NADJA WOHLLEBEN is an independent photojournalist, documentary photographer, and cultural anthropologist based in Berlin, Germany. In her work, she focusses on stories of resilience in the feminine human landscape. Nadja is specifically interested in women warriors. Since 2017, she has been working on her long-term project AMAZONS, for which she collects stories of fighting females around the world, ultimately creating an atlas of warrior women worldwide.
Nadja is a member of Women Photograph and is represented by laif photo agency.
Her editorial clients and publications include GEO, Stern, The Wall Street Journal, DIE ZEIT, The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, Neue Zuercher Zeitung, Zeit Magazin Online, Zeit Online, Der Spiegel,Financial Times, Open Society Foundations, Vice, Spiegel Online, Days Japan, 6Mois, among many others.
Nadja's work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally and has received international recognition at The Photo Annual Awards (formerly PDN), the NPPA Best of Photojournalism Awards, International Photography Awards, Burn Emerging Photographer Grant, FotoVisura Photography Grant, The Photography Gala Awards, among others.
As an undergraduate, Nadja received a scholarship to study Journalism at New York University, then went on to complete her first master's degree in Cultural Anthropology at Humboldt University in Berlin. Upon realising that photography was the ideal tool to combine her interests, Nadja majored in Photojournalism at the University of Westminster in London, earning her second master's degree with distinction.
Besides creating visual narratives, Nadja loves martial arts: she trains Shaolin Kung Fu since two decades, is a Taekwondo (2nd Dan) teacher and gives self-defense workshops for women.
Nadja has traveled to over 50 countries. Her nomadic lifestyle is facilitated by her fluency in German, English and French, as well as intermediate Spanish.
CURRICULUM VITAE
CLIENTS
EDITORIAL 6Mois, Bright Magazine, burn magazine, chrismon, Chinese Photographer Magazine, Civilization Magazine, Days Japan, Der Freitag, Der Spiegel, doc!photo magazine, Financial Times, Fluter, Focus Magazin, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, GEO, GEO Kompakt, GEO Wissen, Guido, huck, neues deutschland, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, New Internationalist, Open Society Foundations, Spiegel Online, Stadt Gottes, Stern, Stern.de, taz. die tageszeitung, The New York Times, The Observer, Thomson Reuters, Vice, Vogue.de, Wired, Zeit Online, Zeit Magazin Online
AWARDS & GRANTS 2020 The Photo Annual Awards (formerly PDN): Winner in photojournalism category with series 'The Kung Fu Nuns of the Himalayas' International Photography Awards: Honorable Mention in Editorial/ Press category with series 'The Kung Fu Nuns of the Himalayas' VG Bild-Kunst Grant, recipient for project 'The Rise of the Lotus Flower'
Studio Art Gallery, New Delhi, India: Part of group exhibition 'Truth or Dare' with project A SWORD & A SARI 2020 Female Photoclub: Part of group exhibition Corona Diaries with quarantine project a l o n e TOGETHER July-August 2018 Les Rencontres de la Photographie Arles, The Family of No Man: Part of group exhibition curated by Cosmos, Arles / FRANCE 5th Biennal of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, '92 - Helga's Disappearance' featured in group show, Barcelona/ SPAIN
2017 Leica Gallery Warsaw, Artist talk about project manager "Shosho Jikinge" 2016 Month of Photography LA, 'Connections' screening of series 'HeartCore', LA/USA 2013 Moving, Still - Exhibiton of series 'L'Amour Nous Unit' in group show, P3 gallery, London/UK
WORKSHOPS
2015 'Visual Storytelling' Masterclass with Ron Haviv/ VII Photo - Berlin/Germany 2014 'The Photographic Essay' Masterclass with David Alan Harvey/ Magnum Photos - Dubai/UAE
EDUCATION 2013 MA Photojournalism - Distinction, University of Westminster, London 2009 MA Cultural Anthropology - Humboldt University, Berlin 2006 Scholarship DAAD (German Academic Exchange Program) to study Journalism & Anthropology at New York University, NYC/USA