Rainer W. Schlegelmilch ‘RWS’ saw his first race in 1962, when he photographed a series of portraits at the ‘1000 kilometers’ at the Nürburgring for his final examination at the Bavarian State School of Photography in Munich. Eighteen months later, he opened his studio of photo design in Frankfurt, but racing has always remained a major aspect of his work. Right from the very beginning, initially in monochrome only, he photographed for numerous prestigious motor sport publications and in motor racing involved companies.
Since 1974, 5 years already in color, RWS has focused exclusively on Formula 1 championship races. Between the 1990s and today, he has published over 40 works of photography, which have brought him worldwide acclaim. RWS edited books about cars, and did more than 500 shootings on location with cars of Ferrari, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Aston Martin and some other British Sports Car factories.
Changing to digital photography 2004, his archive became with 15,000 monochrome photographs and nearly 600,000 color slides and digital images the most perfect organized motor sport archive out of one hand.
In Monza 2011 Bernie Ecclestone honored Rainer with a lifetime permanent photographer’s pass.
With the publication of coffee table books like ‚THE GOLDEN AGE OF FORMULA‘‚ ‚THE ROARING 70s‘, FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONS‘,‚70s CONCEPT CARS‘ with teNeues and the monumental works ‚SCHLEGELMILCH – 50 YEARS OF FORMULA 1 PHOTOGRAPHY’ and ‚SCHLEGELMILCH SPORTS CAR RACING 1962 -1973‘ with Könemann, Rainer ended 2012 his active career at the race tracks and started to organize worldwide exhibitions, especially of his early black & white photography.
His Motorsport- and Automobile homepage in low-res became an unique work of reference for fans and all kind of motorsport people.
To receive the hi-res files, go to the world’s biggest motorsport picture archive ‚Motorsport Images‘(motorsportimages.com), there you will find all Schlegelmilch pictures and much more.
Today Rainer Schlegelmilch is still visiting some Formula-1-races every year, enjoys all kind of Motorsport on TV and supports with his long-time experience new photo- and business projects of our sport.
Exhibitions
- The Golden Age of Car Racing,
Stadt Buehl, Friedrichsbau, Buehl – Baden, May – June 2017 - Sports Car Racing 1962 – 1973,
Startcollections by Ralph Jahns, Stuttgart, March 2017 - Historic F 1 and Sports Car Races,
Carmel on the sea, California, Summer 2016 - The Golden Age of Car Racing,
Jahns & Co, Selected Works, Stuttgart, Februar 2016 - Jacky Ickx,
Club des V, Bruxelles, Autumn 2015 - The Golden Age of Car Racing,
Motorworld Classics Berlin, Oktober 2015 - City Walk,
Historic Formel 1 Drivers, City of Graz / Austria, June 2015 - The Golden Age of Car Racing,
Hangar-7 / Red Bull, Salzburg, Summer 2015 - Eddy Merckx / Jacky Ickx,
EXPO-Trade-Mart, Brussels, Winter and Spring 2015 - Classic Cars & Racing Legends,
Formula 1 and Sports Cars of the 60s, Cimmic Photography Gallery,
Vienna, Autumn 2014 - The Golden Age of Car Racing,
Formula 1 and Sports Cars of the 60s, CONTINUUM Gallery,
Königswinter, Summer 2014 - Formula 1,
Getty Images Gallery, London, Winter 2014 - Race Fever,
Deutsche Bank – DWS, Frankfurt 2013 - McLaren – 50 Years Retrospektive,
München, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, 2013 - Lorenzo Bandini,
Brisighella 2013 - Sportscar Racing 1962-1973,
Klassikstadt Frankfurt, 2012
- 50 Jahre Schlegelmilch,
Brenner’s Kulturhaus LA8, Baden-Baden, 2012 - 50 Years of Formula 1 Photography,
Leica-Gallery, Frankfurt 2012 - Jochen Rindt,
Mainz, 2012 - 70s Concept-Cars,
Nugloss, Frankfurt 2012 - Formula 1 – UBS,
Monaco – La Vigie, 2011, 2012 - Rennfieber,
Leica-Gallery, Frankfurt 2011 - Jochen Rindt – 40 Jahre danach,
Graz 2010 - The Golden Age of Formula 1,
Gosche/teNeues, Hamburg, 2010 - 60 Jahre Formel 1,
Prototyp-Museum, Hamburg, 2010 - Jochen Rindt,
Westlicht – Wien 2010 - Le Mans,
Prototyp-Museum, Hamburg, 2009 - Hist. Formula1 in Monaco,
Red Bull – GP Monaco 2008 - 60 Jahre Faszination Ferrari,
Riem Arcaden, München 2007 - Rindt und die anderen grossen Österreicher in der Formel 1,
Graz 2006 - Racing Portraits of the 60s,
Found Galerie – Hamburg, 2006 - McLaren – Siemens,
Istanbul 2005 - 60s, Formula 1 and Sports cars,
La Scuderia – Frankfurt, from 2005 - Ayrton Senna,
Galerie am Stern, Essen, 2003
Awards
- 16th SPORTEL Book Prize of the French National and Sports Committee for ’50 Years of Formula 1 Photography’, Monaco 2013
- ADAC Motorwelt Autobuch Sonderpreis ‘SCHLEGELMILCH SPORTSCAR RACING 1962-1973 Buchmesse Frankfurt, 2013
- ‘Lingotto Provincia di Ravenna’ di Trofeo Lorenzo Bandini, Brisighella, 2013
- ‘International Fotografic Awards – PEPI CEREDA, MONZA, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011
- Festival Automobile, GP de Plus Beau Livre, Paris 2002, 2004
- ‘Award Fotografico’ – Confartigianato Motori, Monza, 2001
- 1.Prize: Warsteiner Formel 1 Fotowettbewerb, 2001
- Gilles Villeneuve, Premio Fotografico Internationale, Imola 1988, 1989