When I introduce you to Photographer Jacob Holdt from Copenhagen, Denmark, I also introduce you to my personal friend for 28 years. We met back in high school and have been friends and business-partners since then.  It must be a real friendship because we also occasionally fight like cat and dog – we do not share the same political views – our friendship has managed to survive both the fights and the business. 

Jacob is a very special person and a fantastic photographer. He is the only photographer that I know who is absolutely ignorant about technique – a fact he is actually proud of – and still able to produce absolutely stunning images that speak to your heart and soul.  

Jacob photographs with his heart more than anything else. An ability that given him access to photo opportunities that no one has ever had before or since.

In the sixties Jacob traveled throughout the American south, as a vagabond, and photographe d homes and people from the homeless to the Kennedy's. He immersed him self so much in this work that he became "one of them" whether he was in a shack or a "castle".

Jacobs heart is also controlling his life. After arriving back from the US, in the mid seventies, he assembled a group of approximately 20 persons, including my self, and persuaded us to work free for him for a period of several years. Some  worked for free for almost five years. I personally worked only two years in the co-operative. With the help of friends he obtained a very large apartment in the heart of Copenhagen. The apartment included an intimate theater sitting 50 people. In this apartment he installed all those of us who did not have their home in the Copenhagen area.  The group produced a book, a five hour slide show and a feature movie with his images. Part off the group was "on the road". They traveled, like gypsies in old Volkswagens, all over Europe and The USA, selling books, posters and showing the slide show at schools and colleges. The profit, and it was considerable because everybody worked for free, was all donated to a foundation building schools in Africa. 

While working for "The Foundation for Humanitarian Aid to Africa" Jacob and his group also took time to involve them selves in human rights work in other parts of the world.
Not counting those members "buried" in the darkroom.
Often Jacobs theater served as a refuge for 20-30 or 40 refugees from Mozambique, Zambia or one of the troubled countries in The Balkans. They received free lodging and free meals.  

Jacob has never profited from his art, ever since the American picture project he has focused his efforts on helping less fortunate groups in our world society. His last involvement was with the world-recognized help-organization "Care". He traveled extensively together with the Danish heir to the throne, prince Joachim in order to raise funds for "Care projects". He has recently published a new slide show with images from Bolivia. 

Jacob has always put him self, and often his family, at risk in order to obtain his goal – to help where help is needed. His wife and his children has traveled with him, taking part of the work, in both Bolivia and Africa.  

Jacob is now again trying to "break new land" – he has set out to prove that his pictures deserve to be characterized as "Fine Art" and that they so beautiful that people will want to display them on their walls. 

He has asked my self, World Images, Inc. to spearhead this quest and to transfer his best images onto "DYE-TRANSFER". 

We are starting out by offering the first five images as a limited portfolio of only 200 copies, of which only 150 will be offered for sale. After production of these 200 copies the original slide will be donated to a museum on the condition that it never again be reproduced with the purpose of selling the print. 

We are very curious to see how this  "Limited portfolio" initiative is received by other photographers, Galleries and Art Dealers. We appreciate your input at DURST-PRO-USA@msn.com

Jacob is currently living in Copenhagen with his wife, Vibeke, and their two children. Jacob and Vibeke are God parents for my son Jacob.

Apart from the portfolio presentation I am showing only one of Jacobs images in this presentation – it is beyond the scope of this site to go into depth with Jacobs enormous work – I can only recommend that you start your journey into "Jacobs world" by visiting his web site.

Jens J Jensen, Hillsboro, Oregon.