Unter Kameraleuten: 100 Jahre Kameraverbände in Deutschland / Among Cameramen: 100 Years of Camera Associations in Germany

In the autumn of 1925 – when the new medium of film was just 30 years old – German cinematographers formed the first professional association. They were among the leading figures of this new art form, alongside their American counterparts, and films like *The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari* (1920), *The Golem* (1920), and *Nosferatu* (1922) are considered silent film classics. The visual art of cinematography has been extensively studied elsewhere, but who were these men, and later women, who created these images, and what everyday problems did they face in their professional lives? One hundred years have passed since the founding of this first professional association, and thanks to its work, much has improved for cinematographers in Germany, primarily regarding copyright. Other issues of their professional lives have been addressed and discussed since the association's inception and remain as relevant today as they were then. The author – himself a cameraman – takes a look at 100 years of the association's history, describing professional life with its continuities and the ruptures caused by technological and economic upheavals. He ultimately concludes that much of it has happened before – or at least in a similar way. Much is repeated, and much remains unchanged, its problems still relevant. Progress is not necessarily apparent.