world beyond our doors! Jutta, thank you very much for your kindness and confidence in our project!