My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

By thorsten

21 October, 2025

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Photos & Projects

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Portrait Photography
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Some of you may have seen the last Wes Anderson movie, The Phoenician Scheme. Benicio del Toro used a huge fountain pen from Montblanc in it. My friend Volkmar Bendig, an actor himself, had one of those. He got it from a photographer who died in a plane crash in the alps. Which sounds like a scene from Wes Anderson. Volkmars sprawling flats, he never did it below 250 square meters, were like archaeological digs. Everywhere was stuff to discover, and the proud owner ready to tell you the story behind items heaped on each other. Volkmar was born in Königsberg, East Prussia in 1941. While his father was lost he survived with his mother and aunt and escaped to the west. Being born on the 4th of July, he stayed independent all his life. We met and became friends in 1985. Back then we decided that I would take his pictures for the rest of his life, in exchange for his collection of GEO magazines. As I just shot his funeral, we both kept our ends of the deal. So without any further ado, five frames I shot of my friend Volkmar over the years.

Nikon F3 with 105/2,5 and T-Max 400.
Volkmar with his aunt. Nikon F3 with 24/2,8 and T-Max 400.
Fujifilm X100s.
Volkmars hands, book cover for a crime novel. Nikon D3 with 85/1,4.
Nikon D3 with 85/1,4.

Thank you for your interest.

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About The Author

By thorsten
Major influence just now: Severance on Apple. Incredible work by cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné (and everybody else working on it). Imho the best show since Sopranos and Twin Peaks. Further running: Akira Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, Billy Wilder, and as always, Kubrick. The night before Salgado died I ran into Donata Wenders and her husband Wim. We talked about shooting film, and printing in the bathroom.
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Comments

Alexandre Kreisman on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Last portrait is absolutely marvelous!
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Oh thank you Alexandre! Last week I shot portraits with my old 105 on a mirrorless Nikon and realised how tough it is to focus on the iris, in a dark room with everybody moving around all the time ;))

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John Bennett on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Great portraits, especially the early film work.
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John Bennett replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

And the X100S, too.

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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Dear John, thank you. That X100 is a magical little camera. I even shot Patti Smith with it, in a powder room. Because of the white walls ;))

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Stephen Hanka on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Thanks for posting these wonderful portraits.
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Thank you, Stephen. It is amazing when you dig through pictures that take you back to the very beginning…

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Gary Smith on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Outstanding Thorsten! A great sequence of portraits, each better than the last! I was going to say that I liked the one with the telescope the best but as I looked at each in sequence, they're all fantastic! A great progression. Thanks for sharing.
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Dear Gary, the telescope was in the same room as the first portrait, two bodies with 24 und 105 mixed.

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David Pauley on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

A lovely tribute to Volkmar, Thorsten, and simply gorgeous portraits. I love them all.
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Thank you David. This project is a once in a lifetime project… Some years ago I started to shoot him on 4x5, which became a totally different effort ;))

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David Hume on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Hi Thorsten. It is wonderful to see what you have done for your friend. My words are in no way able to do justice to what you have done, but I offer them nevertheless. David.
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Dear David, thank you. In recent weeks I came much closer to anwer the question »what are we living for?«

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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

And to say it with Shaw: This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

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David Hume replied:

Comment posted: 21/10/2025

Thank you Thorsten - (and thanks GBS)

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Jukka Reimola on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 22/10/2025

Really great story and portraits! Volkmar, and his aunt, both look very photogenic here.
P.S. I wonder, how many members of 35mmc write with fountain pens? I do, because writing beats typing every time, IMO.
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 22/10/2025

Kiitos, Jukka! I write write with a Kaweco and black ink.

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Ibraar Hussain on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 22/10/2025

Wonderful story and wonderful exquisite portraits with so much life and meaning.
Danke, mein Freund
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 22/10/2025

Danke, my friend. This man remembered every single line from every song or play he performed, and kept his Baloo costume from the Jungle Book in the living room. With him every piece of exposed film stayed a latent image.

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Michael on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 22/10/2025

This exceptional set demonstrates the value of persevering with projects over the long term and cultivating relationships with your subjects. Thanks for sharing!
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 22/10/2025

Yes, thank you for this, Michael. It helped that I had a close entanglement with the subject, and schlepped almost every new camera in my arsenal over to him first. Volkmar was the life sized mirror in which I saw myself grow into the man, and photographer, I am today.

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Jeremy Rata on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 27/10/2025

Really excellent Portraits. Bravo.
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 27/10/2025

Oh thank you, Jeremy. Shot more with the heart than the eye ;))

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Simon Bohrsmann on My friend Volkmar – Frames of a Life

Comment posted: 30/10/2025

Really nice images Thorsten. And a great tribute to your friend, Volkmar. We share ownership of two cameras: the F3 and the Fuji X100s. And the Nikkor 105 lens. So it is always a pleasure to see them well used and good for my confidence!
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thorsten replied:

Comment posted: 30/10/2025

Oh thank you, Simon, my photographic brother! Have a look here what I did else with the F3/105 combo: https://www.35mmc.com/29/07/2025/5-frames-of-new-york-city-1987/ The 24/105 used to be my basic lens outfit, And while I shot Chet Bakers last gig with the 105, I just used it on a Nikon Z6 to portrait the (94 years young) Actor Armin Mueller-Stahl. Tricky to get the iris sharp in a dark environment, and me spoiled by the years of Autofocus. While I shoot the X-E5 with AF just now, the 100s was always on manual, with the elegant switch between peaking electronic finder and the optical one…

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Simon Bohrsmann replied:

Comment posted: 30/10/2025

I took a look and add to my first comment the fact we have two F3's to shoot with two lenses. Usually the 105 and a 28mm or 35mm for me. Enjoyed it all, but the puddle jumpers I enjoyed the most.

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