NORBERT BLANK

Photographer, videographer, filmmaker, visuell storytelling

works in:

Norbert Blank has taken the plunge successfully from a permanent employee as mechanical engineer into the independence more than twenty years ago:

In a for him totally new, highly competitive occupational field: Professional photography, film productions and worldwide guided kayak adventure trips.

His award-winning visual live shows, his fascinating images and spectacular reports - also from crisis areas of our world - tell us about unique moments, the people and the beauty of our planet.

He has still kept his fascination of the work as an engineer. Due to a lot of challenges and additional qualifications he could develop his personal competencies extensively:

my academic studies and trainings

• 📸 Photographer and filmmaker
• 🛶 Offers worldwide kayaking experiences
• 🧭 Entrepreneur and sportsman
• 💻 Graduate engineer in mechanical engineering (TU Munich)
• 🎤 Bookauthor and storyteller

• 🧗🏼‍♂️⛷🏄‍♂🚴🏼🏊‍♀⛹🏽🏓🥋⛵ Certified kitesurf- and kayak-instructor (VDWS and BVKanu), adventure educator and outdoor trainer (Outward Bound Germany), high ropes course trainer (Faszinatour), scuba diver (Padi), outdoor professional, freeskier, sailing skipper
• And father of the most wonderful daughter and sportsmodel. You will find Emilia here in some action- and sports-photos :-)
• https://www.instagram.com/emilia_moises
• Together with Emilia we are working in development, prototyping and testing of our innovative sustainable wooden kitesurf-boards since 2024: www.alaia-boards.com
• The Technical University of Munich / the Makerspace supports us with the [x]-Innovator membership / scholarship for our Alaia-Kite startup: www.makerspace.com

more information about me and my work you will find on:

• The vision is to live as soon as possible on my sailboat and explore all the oceans of our blue planet: My "Dance the Waves" filming and sailing projects finally starts in may 2025 :-)
• South Africa: Working and testing our www.alaia-boards.com

• Makerspace Munich Germany / Greece / Italy: Development, prototyping and testing of our innovative sustainable wooden kitesurf-boards: www.alaia-boards.com
  
• Albania / Greece / Ecaudor: Three month kajak-adventures, sailing, mountainiering, hiking, photoshooting and filming for EXPED

• Germany: Publication of the new book: "The world of kayak"
• Greece: Finishing sailing license / scipper diploma for offshore yachting
• Germany: Starting shaping and developing classic wooden Alaia-Kite-Boards
• France: Freesking in La Grave  

• Greece:  We start with our first environmentally friendly and sustainable "Sailing & Seakayak" Kayak-Tour on Ionian Islands
• Germany: Publication of the new edition of my book: "Kanu Bayern"
• Switzerland: Design of the "CrestaClassics" cars website, living and freesking in Swiss alps during Pandemie winter
• Hamburg: Video journalism training at „Akademie für Publizistik“
• Munich: Documentary film training at „Münchner Filmwerkstatt“
• Finishing my "LinkedIn" account 
• Many Fotoshootings :-)

• Germany: working for NGO "CHILDREN for a better World e.V." in photography
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
• Nepal: whitewater kayak adventure
• Croatia: fotoshooting "NAISH" Kiteboarding opinionleader "Emilia Moises"
• Switzerland: celebrating Norbert Blank ten years brand ambassador of "EXPED"  
• Alps: backcountry freeski adventure "La Grave Sedrun Alagna Dolomits"

• Germany: working for NGO "CHILDREN for a better World e.V." in Photography
• Brazil: kitesurf safari
• USA Grand Canyon: 12 days whitewater kayak trip
• Graduating VDWS-KI Kitesurf Instructor 
• Germany: Publication of the new book: "Wohnmobil Highlights der Welt"
• Ecuador: photoshooting "AMAZONAS" hammoks
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure 
• Greece: sea and whitewater kayak adventure

• Marocco: whitewater kayak adventure 
• Greece: sea and whitewater kayak adventure
• Ecuador: photo shooting tropical kayak calendar
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• USA Grand Canyon: 12 days whitewater kayak trip
• Kyrgyzstan: movie production ski adventure "Horse Powder"
• Kyrgyzstan: photoshooting ski equipment and ski fashion
• Greece: sea and whitewater kayak adventure
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Southern Europe: three month exploring kajak and kitesurf spots
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• My company ecuador-kajak.com is expanding: we now offer worldwide whitewater- and seakayak destinations: www.global-kayak.com
• Germany: my book "Kanu Bayern" turns up in 3. edition
• Colombia: whitewater kayak adventure 
• Germany: Appointment as a instructor of the canoe instructors in the teaching and training team of "BVKanu" (formerly "VDKS")
  
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
• Italy: I start kitesurfing

• Himalaya India / Nepal: photoshooting "Exped" catalogue
• Germany: our intercultural creative office moves to new location "Neues Atelier", D-Bamberg
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Italy, Sardinia, Selvaggio Blu: photoshooting "Exped" catalogue
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Ecuador: photo shooting "Exped" catalogue in the Amazon rainforest
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure
• Germany: "Sparkasse Bamberg": photo shooting buisness report
• Germany: my book "Kanu Bayern" turns up in 2. edition

• Germany: "Sparkasse Bamberg": photo shooting buisness report
• Sweden: "Volkswagen Driving Experience" - "Ice drive" on frozen lakes with race legend "Hans-Joachim Stuck"
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Turkey, Iran, Emirates, Oman, Saudiarabia, Jordan, Syria: Outstanding photo reportage "Nine month through Arabia and Persia" in a historic truck with my 6 year old daughter
• Germany: online publication of "Steiner Nature College" on a new website

• Russia, China, Mongolia, Tibet: "Volkswagen Driving Experience" three month SUV Touareg tour from Wolfsburg via Beijing, Moskau, Ulanbator, Bejing to Lhasa
• Ecuador: managing sponsoring project "Steiner Nature College"
• Ecuador: photoshooting nature and birdwatching "Steiner Binoculars"
• All over Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
• Germany: Modification of a historic Mercedes 1113B into a 4*4 expedition truck 
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Germany: Publication of my two new books: "Kanu Basic" and "Kanu Bayern"
• Ecuador: photoshooting nature and birdwatching "Steiner Binoculars"
• Ecuador: managing sponsoring project "Steiner Nature College"
• Kyrgyzstan and Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Ecuador: photo shooting nature and birdwatching "Steiner Binoculars"
• Ecuador: managing sponsoring project "Steiner Nature College"
• Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Graduation in "Experiential education, outdoor trainer and adventure educator: "ZAB" at "Outward Bound",
• Germany, Austria: Working as a freelance trainer and consultant (outdoor and indoor)
• Germany: "National Geographic" Magazine: Kayaking Ecuador award in "50 best adventures worldwide"
• Europe: photoshooting youth welfare calendar for NGO "Life"
• Ecuador: Yasuni Nationalpark: photo shooting for "Steiner Binoculars"
• Marocco: all winter outdoor adventure with family and kids in northern africa
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Greece: living a winter with family in Greece
• "Festival Horizonte": I startup the new multi media travel festival
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Dominican Republic: kayak and outdoor adventures, living a winter with family in the carribean
• Germany: "Jacobs Maxwell": online publication of "Maxwell Outdoor Trip Collector"
• Caribbean: whitewater kayak expedition "Hispaniola"
• Ecuador: whitewater kayak adventure

• Ecuador: whitewater kayak expedition "Amazonas"
• Germany, Austria: photoshootings for "Maxwell Outdoor Trip Collector"
• Foundation of Ecuador-Kajak: Norbert Blank is owner, manager and headguide of the company www.ecuador-kajak.com

• Germany: Founding the intercultural creative office "Atelier Brennerstrasse" in Bamberg
• Norbert Blank starts working as a freelancer in photography and photo journalism: www.bilder-botschaften.de
• Germany: photoshootings for and publication of my first book: "Fränkische i-Tüpfäla"
• "El Mundo" Festival Austria: best adventure award for my live multimedia reportage "Ein Jahr-Drei Räder" www.elmundo-festival.at

• Ghana: traveling with backpack in the heart of Afrika

• Working as an engineer in the technical development of "Audi AG" Ingolstadt

• Graduation "VDKS / BVKanu" whitewater kayak instructor 

• Latin America: Pure adventure: one year riding on a motorbike with sidecar crossing the continent: from Mexiko to Fireland (Chile / Argentina)

• Working as an engineer in the technical development of "Audi AG"

• Algeria: two month long crossing sahara desert on a motorbike

• Yugoslawia Greece Turkey: two month on road with an classic BMW motorbike

• "Mechanical engineering" studies at the "Technical University of Munich / TUM"
• Graduation as "Diplom Ingenieur" in December 1991

• Europe Asia Latinamerica: lots of backpacking

• Starts whitewater kayaking

• Starts skiing

• born in Bamberg / Germany