New German Cinema
He was born in Schnepfenthal, Waltershausen, Thuringia, Germany. He studied at the Staatliche Fachschule für Optik und Fototechnik in Berlin. After graduating he entered Olympia-Film in Munich and worked with Thomas Mauch, and he became a key cinematographer of New German Cinema. He is prominent for his collaboration with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.