Otto Steinert (1915–1978) was a prominent German photographer and teacher who became a leading figure in postwar German photography. A trained physician by profession, he abandoned medicine around 1947 to pursue his passion for photography as an autodidact. He is best known as the founder and intellectual mentor of the Fotoform movement in 1949, which championed innovative, often abstract imagery derived from nature or manipulated negatives. Steinert was a key proponent of 'Subjektive Fotografie' (Subjective Photography), a style that emphasized personal expression over objective documentation. He held significant teaching positions, including at the Staatliche Werkkunstschule and the Folkswangschule in Essen, where he influenced generations of photographers until his death.[1,2,3]
