Franz Lindenmayr

I was born in Tiefenbach/Bavaria in 1948 and started caving in 1964. In 1966 I joined the Munich Caving Club (VHM) and a couple of years later the Landesverein für Höhlenkunde in Salzburg/Austria. President of the Munich Caving Club from 1994 to 1998. Organizer of three cave art exhibitions. Cofounder of HÖPHO, together with Bernd Kliebhan and Wilfried Lorenz, which started in 1980. This is the annual meeting of all the people, which are interested in cave photography, photographers, assistants and the audience. In 1990 I started together with a friend an anthropospeleological group, which is devoted to all aspects of cave and man, be it psychological, spiritual, historical or philosophical - HÖREPSY. Since 1997 I run the website Mensch und Höhle / man and cave (www.lochstein.de).

My career as a cave photographer started in 1965 in the Klausenhöhle near Munich with a VITO CLR. More than 10 cameras have been ruined through my activities in caves, but I don't give in and just buy the next one. I have seen many caves all over the world, from Madagascar to Galapagos, from New Zealand to Meghalaya. I had to discover some caves or at least an important part of them before I was able to take a photograph in them. It was worth the effort.

Many years ago Remy Wenger from Switzerland wrote a dedication into one of his books for me: "To Franz Lindenmayr, esthète des cavernes". He hit the nail right on the head: To get a photographic glimpse at the beauty inside our small planet - that is what I mainly try to do.

Married, a son and a daughter, three grandchildren.